New tank - fish can't handle current

[Shadowfax]

Hi. I have gone from a small tank which had an under gravel filter and a small pump that produced bubbles to a Juwel Vision 180 tank. This new tank has a powerful pump that pushes water in a cycle (all new to me!) so the water is filtered through. The fish just don't understand why they are getting pushed around with this current, is this ok or is the pump somehow too powerful or are they just weak and not use to it? I only have small fish so far:

2 x Platy
6 x Tetra's
1 x cory cat
1 x nocturnal algae eater (gift)

Regards

S

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

sorry but how many gallons is it?
If your fish are swimming into the current, they may just be enjoying the flow.
On a different point though, 1 cory is not enough as they are schooling/shoaling fish that prefer to be in groups of at least 4, also i would find out the identity of the "nocturnal algae eater" as if its a plec it may well outgrow your tank in time depending on what type of plec it is.
I am also guessing that the tetras are neons too, in which case it is best you raise their numbers to 8 for the same reason as the corys- shoaling fish feel safer in large numbers since they depend on their large numbers to survive in the wild, and when in too smaller groups they feel stessed(even if there is no imediate threat to them)- stress in fish can lead to desease and death which nobody wants.

 

[Bloo]

Hi there. I have a Juwel Vision 180 - more or less the same as yours but with a bow front. Your would also probably come with the same built-in filter system that I have. See my signature for the fish I have in that tank. They all seem to do absolutely fine with it. Do you have an extra filter / pump attached too ? Did you also connect the little pipe/hose to the outlet so that you can adjust the angle of flow ? If not, you should do so and direct it at an upwards angle. That might help.

 

[Shadowfax]

I'm getting more fish the weekend, I lost a cory in my last tank, he will get a new family in a few days. I do have the angle pipe connected to the pump which also has an air filter pipe to create bubbles. I am getting an extra pump/bubble maker for the bed of the tank next month too.

That "nocturnal algae eater" is 2" long, how can I find out what type it is, do you have a link to a website showing any?

Thanks

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Go to www.planetcatfish.com , they have thousands of pictures of catfish and info about them and is a very good site for indentifying catfish. If they don't have anything that resembles your fish there, it may be a loach.
The only way i can describe a plec to you is that they look somthing like a cross between a frog and a shark, although there are many different variations of the fish species.

 

[Shadowfax]

I took a quick photo, sorry for the bad quality:

 

[Bloo]

It's really incredibly hard to tell from that pic. It almost looks like a type of cory. Go to planetcatfish.com and check it out there. You can ask those guys too.
I actually also have an air stone (a very long one) in addition to the fitted filtration system, and it seems to work very well.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

He looks like a type of cory, but i would be worried if he's upside down/on his side alot...

 

[Shadowfax]

Because of my new tank "water current" all the fish seem to stay at the bottom right of the tank, probably where the current is most weak, is this normal?

 

[Crookster]

It looks like an L number to me, how much id it cost you?

 

[Paul_MTS]

It's a clown plec.

Love their wood and grow to max of 5inch, perfect for your tank.

 

[Crookster]

Thought it was a ''clown plec'', shy little buggers, I don't see mine for weeks some times. It makes it all the better when you see them though.

 

[Shadowfax]

Thanks Paul MTS, he is so difficult to find. I stick an algea table in the tank at night, just hope he finds it.

 

[bunjiweb]

Clown plecs are only social when in groups, ideally of 6 or more.

As for the tank, it is a known problem with the Trigon 180s, was talking to a disgruntled customer only yesterday with exactly the same problem. We gave him some free hosing to attach onto the filter outflow to direct the flow elsewhere. Also remember that gunk will build up in the filter pads and the flow WILL slow down... I dont understand why the bundled the tank with such a powerful motor for the size of tank. The other option would be to get a new power head, one that is designed for the Rekord 70, 90 or 125 would probably be alot better suited to the tank.

Ben