My 46L Fluval Edge

[WLuke93]

Not long ago i decided to purchase the 46L Fluval edge aquarium, its gone off to a great start, i have white sand, varied large rocks & bogwood & live plants, the fish were doing great, but the muck seems to be piling at the bottom, dead leaves, fish waste, the filter it comes with is pretty high up so doesnt seem to pick it up as good, and the tanks awkard to use a gravel cleaner which isnt as good with sand anyway, and the mucks more noticable on white sand, i had a few glass shrimps but i think my mono picked them off, does anyone know of anything to solve the muck problem? what bottom feeders would be good, i was thinking if i made a cave using rocks and getting more shrimp it might work, i have a pleco and so far 1 cory but i dont think they'll be able to do it on their own help please anyone?

 

[da7thson]

Not long ago i decided to purchase the 46L Fluval edge aquarium, its gone off to a great start, i have white sand, varied large rocks & bogwood & live plants, the fish were doing great, but the muck seems to be piling at the bottom, dead leaves, fish waste, the filter it comes with is pretty high up so doesnt seem to pick it up as good, and the tanks awkard to use a gravel cleaner which isnt as good with sand anyway, and the mucks more noticable on white sand, i had a few glass shrimps but i think my mono picked them off, does anyone know of anything to solve the muck problem? what bottom feeders would be good, i was thinking if i made a cave using rocks and getting more shrimp it might work, i have a pleco and so far 1 cory but i dont think they'll be able to do it on their own help please anyone?

hi there,

I'm actually thinking about getting one of these. Did you get the heater with the kit or did you have to purchase it separatly.

Also i've noticed that you've said you have a pleco in there. Do you know what type it is, as they can get quite large and will easily outgrow that tank if your not carefull.

Andy

 

[thereverendturtle]

Wow, that's way toooo many fish in there and some, the mono, rainbows and torpedo barbs will 1) get way to large for that tank and should be kept in nothing smaller than a 200 ltr and 2) do best in groups of 6 preferably more. You really need to thin out the tank to just the neon tetras and shrimp and your tank will stay much cleaner and your fish will be much happier.

 

[WLuke93]

no you dont get one with the tank, you'll have to purchase another one, i reccomend not a fluval heater but any other heater, its fits in nicely and is unoticable.

I have had a pleco in my 60L since i first purchased it like 7-8 years ago and its not grown any bigger than about 30cm and is fairly calm, this ones only about 4cm so i have a few years yet until it gets slightly bigger

Not long ago i decided to purchase the 46L Fluval edge aquarium, its gone off to a great start, i have white sand, varied large rocks & bogwood & live plants, the fish were doing great, but the muck seems to be piling at the bottom, dead leaves, fish waste, the filter it comes with is pretty high up so doesnt seem to pick it up as good, and the tanks awkard to use a gravel cleaner which isnt as good with sand anyway, and the mucks more noticable on white sand, i had a few glass shrimps but i think my mono picked them off, does anyone know of anything to solve the muck problem? what bottom feeders would be good, i was thinking if i made a cave using rocks and getting more shrimp it might work, i have a pleco and so far 1 cory but i dont think they'll be able to do it on their own help please anyone?

hi there,

I'm actually thinking about getting one of these. Did you get the heater with the kit or did you have to purchase it separatly.

Also i've noticed that you've said you have a pleco in there. Do you know what type it is, as they can get quite large and will easily outgrow that tank if your not carefull.

Andy

 

[WLuke93]

everyone says all you can keep in these are like a few shrimp and neon, but thats rubbish...ive had a 60L for years thats had 50 fish at a time in it and they thrived without a problem, people underestimate how many fish you can keep in a tank tbh, dont forget the fish will only grown as big as they can, there is plenty of room in this tank.

you really expect me to have a tank this size housing just neons and shrimp? i could get a small 15L tank for that

Wow, that's way toooo many fish in there and some, the mono, rainbows and torpedo barbs will 1) get way to large for that tank and should be kept in nothing smaller than a 200 ltr and 2) do best in groups of 6 preferably more. You really need to thin out the tank to just the neon tetras and shrimp and your tank will stay much cleaner and your fish will be much happier.

 

[dh058977]

everyone says all you can keep in these are like a few shrimp and neon, but thats rubbish...ive had a 60L for years thats had 50 fish at a time in it and they thrived without a problem, people underestimate how many fish you can keep in a tank tbh, dont forget the fish will only grown as big as they can, there is plenty of room in this tank.

Wow, that's way toooo many fish in there and some, the mono, rainbows and torpedo barbs will 1) get way to large for that tank and should be kept in nothing smaller than a 200 ltr and 2) do best in groups of 6 preferably more. You really need to thin out the tank to just the neon tetras and shrimp and your tank will stay much cleaner and your fish will be much happier.

Im not sure you can say with any accuracy that they were 'thriving' if you really had 50 fish in 60 litres of water. No fish grow to as big as they can or to the size of the tank. This is a common misconception most likey formed becuase of two things -
1. The people that believe it see thier fish growing to a certain size and believe they will only get that big. In actual fact the fish is stunted and it has internal effects the owner will never see.
2. The fish dies having lived for a far shorter time than it should. The owner having had the fish for a year or so thinks it had a good innings and starts the process all over again.

 

[WLuke93]

I'm only 18 so a huge 200L tank is out of the question, but i have had quite a few tanks before through hobby and the tanks have either gotten outdated and i have re-homed fish, but i had had many of the fish in my 60L for a long time and they live perfectly well up to their full sizes, i'm not asking for help on how to stock my fish but on what system would be best for clearing the waste at the bottom, either manually or through bottom feeders?

everyone says all you can keep in these are like a few shrimp and neon, but thats rubbish...ive had a 60L for years thats had 50 fish at a time in it and they thrived without a problem, people underestimate how many fish you can keep in a tank tbh, dont forget the fish will only grown as big as they can, there is plenty of room in this tank.

Wow, that's way toooo many fish in there and some, the mono, rainbows and torpedo barbs will 1) get way to large for that tank and should be kept in nothing smaller than a 200 ltr and 2) do best in groups of 6 preferably more. You really need to thin out the tank to just the neon tetras and shrimp and your tank will stay much cleaner and your fish will be much happier.

Im not sure you can say with any accuracy that they were 'thriving' if you really had 50 fish in 60 litres of water. No fish grow to as big as they can or to the size of the tank. This is a common misconception most likey formed becuase of two things -
1. The people that believe it see thier fish growing to a certain size and believe they will only get that big. In actual fact the fish is stunted and it has internal effects the owner will never see.
2. The fish dies having lived for a far shorter time than it should. The owner having had the fish for a year or so thinks it had a good innings and starts the process all over again.

 

[dh058977]

Bottom feeders arent there to clear up mess caused by over stocking or a lack of tank maintenance. Maintenance and decent water changes are the only answer here.

 

[WLuke93]

Its not over stocked... for the size the fish are now its not, and it will take ages for them to grow fully, in wich a may be able to purchase a far bigger one, the owner of a large aquarium shop near me knows of what i have and he says its fine, i regulary maintanence it, it just seems like there is no flow or movement to pick the waste up, i would try a gravel cleaner but the fluval design makes it difficult to use :L

Bottom feeders arent there to clear up mess caused by over stocking or a lack of tank maintenance. Maintenance and decent water changes are the only answer here.

 

[soybean]

To put it nicely as i can, that's pretty mental stocking for a fluval edge. Of course you can fit more than shrimp and neons in there. You seem to have taken it to the other extreme.

The filter is not large or powerful enough to cope with the stocking you have.

Plecs produce poo. All day. All the time. Constant poo. Putting aside the fact that an edge is far too small for even a smaller species of plec, you would need to be doing sand vacs at least every other day just to keep on top of it.

Fish don't eat the waste of other fish. A cory especially does not, it needs food of its own, and also corys are highly sociable fish that need to be in groups. Don't expect this cory to help with the mess, it'll just add to it.

Torpedo barbs need a really long tank, they are incredibly active fish and I would personally consider keeping them in a tank this size as cruel. Just my opinion.

Fish do not grow to the size of the tank. That myth is easily disproved with a little basic research.

But if you want to ignore all this, and focus on the mess, your solution is to remove the fish that produce tons of waste, and stop trying to use a gravel vac and just use the narrow tubing it's attached to, just swirl it over the surface of the sand and it will suck it up.

 

[dh058977]

Its not over stocked... for the size the fish are now its not, and it will take ages for them to grow fully, in wich a may be able to purchase a far bigger one, the owner of a large aquarium shop near me knows of what i have and he says its fine, i regulary maintanence it, it just seems like there is no flow or movement to pick the waste up, i would try a gravel cleaner but the fluval design makes it difficult to use :L

Bottom feeders arent there to clear up mess caused by over stocking or a lack of tank maintenance. Maintenance and decent water changes are the only answer here.

It is over stocked at their current size and you should always stock based on adult sizes of fish as you can never 100% guarantee being able to move them to a larger tank in the future. Setting aside the over stocking, there are some fish in that tank that should be kept in larger numbers such as the cory.

If you are going to stick with the fish you have then the only way to clear the mess is to up your maintenance. You need to clear the muck off of the sand, not the fish!

 

[WLuke93]

Yah i know the cory needs to be in a group, the shop only had one in at the time :L and i think i'll give the tube a try, if the fish start to outgrow the tank or show signs of distress i can always move some to my other tank which has alot more space

Its not over stocked... for the size the fish are now its not, and it will take ages for them to grow fully, in wich a may be able to purchase a far bigger one, the owner of a large aquarium shop near me knows of what i have and he says its fine, i regulary maintanence it, it just seems like there is no flow or movement to pick the waste up, i would try a gravel cleaner but the fluval design makes it difficult to use :L

Bottom feeders arent there to clear up mess caused by over stocking or a lack of tank maintenance. Maintenance and decent water changes are the only answer here.

It is over stocked at their current size and you should always stock based on adult sizes of fish as you can never 100% guarantee being able to move them to a larger tank in the future. Setting aside the over stocking, there are some fish in that tank that should be kept in larger numbers such as the cory.

If you are going to stick with the fish you have then the only way to clear the mess is to up your maintenance. You need to clear the muck off of the sand, not the fish!

 

[thereverendturtle]

Yah i know the cory needs to be in a group, the shop only had one in at the time :L and i think i'll give the tube a try, if the fish start to outgrow the tank or show signs of distress i can always move some to my other tank which has alot more space

Its not over stocked... for the size the fish are now its not, and it will take ages for them to grow fully, in wich a may be able to purchase a far bigger one, the owner of a large aquarium shop near me knows of what i have and he says its fine, i regulary maintanence it, it just seems like there is no flow or movement to pick the waste up, i would try a gravel cleaner but the fluval design makes it difficult to use :L

Bottom feeders arent there to clear up mess caused by over stocking or a lack of tank maintenance. Maintenance and decent water changes are the only answer here.

It is over stocked at their current size and you should always stock based on adult sizes of fish as you can never 100% guarantee being able to move them to a larger tank in the future. Setting aside the over stocking, there are some fish in that tank that should be kept in larger numbers such as the cory.

If you are going to stick with the fish you have then the only way to clear the mess is to up your maintenance. You need to clear the muck off of the sand, not the fish!

15 ltrs, is hardly a lot more room. I've been in the hobby close to 30 years and worked at local fish stores, trust me when I say that 90% of the people running shops want to make money.

Did this shop owner sale you the mono and if so did he explain they do best in brackish water as juveniles and full strength saltwater as adults?

Most small tetras should live at least 4 years, larger ones 10 years or more. Plecos can easily live over a decade, are these the types of lifespans you are getting? I'm betting not.

I'm just suggesting you do a little more research before adding anything to either tank.

You have a problem with over stocking but want to argue with those of us trying to help you out.
Must be great to be 18.

 

[Lufbramatt]

ok, just because the fish haven't died and haven't killed each other doesn't mean its a good idea and not cruel. Chickens "survive" in battery farms but I don't think anyone here would say they were a good idea from the point of view of the chickens' well being.

I have a 50 litre tank in my loft just for emergencies, I had it set up as a display tank for a while but shut it down as I personally didn't think it was big enough to keep any fish in long term. My main tnk now is a 350 litre, which is stocked with just 15 fish, the largest of which is 3.5" long, they all have masses of room and it's an amazing tank to watch as the fish actually display natural behavior- establishing and defending territories, breeding etc, rather than all being crammed in like a stock tank at a fish shop.

For the sake of the fish, thin out the stocking in the 46 litre, fishkeeping isn't a competition of who can fit the most fish in the smallest space!

Theres lots of waste building up because the tank is over-stocked and under-filtered. End of story.

 

[dbanner]

Wow.... Torpedoes in a tank that small? I had 5 of them at a very small size in my 3 foot 200 litre tank but had to rehome them due to them being so active and my tank not being big enough. I had mine with 2 gourami, 3 inch bristlenose plec (only gets to around 6 inches) 2 kribensis and 9 corys. I once thought that fish needed a lot less room than they actually do but since joining this forum I realised just how wrong I was. Your looking at around a 4 or 5 foot tank (if not more) for torpedoes. At the moment iv got my 4 inch baby tiger oscar, 5 an half inch Senegal birchir and 3 inch orange spotted plec in a 250 litre but they will be going into a 450 litre on Monday. I might then add another small type plec but I'm in two minds as I know how messy the Oscar will be without considering any other fish. As for the mess building up in your tank you will just need to vacuum the bottom a lot along with a lot of water changes and re home some of your fish asap. Lots of fish out there that will be more suited to your tank