Tank Setup Help! Mixed Fish And Filter Problems...

[wes4real]

Hi,

I've had my new 4ft tank for a while now but i'm having problems with the filter. It gets real gunky very quick and the gravl is getting covered with crap!

I have just had a clean out and removed all of the rocks i had as they were also covered in crap!

I was given 4 african cichlids with the new tank and supprisingly they have been fine with my old fish...so far!


Any help on the filter/fish/setup would be great


Pics
















filter

 

[dthoffsett]

Sounds like your filter isn't powerful enough for your tank. What are your dimensions/gallons and what and how many fish do you have.

 

[jollysue]

I think folks are going to need to know what kind of filter you are running along with the gph water turn over and volume of water the tank holds; Also the fish in the tank with their size and number; What kind of filter media you are using and the maintenance schedule along with what that entails and the tools you use.

Handsome tank

 

[wes4real]

Well it's a 4ft tank and thats pretty much all i know

Fish

4 Cichlids
2 silver sharks
2 clown fish
1 pleco
3 gwamis?
3 tiger barbs?

I'm really crap with the names and as you can tell i dont really know much about them.

I clean the tank around twice a month but will start doing weekly for a while.


I was planning on getting some more cichlids for the tank but i really wanna learn more and get the filter working better first.

 

[Scunny]

really like the shape of your tank

 

[Ferris]

It is indeed a nice looking tank but if the only filter is that Eheim Ecco, it's not enough i'm afraid - even if it's the biggest one they do (2236). Given the fish you are stocking, you will need to add another larger external filter - don't get rid of the one you have, just add another. Something like a Fluval 305, Eheim pro 2 2026 or Tetratec 1200 would be ideal.

 

[wes4real]

It is indeed a nice looking tank but if the only filter is that Eheim Ecco, it's not enough i'm afraid - even if it's the biggest one they do (2236). Given the fish you are stocking, you will need to add another larger external filter - don't get rid of the one you have, just add another. Something like a Fluval 305, Eheim pro 2 2026 or Tetratec 1200 would be ideal.

Could i not just get rid and buy a really good filter? Dont really wanna have 2 filters to clean as 1 is a nightmare as it is

Anyone know exactly what cichlids i have???

thanks for the info

 

[FiremanSam]

wes4real,

I say that the yellow one withthe black dorsel fin is and

Eletric Yellow "Labidochromis caeruleus"

Can't really get a good look at the rest any chance of more pic of the Cichlids

Tank shape is cool though

To find out you tank demension I would measure along the back wall and the deminsons of the left hand side and treat the bulge on the right side as a spreate square/rectangle.

IF you get the water volume of the tank then you can work out the best filter to have. I have a 175 lit 120cm tank and use a canister filter that turns over 1100l and hour.

I think it is best to have a filter that will turn over 3-4 times the tank compacity in and hour.

From all that algae how long do you keep your lights on?

Hope this helps

 

[wes4real]

wes4real,

I say that the yellow one withthe black dorsel fin is and

Eletric Yellow "Labidochromis caeruleus"

Can't really get a good look at the rest any chance of more pic of the Cichlids

Tank shape is cool though

To find out you tank demension I would measure along the back wall and the deminsons of the left hand side and treat the bulge on the right side as a spreate square/rectangle.

IF you get the water volume of the tank then you can work out the best filter to have. I have a 175 lit 120cm tank and use a canister filter that turns over 1100l and hour.

I think it is best to have a filter that will turn over 3-4 times the tank compacity in and hour.

From all that algae how long do you keep your lights on?

Hope this helps

Hey

I'll take a few better pics tomorrow and measure the tank.

I usually have the lights on for 12 hours is that ok? it has 2 tubes which are pretty bright so maybe that could be causing algae?

I'm gonna switch to sand tomorrow so hopefully it'll look much better.

 

[FiremanSam]

Wes4real,

12 hours with no plants in it is properly a bit long. I'm sure I read some where that algae needs at least 5 hours of continuous light to survive. I have a community tank with a few plants in it that I run the lights on timer as follows

8am - 12pm then off for an hour then back on again from 1pm til 5 pm then off for and hour then back on from 6pm till 10pm this seems to giv enough light for the plants and keeps the algae to a min. Just pick times to have your lights on when your home and around to enjoy it.

How often are you doing water changes??

Do you know what your nirate, nirite and ammonia levels are? these can all play a factor in algae grown...

 

[wes4real]

4ft wide, 15" tall, 1ft depth to 2ft corner.

I've now set the timer so it comes on/off every few hours - 10 hours totalJ

ust gotta try make it look nice now

Better pics:



I'm now changing the water every week and then the filter every month.Planning on removing the gravel tomorrow and going for sand and also adding another filterI have a test kit which i'll be using tomorrow after the change.cheers for the help!!!

 

[Ferris]

Sounds good - i think you'll see a big difference when you add a second filter, you can never have too much filtration.

When you say you are going to change the filter every month - make sure you wash the media in tank water only to avoid killing all the good bacteria. Replacing the media all in 1 go will cause your tank to re-cycle and you'll be back to square 1.