Filter, air pump, heater... what's needed?! (And other assorted questions)

darylann

darylann

AC Members
Sep 7, 2004
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Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula, near Lake Su
My 11-yr. old daughter's tank (OK, it's my baby too!) is a new project we've been struggling with for several months now. The petshop hasn't been much help and has offered some poor advice from the start, so I'm counting on the forums here to set us straight. At this point, all we've got is a Whisperer type filter -- no air pump or heater. Is it a minor miracle that we haven't had any casualties yet? We've got the following in a 20-gallon tank, with no plants and just an inch or two of gravel in the bottom and a few cool rocks:

1 Goldfish (we were told OK with tropicals! Ha! Growing quickly and needs to be placed for adoption before he starts eating his aquarium mates!)
2 Zebra danios
1 Glass cat
1 Painted tetra
1 Glowlite tetra
1 Hillstream loach (sold to us as a butterfly pleco!)

We've since learned that tetras do well in schools, not alone, so will be buying them some friends. Our tank has a problem now and then with cloudiness and bad smell when my daughter feeds too much, but we're working on that. And we try to remove a few cups of water and replace with fresh water every day or so, which seems to keep things balanced well.

Do we need an air pump of some sort? Do we need a heater? Would a light hood help (we've just got a screened cover now)?

Can anyone recommend a really good book on basic care of tropical fish for my 11-yr. old daughter (i.e., not so technical that she gives up trying to understand what it's all about!)?

I know this is alot, but any help is appreciated!
Thanks!!!!!
 
Yikes... you have a couple of problems there... first of all, you really need to get rid of the goldfish. They have very inefficient digestive systems and really foul the water. (Normal recommendation is one goldfish per 30 gallons of tank capacity.)

Also, as you already know, goldfish are coldwater and the others are tropical. The tropical fish won't do well without a heater, and the warmer water (after you get a heater) will stress the goldfish. Finding a new home for the goldfish should be a top priority.

I'm not terribly fond of Whisper filters, but it should do OK for you, at least for now. I'd be looking at picking up a tank cover/light hood (helps to avoid jumpers and decrease evaporation), a timer for the light, a heater (Ebo Jager or Tronic are good) and a gravel vacuum to change water and clean the gravel.

If the tank is cycled (which I'm guessing it is, if it's been up for months), I'd suggest a nitrate test kit (dip strips are easy....). Nitrate is used to monitor water quality and help make sure you're changing enough water.

Don't know about good books... maybe someone will chime in with a recommendation.

Jim

Oh, and I agree you should have more of the tetras -- at least 3 of each.
 
i am by no means an expert, i've been keeping fish for only 2 years with my share of mistakes big and small along the way, but in my experience with my 20 gallon:
filter - yes, definitly!! a must
air pump/airstone - yes, but mostly just to help keep the water moving and keep the surface from getting stagnant. i'm not sure if it's actually needed to keep the tank oxygenated... all i can say is i've never noticed an adverse effect on my fish when i turn it off for days at a time.
heater - not neccesary if the room temperature where your tank is located is fairly constant and at least 75F.
hood and lights - if you don't have any live plants these are not neccessary, but the lights and hood do improve the look of the tank, also they protect the fish from jumping out (the screen cover is ok for that though) and from any smoke/fumes/vapors in the room from getting into the water. i know hood and lights can be expensive though, and other than just making the tank look nicer, i wouldn't say they are absolutely neccessary.

I would get some plastic or silk plants for the tank. they really help the fish feel more secure, and they can look nice too.

these are my experiences, others can probably chime in with more. hope this helps :)
 
First, what you need for a proper water change --
-one bucket, new, 5 gallon size, Write on this FISH ONLY and never let anyone use it for anything else
-one gravel vac hose (large on one end to pull dirt from gravel but not suck up gravel itself) the cheap one is OK at Walmart or the pet store, the fat tube needs to be about as long as the tank is deep
-Correct dechlorinator, for chlorine or chloramine which ever your area has.
-filter brush cleaning set
-algae pad
-water test kit with pH, nitrite, ammonia, nitrate

Use the gravel vac to clean gravel as you drain 5 gallons or more from the tank. This will take several buckets for a 5 gallon bucket will only hold 3 or 4 gallons as you walk it to the door. Plus it is heavy. I suggest doing a 5 gallon water change every week, and clean out the filter at that time also.

Collect about a gallon of water from mid-tank, so it is clear, not full or gravel dirt. Use this to swish the filter from the Whisper. You can take the bag off the frame and squish it well to rinse the crud off. There will be some brown stuff on the bag no matter what you do, that is the bacteria you need to keep.

Now, back to tank stuff. depending on your climate you may need a heater. If you get a heater you must get a thermometer. I'd suggest a hood with light, Perfecto is fine, whatever. I am not fond of the screw-in incandescent bulbs so pay attention to that if you get a plastic hood. The other option is a glass top with separate strip light.

Then you will need a net, small and large is nice, they are cheap. Fish food (only 6 months worth, no more), test kit for water parameters. Some silk plants are nice.

Go to the online realtors for the best prices, overall they are about half local prices and so if you get several things the shipping becomes a non-issue. try DrsFosterSmith.com, PetSolutions.com, BigAlsOnline.com and ThatPetPlace.com
 
darylann said:
Do we need an air pump of some sort? Do we need a heater? Would a light hood help (we've just got a screened cover now)?

Can anyone recommend a really good book on basic care of tropical fish for my 11-yr. old daughter (i.e., not so technical that she gives up trying to understand what it's all about!)?
Click to expand...

You don't need an airpump.
You probably do need a heater unless you live in southern california or deep florida.
A light hood is nice, will reduce evaporation but it is easy to get brown algae growing from leaving the light on too long, IME. If you ever want real plants, give some thought to that light, you will need more light than the standard hood gives you.

Books, hmm, I find books to be more money than they are worth but try BookCloseouts.com for a lot of titles really cheap. IMO, fish forums are sooo much better for learning a lot fast. Let her get online here and search for any keyword or type her own questions after reading the beginners pages and stickies. This bunch is pretty tame and kid friendly, well moderated and even the kids act like grownups, or maybe I should say that I rarely can tell the adults from the kids, it is more a question of experience and good typing skills. (warn her, no IM-style posting allowed, too many overseas non-English speakers that have trouble with standard English to get into the weird IM-style abbreviations. And Spelling Counts. Act like a grown-up and no one will ask your age!)
 
A book that I think would be kid friendly: The Simple Guide to Keeping... series is good. They have books for freshwater, goldfish, and saltwater, all are written in a straight forward manner, but there will be some technical stuff. Nothing too complex, IMO, and she may just need a good dictionary to look up some of the words. Either way, it's a good place to start.

I agree with Anona about allowing your daughter here. We make every effort to keep this place clean. Other than a bit of mild swearing (much less than your average evening TV show), and any problems that are reported are addressed as soon as possible. You can let her know that she can always contact myself and I'll do my best to either explain, or correct the issue. :)
 
Thanks SO much to you all, for the wonderful suggestions -- I'm taking notes!!! I think I'll also invite my daughter to get online here next chance we get! This place is really great, and I've been learning so much. Thanks again to all those more experienced enthusiasts who are so patiently helping the newbies along!
:)
Daryl Ann
 
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