filter

[elmj]

i'm using a OT internal power filter PF400N 400 litres/hr in a 2 ft tank. i'm not too sure if that is too strong for a 2 ft tank? my corys love swimming against the current and i am also not too sure if its a bad thing. can someone help me?

[OrionGirl]

Depends on what fish you want. The cories will be fine with quite a bit of current, but something like a betta is going to need a few low-current areas to rest in. As long as the fish aren't struggling all the time, you should be okay. Look for fish that come from streams. On the upside--fast water drops particles our of suspension quickly, and keeps DO levels up there.

If you think it's too much, try aiming the ouput into a corner, or put some large, stable rocks in front to deflect the current a bit.

[elmj]

OrionGirl : you're really very prompt! are you sure you sleep?? :D anyway? thanks for the fast reply! really needed some reassurance. i faced the filter to the corner of the tank so the current was against the tank wall instead. but the corys just love to go back into that area where the current is and swim and play there and going to the areas where the currents aren't so strong once in a while to rest. they are really hyperactive and i fear they are not getting enough rest! (sound like an overprotective mother am i not? :rolleyes: ) oh well..haha..hope you can help me!

here's the filter i'm using. go to this page click under internal filters and see the PF400N one.

http://www.ottoaquarium.com/start.htm

[OrionGirl]

Sounds like normal cory behavior to me. They are really active little buggers when the mood strikes them. Not something to worry about--in fact, if you do water changes with slightly cooler water, they may be happy enough to spawn for you. ;)

The internal power filters are usually pretty good. I run a few tanks with different kinds, and have always been very happy with them. The PF400N looks good-- just be careful when cleaning it out--I have one that tends to drop stuff off when I turn it off to rinse the media. So now, I make sure I have the siphon handy and suck up the solids that came off. Don't replace the media too often, or all at once. Rinse the solids off, but keep using the same one as long as it's usable (maintaining bacteria colonies is a good thing), and only swap out one at a time.

Just a funny on the 'over-protective mom bit"....A co-worker and I were helping one of the hatcheries stock fish into a local lake. We were bucketing them from the truck to the shallows of the lake. The fish were slow to leave the shallows--kind of lingering in the shadow of the truck. My co-worker was freaking out--she kept trying to chase them out to deeper water "So they won't dry up!" Quite a sight--a 30+ woman telling the fish they better swim out to deep water or they would get caught! :D

[elmj]

OrionGirl: the filter is a gone case! i only had it for three days and it stopped working. have to go down to the lfs tommorow!

hope they will replace one for me then and now i've to cycle my tank all over again because the the bacteria were in that filter weren't they?? darn... oh well!

thanks for your help and that story on your co-worker! :D its really funny. but then it shows how much that woman love animals!

[OrionGirl]

If possible, see if you can have the old media within the new filter--this way, you'll preserve much of the bacteria. It's not all in the filter, so it won'tbe a complete loss, but you will lose a portion of it, and you'll want to monitor for an ammonia spike.

[elmj]

OrionGirl: they did return me my old media but they washed it out and dried it so i guess its byebye bacteria? while the old filter was gone, i replaced it with another more conventional filter. the kind with the sponge connected to the air pump. so can i leave it there for 3 days or so for the bacteria to grow in the other media then remove this other sponge filter?

also, my tank had two guppy, one molly, 12 corys, 6 neon tetras and 2 glass catfishes. when i came home today, i saw one of my guppy lying at the bottom of the tank dead. its tail was half bitten off! could it be the molly who bit the guppy? i assumed both guppies were female because of their long colourful tails. don't know what cause its death. could someone help out?

thanks!

[OrionGirl]

Yep, dried bacteria are dead bacteria--sorry. You'll want to test closely and do water changes as needed to keep ammonia and nitrites from becoming toxic. You have a lot of fish in there, so I'd test twice a day just in case.

Female guppies don't have long flowing tails--males do. Females are usually very drab, with rounded tail fins. In a small tank, males will fight and often kill one another--the molly likely had nothing to do with it.


You may want to look into getting fish that all thrive in the same parameters. Mollies tend to prefer hard water--some even go to full SW conditions--and guppies like hard water but no salt, while cories and neons like soft water. In the long run, keeping this combination of fish won't work out--they can adapt a certain amount, but keeping them in extremes will cause problems and increased disease outbreaks.