gravel-less tank?

A

akfish

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Apr 1, 2005
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Hi. 6 months ago, I packed up all my fish and flew to a new location. My 120 gal. tank was shipped and set-up first and seed water was added. At that time, I had UGF w/power heads, Magnum HOT, and 2 box filters. The Magnum was not running full-time. The water got cloudy after about a week and pretty much stayed that way despite numerous water changes. I believe the tank was being overfed. About 2 months ago, I bought a pair of fish that ended up infesting my tank with Ick. I foolishly did not have a quarantine tank set-up, which I do now. Most of my fish were over ten years old and could not recouperate. I set-up some temporary tanks and completely broke down my 120. I took all the gravel out, washed everything, and decided to go with 2 Emporer 400 Bio-Wheel Filters because of articles I have read. I am trying a tank without gravel and I am looking for advice. Should I replace the UGF? I have a BGK about 1 1/2 feet long, he's about 12 years old. A spotted Rapheal 8 inches, 10 yrs old, and a Green Irridessent Shark 6 inches, almost 10 years old. Would they prefer the gravel back in the tank? It has been set-up for about 2 weeks currently. The water is starting to get a bit cloudy, and I can see about 10 teeny tiny white worms floating around. Is that a sign I am overfeeding? I have cut back feeding about the last week. There is also a new blue gourami in the tank. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

S.L.
 
Gravel w/o UGF? Do you mean just a 1/4 inch or so? How much is too much? I cut up a fresh shrimp every three or four days for the Knife and the Rapheal. I put in a dried krill or two every three or four days as well. One of the foods is at night after lights out. I ran the bio-wheels on the tank before I broke it down, then I used one on a temp 29 gal. and one on a established 30 gallon just to keep the bio-wheels going. I used Stress Coat and Stress Zyme and there appears to be a healthy growth on the wheels. Then I used water out of the 30 to fill the 120 and I am hoping it is cycled. Ammonia levels almost non-readable it's so low. Thank you again.
S.L.
 
You dont need a UGF if you have gravel. You can use any amount you want. I have about 3" in planted, and 1-2" in non planted.

The water has no bacteria in it. What you want is the bio wheel, and filter media. This is a gold mine for it. You also need to keep the seeding stuff in the tank for about 2 weeks, for it to get growing again.

Stress Coat is ok for a dechlor. But if you are using it for the aloe it is junk. Next time get this stuff called "Pirme" is works wonder.
Stress Zyme, is garbage. It is doing nothing for your tank.
 
I prefer tanks without gravel. The main reason is that it is alot easier to clean a bare bottom tank than it is to clean gravel. If you don't want the gravel in there, you don't need it.
 
They might, but how would one know? Two of my tanks have no gravel and the fish don't seem to "mind".
 
Wouldn't gravel w/o filter get dirty quickly? Are two Emporer 400's enough filtration for a 120? "Rollin", do you have pics posted of your tanks I could see? While I like the look of no gravel, my fish seem apprehensive... Especially my knife. I lined a glass hurricane with black background and he's in it, but he doesn't seem to like it as much as his slate tile leaned up against the wall. I bought a piece of black PVC pipe to make him a home, but I didn't realize it would float like it does! All the pics I have seen on this site and most others the tanks have gravel. Am I right that gravel or not requires about the same amount of water changes and siphoning? Thanks again for the info.
 
Sorry, I don't have pictures of any of my tanks except for my 10 gallon with my betta, but it has gravel for the beneficial bacteria to grow on because the tank has no "filter". You would still have to change water often with no gravel, but it is just easier. You can easily siphon all the waste off a bare bottom tank, but with gravel, there's always some you miss. Sure, it isn't crucial to get 100% of the waste off the bottom during every siphoning, but it helps keep the tank that much cleaner.
 
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