Few Questions

[Tiric]

I've been thinking about getting back in to tropical fish keeping and all and had some questions.

Been looking at some bigger tanks instead of my 10 gallon starter tank and was wonder if $300CDN is a good deal for a 35 gallon Hexagon tank with stand, hood and light?

Is it better to have an underwater gravel filter VS a Filter that sits at the top of the tank (sorry don’t know the correct terms and all) or will the normal filter be just fine? Or both?

Do you need an air pump with bigger size tanks?

Water changes: 20% of the tanks water every few weeks or a month? Can’t remember on this been a while.
Is there any online stores where one can price out fake plants and other items?

Thanks!

 

[Tiric]

bump

 

[Dolfan]

Check out Bigalsonline.com they are super cheap. They have everything except medium-big tanks and live fish or plants.

I would definitely reccomend a biowheel Hang On Back filter (Power filter), Under gravel filters are messy and never really get rid of the "funk", they just store it up and hide it underneath. For a 35 gal. tank, the Emperor 280 would be great.

A pump isn't neccessary but it can help stir up the water etc. If you wanted one the Marineland Airmaster 3000 is pretty good.

You will need a good heater, generally ppl say you need 5 watts per gallon, you would need a 150-200 watt heater. I would reccomend the Hydor Theo series of heaters.

Most ppl would say to change 20% once a week or at least every 2 weeks. I change 50% every 3 weeks or so and have a really good filter. You will figure out what works best for you.

 

[Tiric]

Are the bio-wheels a better way of going over the other type of filters? They do a better job of cleaning?

Cool I did not know that about the heaters, id have to check to see if the I got would be enough, though probably not.. Is it better to go the higher wattage heater?

is there a reason more people go to the rectangle shaped tanks over the bowed fronts and hexa- penta shapes?
thanks for the info

 

[Phillip.M]

i'l recomend a canister filter for any tank 30 g +. You could find a heater that the box says Suitable for 35g. If you cant find it, Ask someone who works at the LFS. Many people get the rectangle tank because they usually dont have room for the hex cause usualy for the hex, ppl use stands for them.

 

[Tiric]

what are the vantages of a canister filter vs a Bio wheel?

 

[cujoho78]

Hi. You must also be from Canada. I bought a 55 gal tank from PetSmart last October. It came with the lids and lights. Cost was $160 CDN. Then i bought a Penguin 350 hang on back type filter. Cost was about $65. I bought a 300W Rena Cal heater. Cost was $44. I built a stand myself, cost $100. Bigalsonline.ca sells plants and all kinds of other stuff for good prices; i have ordered from them once before. The filter you choose needs to be able to filter all the water in your tank at least 4 or 5 times an hour. More is better, just make sure you don't have too much current. The heater needs to be 3-4 Watts per gallon minimum. So a 30 gal would need a 100W-150W heater minimum. You can get a stronger one if you like. I wouldn't use an undergravel filter because all the waste etc. is not removed from the tank. Water changes of 10-20% or so can be done weekly, or bi-weekly under most circumstances, but if you have very light stocking could delay it slightly. I think part of the reason that people stay away from hex shaped tanks is because they have poor surface area to volume ratios. The surface area governs how much oxygen is able to dissolve into the water. For most rectangular tanks, air pumps are not generally needed, but they may be of more help in a hex tank. The bubbles disturb the surface helping oxygen exchange. As for hang on, or external filter choice, that is basically personal preference.
Good luck, i hope this helps.

 

[Tiric]

Yup I am from canada

Ive been looking at PetSmast too, A few people told I should go with 55 gallon tank over the hexagon. I'll have to take some mearusements, got a few spots where i'd put it but not sure.. might be a bit big.
Are there different diamenson of the 55 gallon tanks? there some 50's and a few 40's and a 36 that doesnt look all that bad. theres on on there right now a 50 for 209.99 doesnt seem bad i suppose?Link here

Now is it better to go with a bio-wheel filter> normal filer> the canister filter? did some reading the Bio-wheel seem a better way to go?

 

[Dolfan]

For one I think Hang On Back filters like the Emperor are much easier to clean and maintain. This means you will be more likely to to perform maint. if it's easier to do.

The Emp. 400 is rated for tanks up to 75 gal. or so. It would be good for a 55. Bio wheels are really good at growing beneficial bacteria. This is because they are constantly getting to breathe extra oxygen when they hit the air. They never need maint. or replacing.

I have a 55 gal. hex and it's pretty cool. Only bad thing I've found about the Hex shape is that I had to go with the Emp 280 because the 400 wouldn't fit on one side. The 400 was wider than the length of one side of the hex. But the 280 does a good job on my 55 hex and it fits well with a deep intake tube to reach to the bottom. Although it is lightly stocked with tetras and cory's. But before that I had one really dirty oscar in it, and it still kept it pretty clean.

I'm not sure but I would imagine that Bigals would be the cheapest up there in Canada as well. Plus they will match/beat other places prices. As far as for tanks...I got to be friendly with a local fish place, and the owner ordered me one at his price and then marked it up minimally just to cover his cost. At Petsmart your not really sure how much they are marking stuff up. At my local Petsmart I've seen stuff more than twice as expensive than bigals, on everything from filters to heaters and even food. Sometimes even more of a markup than that. Good luck.

 

[Tiric]

I was at one of the petsmart last week and there was no pirces on any of their tanks. and not much to really look at. Kind of sad really.. I'm going to have to do some mroe pricing out

Theres another store I go to more they got tons of tanks and lot of fish to choose from Pisces Pet Emporium they dont have much stuff on their site

Only 2 online sites i got now areBig als which you told me about and PetSmart thats it so far

So the Emperor 400 would be a good choice for 50-55 gallon tank? and Bio-wheel is what you would want to keep the beneficial bacteria going well?

For a bottom, should it be about 5 cm thick, so about 2 inchs of gravel bottom?