Woo Hoo, Finally A Place I Can Get Some Actual Help!

[Baf05]

Well well well, looky looky, I have finally found a place I can come and get some actual help.

I have a four foot (approx 180 liters, sorry not sure of the gallon conversion) community tank, its maybe 6 years old now. I run a modified under gravel filtration system with a power head.

The tank has broken slate as a back drop feature, minimal plants (I have NEVER had much luck with them). and some drift wood.

Light is provided by two four foot grow tubes that are on for 14 hours per day.

The fish are 6 neon tetras, One Shark (brown body red fins) 4 other tetras (bright red), One mother Molli, and four small Molli's that I managed to grow from fry, and two cream sucker fish (???)

My modified filtration works like this. (I was told that my plant problem could be to do with the under gravel filter so I took out half of the base.) The base now sits at the opposite end of the tank from the power head (the idea was to help with circulation), I used regular sprinkler hose and fittings to modify the tube that goes from the power head to the filter base.

Today I found a canister filter (I head that this was the best style of filtration) for $150 (thats Aussie dollars), should I be looking at this as opposed to my modified system?

Would it help with my plant problem, could I then also run more fish, and would it help to basically make my fish enjoyment more enjoyable?

 

[CFC]

Undergravel filtration is now considered to be out of date and made redundant by modern power and canister filters, switching your tank to the canister filter will improve your mechanical and biological filtration and be better for growing live plants (though there are many other factors to this as well, best to ask in the planted tanks section). Remember to allow the new canister filter to run along side your existing under gravel filter for at least a month before removing the under gravel filter so as to allow a decent sized bacteria colony to build up.

 

[@ombomb]

Filtration is probably the least likely thing to be causing the problems with the plants.

Much more likely that it's due to a lack of lighting and / or nutrients in the water. My 180 litre (47.5 USG) came with just 60W of lighting as stock which is only suitable for a few plants.

 

[CFC]

Its an undergravel filter which are well known for causing problems with growing live plants, the plate beneath the gravel has a cavity for water to pass through which disturbs root systems and washes nutrients away from the roots.

 

[@ombomb]

Ahhhh missed the UGF thing...

More than likely a combination things then.

 

[Baf05]

Filtration is probably the least likely thing to be causing the problems with the plants.

Much more likely that it's due to a lack of lighting and / or nutrients in the water. My 180 litre (47.5 USG) came with just 60W of lighting as stock which is only suitable for a few plants.

I don't think lighting is the problem, as I said I am using two four foot grow tubes for 14 hours a day (further investigation reviled only 13)

But nutrients could be a problem, what sort of plant fertilizer do you use in a fish tank? And how often do you use it?

I have put the canister filter on lay buy and will do a full rebuild of my tank and land scape in January!

 

[OMA]

Just any liquid plant food.Ask your LFS

I put in 2 caps a week for a very planted 25Gallon tank
check it out
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=115948&hl=