Questions about setting up a new (old) tank

[Dsmdan95]

Hey guys, I've been lurking here for a while but this is my first post. I have a tank to what I believe is a 20 Gal. long. 16" high 24" long 12" wide sound right? It will be a little while before I get my puffer. (Thinking figure as I need to cycle and what not. I've been playing around with the tank. I filled it with water and let the water go to room temp 64º (Don't worry thats only the temp of the basement and wont be where the tank will be) tested out the heater and the temp read at the very bottom about 64º-70º then the middle of the tank about 75º and the top 85º-90º. Now granted this was with out a filter. When I get one, gonna go with the whisper in tank i40 will that keep the heating even? I would to keep it a steady 80 degrees. Also will I be able to play with the filter once I buy it? Can I use it in a uncycled & untreated tank to test the sound and heating? Also is having filter provide enough aeration? Thanks Dan

[Agnate]

Okay. Yes, you've got a 20 gallon, but it's unfortunately not a long tank. The 20 gallon longs are 36" x 12" x 12" (I believe). Personally, I *hate* Whisper filters. You can do much with the cartridges, and they just seem like junk to me. If you're going to be paying for a filter, I suggest one of two things: 1) Look for a used Canister filter for lots of filtration and water movement, or 2) pick up an AquaClear filter. AquaClear makes one of the best filters, as they use a basket system where you can place the different media you want (usually a bag or two of BioMax and a sponge/floss). Second, having a basket means you can clean the sponge without having to worry about crashing your entire tank (ie. accidentally killing all the beneficial bactera). After having a few different types of HOB (Hang On Back) filters, I find AquaClears and BioWheels (if you can find ones with a little basket) to be the better ones. BioWheels aren't GREAT, but they're pretty decent if you combine them with other filtration.

Yes, having a filter to circulate the water will help to regulate and maintain a consistent water temperature. What you usually do is locate the heater right beside the output of the filter, which causes the heated water to be circulated around the tank. I'm not *really* sure why you're concerned with the sound and heating, but if you're just playing around to see how things work, then yes, you can use filters in uncycled tanks. To be honest, almost ANY filter can be quiet if you keep the tank filled to the lip of the filter's output. The most noise is usually produced from the water splashing around. However, the more splashing you minimize, the less aeration is provided. You likely don't need it, but you might want to consider adding an air stone if you're going to minimize the surface agitation.

I hope I made sense with that, heh. Feel free to repost anything I might have missed, or anything that isn't clear!

[DRRT]

Just to add on to what Paul said:

If you go the airstone route, then the noise will come from the pump, which are a pain to silence. If you need the extra water movement, get a more powerful canister filter. Bigger than needed is always better. My 50g has a filter recommended up to 300g and I wish I could have gotten the bigger one. If you don't have the space for a bigger one, than spend the extra money for a powerhead. They are quieter and more efficient at moving the water than an airstone. Plus airstones get dirty quickly and may bother anything non fish wise you might add to your tank.

HTH

[Pufferpunk]

Be sure to read the Fishless Cycling article in our Library & ccycle the tank at whatever specific gravity they are keeping the F8s at in the lFS you're buying it from. A 20H is fine for a single F8 & maybe some small gobies.

[Dsmdan95]

How easy is it to feed bumble bee gobies? As in will they fight for food with the puffer? Do they many live at the bottom of the tank? Get along with puffers? What would be right for my tank one or two + the puffer? Also how do you change the filter to keep the bacteria in and how often. Or is it a better practice to just clean it with tank water?

[pufferfreak]

your BBG's will most likey eat the scraps from the puffers.

[crazedpuffer]

Not really, BBG aren't scavengers. They will eat any food the puffers didn't get to though. Shrimp will eat the scraps.

[Agnate]

How easy is it to feed bumble bee gobies? As in will they fight for food with the puffer? Do they many live at the bottom of the tank? Get along with puffers? What would be right for my tank one or two + the puffer? Also how do you change the filter to keep the bacteria in and how often. Or is it a better practice to just clean it with tank water?

Feeding BBGs can be a bit of a pain if they're the only things in the tank, but with a F8 in there, they'll easily scavenge the food from him (as figure 8s aren't all that aggressive). They eat the same food as the puffer, but BumbleBee Gobies only get to be an inch long, so they won't be competing for food at all. They get along with Figure 8 puffers usually. There have been some cases where the Figure8 doesn't accept that, but it all depends on the individual puffer. You could probably get a few BBGs for a 20 gallon with a F8 puffer in it. Probably like 4-5. My BBGs don't really do much other than sit on the glass/plants/ornaments and stare at things.

Well, the best way to clean ANY filter is to use the tank water to rinse things off. What I usually do is fill up a 2 gallon bucket with water from the tank (usually on water change day), then just take out the filter and shake it around/rinse it off using the bucket of water (you could either put it in the bucket and clean it with your hands, or use a clean yogurt container to pour it over the filter in a sink). Just make sure you don't use water from the tap, as it will kill all/most of the bacteria. If you get an AquaClear filter in addition to a canister (which is my suggestion, if you have the money), you can clean out one of the filters every few months to make sure the sponges are clean and such. If you have extra filtration in the tank, you don't have to clean them as much, which is the biggest bonus. Personally, you shouldn't have to change the filter very often if you rinse it once in a while, don't overfeed your fish, and clean up a lot of the detritus (dirt/junk) from the gravel.

Also, if you haven't already, go to your LFS/online store and pick a Python cleaner. You hook it up to your tap, and it allows you to clean your gravel without dumping the tank or removing the actual gravel! Believe us when we say that it's well worth the $45 you pay for it! It also makes water changes a bit easier, since it sucks out water while you vacuum up the gravel.

[Agnate]

Oh, also, avoid black gravel if you're getting Bumblebee Gobies. It's almost impossible to see them (since they're black and yellow fish). I made that mistake with mine, haha.

[pufferfreak]

sorry for my mistake.

[Dsmdan95]

Well I went to the LFS and got a new filter. I got the Fluval 3 Plus http://www.aquahobby.com/products/e_fluvalplus.php You can put the whole thing underwater and its really quite so I like that. plus you can adjust aeration and flow speed/ angle. The only thing it comes with only two foam inserts. But you can buy the carbon inserts and the polyester pads.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2754090
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2753129

If i got those and the foam too would that make it a 3 stage filter? With mechanical, chemical and biological filtration ?
Anyone else use this filter?

[Agnate]

As far as I know, you don't need chemical filtration if you think there are perfumes and such in the air/water that will bother your fish. As I understand it, you can usually skip on the carbon portion (especially since it loses efficacy pretty quickly). I've never used an internal filter, though, so I have no idea. ^_^