GSP's tank mates and filter questions

[Shoe]

I've got 3 GSP's in a 32 gallon tank, plus 2 male mollies and 2 female mollies. This used to be 3 male and 3 female - one disappeared entirely and the other was mauled alive and I had to cull it.

Aside from that incident two months back, they seem to get along fine. Problem is, one molly just gave birth to 30 or so fry which I isolated in a separate 10 gallon tank. I don't plan on reintroducing all 30 cause this will likely screw up my water chemistry. My question is, the puffers didn't seem to care about the fry, leaving 10 or so wander the tank. I would have thought that they would have been an easy breakfast, so why didn't they get eaten up?

Also, my water chemistry is still not quite there yet, battling nitrates for a while now until the tank really cycles doing 50% water changes twice a week. Oddly enough, my ammonia levels are good. I normally rinse the filter with every water change (using the old water) and change the filter every 3 weeks, is this too seldom for a dirty bunch of puffers and mollies?

[Pufferpunk]

Your tank will probably never cycle with the bioload you have in there. Even for 1" puffers, I suggest 10=g/puffer & that doesn't include room for any tank mates. How large are your GSPs now? Eventually (soooner than later), I'd plan on at least a 100g tank for them.

[Pufferpunk]

Your tank will probably never cycle with the bioload you have in there. Even for 1" puffers, I suggest 10+g/puffer & that doesn't include room for any tank mates. How large are your GSPs now? Eventually (sooner than later), I'd plan on at least a 100g tank for them.

[Shoe]

Haywire (he's got mental issues) is about 1.5" long, Linc is about 1" and Scofield is smaller. Someone ate one of the mollies today, and with your advice I'm going to move the remaining mollies out to a 10g tank to be joined later by some of the 30 fry.

[Pufferpunk]

Good idea. Now start saving, because they need a bigger tank right now!

[my name is mike]

pufferpunk --

in relation to shoe's questions regarding filter maintenance..

personally, with my hang on back unit, i hardly ever rinse my filter media (unless it interupts flow) and i never change it (because wouldnt that deplete my stock of good bacteria)

is this good practice ???

[Nick]

I am with you Mike, unless my filter pad is so degraded it's falling apart, I do not replace it, just rinse whenever flow decreases sharply. I use almost exclusively forced throughput sponge filters, they seem to clean so much more efficiently I have converted several flowover filters to forced throughput sponge, which is also advantageious monitarily because my sponges have always lasted much longer than socks or cartridges.

[my name is mike]

sounds good to me, i always add a sponge in from of my cartridge ---- i also just recently added a PURA brand filter pad to my set up, and have noticed a reduce in nitrates (may be my imagination, but i think i would recommened them) --

[Shoe]

For the longest time, I thought that it was the bio-load that was keeping me from cycling the tank, however, I went back to basics, removed everything from the tank save the filter and heater. What I found was that the rocks I was using were leeching chemicals into the tank. Once I removed the rocks, my water cycled in days. I put back the gravel I had originally used, and plastic stuff and haven't had a problem since.

I've removed all mollies from the tank and am prepping the big tank. I want to make sure that the new tank cycles first. My question is, they are still relatively small. The largest only about 2 inches, and the smaller about 1.5" at the most. Will the size of the tank dictate the size the puffers grow, or will they grow regardless of tank size?

[my name is mike]

if housed in too small of a tank (which it sounds like you have) it will stunt their growth, even at the size they are now -- (at least thats what ive read)