New Trank Setup

[a1dutch]

hi,
im looking at setting my tank up again its just a 35 gallon tank, which will sit nicely on my computer desk, i have a few questions tho,

1) currently that tank has both undergravel filter and a fluval sponge filter thing that sits inside the tank, im looking at getting rid of these and using just an external filter but i have no knowledge of these.

what are they like? and could someone reccomend one for my setup, also would i need a new power head or can my existing one be used.

this tank is going to be in my bedroom and i cant stand noise so how noisey are they?

2) could any reccomend a quiet air pump?

3) i was looking at doing a fishless cycle (the all in one) and was going to buy a few plants from a shop to help it get going, how long would it normally take to cycle a tank?

thanks

a1dutch

 

[piper]

Glad to see your getting back into it.

If I were you I would get the Eheim 2224, find it here in the filter section. Its a bit pricey but will suit you well if you want some thing quite. I have the 2026 in my bed room and it doesn't make much noise. It is not silent, but once I make a small enclosure for it I doubt it will be that audible. You could also get the 2324, this has a built in heater so saves you having a separate heater. You don’t need have to have any thing else in your tank, i.e. a separate air pump. As long as you have the surface of the water moving from the outlet of your filter (using a spray bar) you should have enough O2 to keep your fish happy.

In terms of a fishless cycle your looking at 2-4 weeks.

 

[a1dutch]

ive found the eheim 2224 on the net for 71.95 including fllter media, outlet spray bar and inlet side bar at http/www.aquatics-online.co.uk/Z029049.asp.

in terms on noise are we talking about the same sort of noise as an air pump?

a1dutch

 

[karlp]

Hi Dutch

Just to echo Piper, I have a 2224 and it's a lot quieter than your average air pump. Definitely better than an internal sponge filter. It's well put together and the quick release mechanism makes it easy to maintain. It has a good sized container for bio-media and some filter floss and would suit your tank well.

you get a spray bar with it, so if you want to oxygenate the water, just have the spray bar positioned just below the water surface so that it causes some disturbance at the surface (don't have it actually spraying the water unless you want to be getting up in the night to go the toilet!

To avoid having to recycle your tank, try cutting up the sponge from your sponge filter and putting it inside the 2224 with the other bio-media. I'd leave the undergravel in to start with until the externals been running for say a month to be sure the external is well seeded with beneficial bacteria.

'nuff said.

Karl.

 

[a1dutch]

when i talk about setting it back up i mean the tanks been in attic for last two years as im at uni, so im sure any bacteria i had would be dead by now.

just been down the local pet shop as well an he has a nice big selection of fish in there too, there was some nice tiger ocsars that i facy gettin a few of.

i asked him what he knew about a fishless cycle and he says he's never heard of it and wouldnt advise putting ammonia into a tank.

what are the fluval external filter like compared to the eheim ones?

 

[piper]

I think the Fluval are pretty dam good to, but Eheim seem to be the better designed of the two. You will need to get ammonia for the fishless cycle at a DIY store, Homebase sell it with kitchen cleaning equipment (£2 white bottle). Don’t bother asking LFS about the fishless cycle as none of them seem to understand the idea behind it and will just dismiss you as a fool.

In terms of noise its hard to describe. The noise you hear is a slight hum from the pump and the sound of water going through the filter media. I’m a very light sleeper and have managed to adjust to the noise fairly easily.

 

[karlp]

I've had both Eheim and Fluval externals and on the whole I think the Eheim are quieter than the fluvals. The Fluval external had a tendency to get air trapped around the impeller for some reason and would be quite noisy. The fluval was still OK though and would do the job.

 

[Chri$]

i would agree ehiem are slightly better than fluval. rena are good to but are a bit more pricey.

 

[a1dutch]

im not exactly sure on the size tank i have, i think the dimension are

(length) 2 foot
(width) 1 foot
(height)1.5 foot

what gallon tank would this give me?

i also want some nice looking plants in here but it only has gravel in it currently, would this work?

 

[piper]

Thats a 85L so 19Gal (UK) or 22Gal (US), US Gallons is what most people refer to tho.

With respect to gravel, its not the best for growing plants in as it has no nutients in it. You really want some thing like Seachem Flourite, Eco Conplete or Red Sea Flora Base.

You will also need decent lighting with bulbs for grwoing plants. Read the pinned topics in the planted section then ask questions there on what your not sure about.