Okay I think I am going to get an Eheim 2250 Canister Filter, and I am going to just get one of them. I really only have one place to put a canister filter, I think that should be good enough you think? Also Is there anything else I need to buy along with this canister filter to make it work good?? And would this be good to replace my UGFs?
My new 180 gallon tank! Need Help!!
- Thread starter jasonwilks
- Start date
Yes a test kit. I read the other suggestions and they are all great so I don't want to get redundant.
I would suggest keeping the fish you already have except maybe the gold fish like someone suggested. Then use the test kit to watch the cycling process. Don't get any more fish until the cycling process is complete, or you will risk killing fish. There are 3 stages of cycling. Ammonia, the worst and the beginning, you will see this go up pretty high. After a week or two it should start dropping and you should start seeing Nitrite, This will go up as ammonia goes down. Then Nitrate joins the party. Once Ammonia and Nitrite are at 0 you can then think about doing more fish. Nitrate is always present and is the final stage of the cycle. It can tell you how dirty the water is. Normal ranges are anywhere from 0-20 and the lower the cleaner. Once you have this under control get some more fish like maybe another 5-6 monitor the levels. If you ever see ammonia or nitrite again don't add any more fish until they are at 0 again.
I would suggest keeping the fish you already have except maybe the gold fish like someone suggested. Then use the test kit to watch the cycling process. Don't get any more fish until the cycling process is complete, or you will risk killing fish. There are 3 stages of cycling. Ammonia, the worst and the beginning, you will see this go up pretty high. After a week or two it should start dropping and you should start seeing Nitrite, This will go up as ammonia goes down. Then Nitrate joins the party. Once Ammonia and Nitrite are at 0 you can then think about doing more fish. Nitrate is always present and is the final stage of the cycle. It can tell you how dirty the water is. Normal ranges are anywhere from 0-20 and the lower the cleaner. Once you have this under control get some more fish like maybe another 5-6 monitor the levels. If you ever see ammonia or nitrite again don't add any more fish until they are at 0 again.
You will need a bigger canister than that and i would keep the UGF, maybe even hook it up as a reverse UGF like SubRosa suggested.
How about instead of the Eheim 2250, I get one Eheim 2260?? Would this be enough then?? I also plan on taking out my UGFs!
No, you definitely can't use the cold water for a water change, that will kill them. Have to get a python as suggested and match the temp of the water within 2 degrees. Immediately dose the tank with a good water conditioner like Prime to neutralize the chlorine.
What are the dimensions of the tank?
What are the dimensions of the tank?
Jason why not get 2 canister filters? Although I am not sure on the size you would need for a tank that size but I always hear 2 is better then 1!
just a though but 14 hrs for lights seams a long time and cutting back to 8 or 10 may slow the algee down some but if it stays on a rock that is easy enough to remove and clean the longer viewing time may be worth it to you as long as it does not spread to far.
a good test kit to know your ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels so you can keep them in check with the water changes and filtration is a must, liquid kits are best.
a good water conditioner/dechlorinater for water changes is also a must if your water comes from a treated water system.
from my reading here it seams a good rule of thumb for filtering is 10 times tank volume turnover rate per hour and the reason some have suggested 2 filters is while one is down for cleaning, maintanance or is broken and in need of repairs you already have a filter in place that can take up the slack while working on the other. you may have a small cycle spike while the single filter increases bacteria to take the load the other filter was carrying but a small spike is better than no filter at all in place.
good luck with your setup it looks fantastic, very very nice and am sure you will get eveything worked out and really enjoy having it.
a good test kit to know your ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels so you can keep them in check with the water changes and filtration is a must, liquid kits are best.
a good water conditioner/dechlorinater for water changes is also a must if your water comes from a treated water system.
from my reading here it seams a good rule of thumb for filtering is 10 times tank volume turnover rate per hour and the reason some have suggested 2 filters is while one is down for cleaning, maintanance or is broken and in need of repairs you already have a filter in place that can take up the slack while working on the other. you may have a small cycle spike while the single filter increases bacteria to take the load the other filter was carrying but a small spike is better than no filter at all in place.
good luck with your setup it looks fantastic, very very nice and am sure you will get eveything worked out and really enjoy having it.
Wow so you mean I need filters that can total 180x10 = 1800 Gallons per hour? That seems like a lot, the eheim 2260 filter can only do 500 gph, and it costs $420! I would need 4 of them!
i have a 180 with 2x fluval 4+ internal canisters and a fluval fx5 external, i was running a rena xp4 external but found it noisy and the flow poor. i wouldnt run any less than the 2 internals and the fx5 on mine which has 12 fancy goldfish in there.
please please remove the goldfish you have in there, or remove the angels and go for a cool water set-up. its not fair on the fish to have them living in water temps unsuitable for their species.
by the way, your house is awesome, your car is gorgeous, and im sooooo jealous of how nice your tank looks
please please remove the goldfish you have in there, or remove the angels and go for a cool water set-up. its not fair on the fish to have them living in water temps unsuitable for their species.
by the way, your house is awesome, your car is gorgeous, and im sooooo jealous of how nice your tank looks
