New Set Up- Myth vs Reality

[drobbins27]

I think im getting a 100g tommorow, and I wanted to plan everything out before it came. Heres what I've given thought to, along with a few questions...

Sand instead of gravel (Sand always clogs up filters and is a bad choice. Myth or Reality?)

Cylcing with fish, with the help of CYCLE (Some say cycling with fish is safe. Myth or Reality?)

1 Oscar, 5 Balas, 5 Silver Dollars (The Oscar will leave the othern fish alone because they will grow with him and will always be the same size. Myth or Reality? + My option is not overstocking. Myth or Reality?)

2 Penguin Emporer filters with 2x bio-wheel (4 wheels with 2 of them). (I've been told this will do the job. Myth or Reality?)

No undergravel filter with sand. (Everyone says undergravel filters are useless with sand....and useless in every other case as well lol. Myth or Reality?)

No live plants because of Oscar (I hear he'll dig everything up. Myth or Reality?)

Can keep my barbs with convicts in 29 with my speicies of barbs in sig. (I've been told they would get along great. Myth or Reality?)

Thanks thats all for now. Help is much appreciated. Especially is cichlidaddict replies

 

[Yenko]

I think sand is a bad idea because no oxygen gets into it unless it is well planted, which leads to nasty bacteria that can kill fish.

 

[CFC]

Sand instead of gravel (Sand always clogs up filters and is a bad choice. Myth or Reality?) Myth, sand can get into the filter but as long as you clean the filter regularly it wont clog the filter up, since most filters these days have the media before the impeller chamber the sand wont affect the workings of the filter either.

Cylcing with fish, with the help of CYCLE (Some say cycling with fish is safe. Myth or Reality?) Cycling with fish is never kind on the fish, it can be done with hardy fish such as danios or goldfish but these days it is a far easier option to fishless cycle or do a media transplant from another tank.

1 Oscar, 5 Balas, 5 Silver Dollars (The Oscar will leave the othern fish alone because they will grow with him and will always be the same size. Myth or Reality? + My option is not overstocking. Myth or Reality?) The oscar will be the largest fish in the tank when full grown at around 16", SD's reach about 6" and balas around 12" when full grown. If all purchased at the same time the SD's and balas will remain too large for the oscar to eat but depending on the oscars temperment they may or may not be bullied by the oscar.

2 Penguin Emporer filters with 2x bio-wheel (4 wheels with 2 of them). (I've been told this will do the job. Myth or Reality?) No idea, bio wheel filters are not popular in the UK yet, personally with large messy fish like oscars and balas id go for a large external canister.

No undergravel filter with sand. (Everyone says undergravel filters are useless with sand....and useless in every other case as well lol. Myth or Reality?) Under gravel filters are outdated and obsolete now, they still have a few fans but a internal or external power filter is a far superior choice.

No live plants because of Oscar (I hear he'll dig everything up. Myth or Reality?) If your putting SD's in the tank the oscar is the least of your worries for live plants, SD's are the equivilent of aquatic lawn mowers but yes oscars have no respect for planted tanks.

Can keep my barbs with convicts in 29 with my speicies of barbs in sig. (I've been told they would get along great. Myth or Reality?) I wouldnt advise it, convicts get very aggressive when breeding (all the time) and some of the barbs may get killed.

 

[jams.alaskan]

Class dismissed...

ALASKA

 

[Tropjunky]

Sand instead of gravel (Sand always clogs up filters and is a bad choice. Myth or Reality?)SAND IS BETTER AND DEPENDS ON UR FILTER AND HOW FAR THE INLET IS FORM THE SAND

Cylcing with fish, with the help of CYCLE (Some say cycling with fish is safe. Myth or Reality?) not good do a fishless cycle

1 Oscar, 5 Balas, 5 Silver Dollars (The Oscar will leave the othern fish alone because they will grow with him and will always be the same size. Myth or Reality? + My option is not overstocking. Myth or Reality?) DON'T KNOW

2 Penguin Emporer filters with 2x bio-wheel (4 wheels with 2 of them). (I've been told this will do the job. Myth or Reality?) GO FOR BIGGER FILTERS JUST INCASE U WANNA ADD FISH

No undergravel filter with sand. (Everyone says undergravel filters are useless with sand....and useless in every other case as well lol. Myth or Reality?)SAND IS BETTER THAN GRAVLE BUT UG FILTERS AREN'T A GOOD IDEA ANYWAYS

No live plants because of Oscar (I hear he'll dig everything up. Myth or Reality?) DON'T KNOW BUT PLANTS ARE A NICE ADDITION TO THE TANK AND THEY LOWER NITRITE (OR NITRATE DON'T REMEMBER )

Can keep my barbs with convicts in 29 with my speicies of barbs in sig. (I've been told they would get along great. Myth or Reality?) DON'T KNOW

 

[SirMinion]

Well I was going to reply, but CFC said almost everything I was going to say.

The only thing to I can add is if you introduce some Malaysian trumpet snails, they will keep your sand turned over and free from anaerobic pockets.
And they'll leave your plants alone too (unlike the silver dollars!)

By the way. I have sand and I cleaned my filter today. There was no sand in it whatsoever.

 

[Yenko]

I guess I was wrong about the sand thing. Oscars might eat snails, though.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Sand instead of gravel (Sand always clogs up filters and is a bad choice. Myth or Reality?)

MYTH. But sand has been known to ruin the impellers of certain hanging filters - Emperors specifically. Keeping the intake 6" or more off the sand will prevent this. Canisters are completely sand safe, and I've never had a problem with sand and Aquaclears.

Cylcing with fish, with the help of CYCLE (Some say cycling with fish is safe. Myth or Reality?)

MYTH AND REALITY, I have always cycled with fish. But - ONLY if the fish are young, placing your intended fish in that tank as adults will cause too high of an ammonia spike, but as young fish it shouldn't be a problem. The product "Cycle" is garbage, either go with "Bio Spira", which is the real deal, or use media from an established tank. Filter floss from another filter used in your own filter is the most effective method. Despite everything I have said, fishless cycling is certainly the safest way to cycle a tank.

1 Oscar, 5 Balas, 5 Silver Dollars (The Oscar will leave the othern fish alone because they will grow with him and will always be the same size. Myth or Reality? + My option is not overstocking. Myth or Reality?)

REALITY. Cichlids are never predictable, so you never really know, but as a general rule what you are proposing should work out. Get the silver dollars big - Oscars grow FAST.

2 Penguin Emporer filters with 2x bio-wheel (4 wheels with 2 of them). (I've been told this will do the job. Myth or Reality?)

REALITY. These two filters will certainly do the job, there is enough bio-filtration to handle that fish load with all of those bio-wheels going on.

No undergravel filter with sand. (Everyone says undergravel filters are useless with sand....and useless in every other case as well lol. Myth or Reality?)

Undergravel filters, as CFC has already pointed out, are outdated. There are two problems, once concerning sand, one not. Sand is too dense, water can't properly be drawn through it, making a UGF completely useless. UGF are very dirty filters. They can't be cleaned and build up crud underneath the plates over time, eventually leading to a degradation in water quality. They are very effective bio-filters, but not good long -term.

Can keep my barbs with convicts in 29 with my speicies of barbs in sig. (I've been told they would get along great. Myth or Reality?)

Both. It has been done before, and the extra height of a 29 gallon will help the barbs get out of the way. However CFC is right, and you would be taking a risk; just because it has been done does not mean it will work out for you, every situation is different. It's your choice if you want to risk it.

 

[silver]

Well.......it looks like you've got a few pretty smart guys answering all your questions.


I will take that information for my self as well!!

)



Silver



PS.........I can't wait to see pictures of this new creation!!!!!

 

[Alien_spawn]

One thing I'd like to add on the fishless cycle really, is that I'm still unable to (living in the UK) obtain a source for ammonia to do this. So I have to disagree with a fishless cycle being easy, in the UK anyways

So the media transplant method is the only method that I do.

Now this should be hopefully interesting, because there must be someone in the UK that must have found a source for ammonia to do this.........