squale said:
okay some more questions..
1.) if I get a canister filter do I need a seperate bio-wheel? I still don't really understand what a bio-wheel is and why you need it?
A Biowheel is simply a place where the beneficial bacteria can gather. These beneficial bacteria are what converts ammonia that fish release into nitrites and then into nitrates. Ammonia and nitrites are very toxic. Nitrates are less so. These bacteria are collectively referred to as a biofilter or biological filter. A Biowheel, therefore is called biological media. There are other types of media on which these bacteria can grow. A filter sponge, gravel, porous ceramic media made specifically for aquaria etc.
2.) What does Cycling a tank mean?
It is the process by which a tank gains these beneficial bacteria I mentioned above. Once a tank is able to process all of the fish's collective ammonia output to nitrates in a 24 hours period, a tank is said to be cycled.
3.) When you say planted tank you mean a tank with REAL live plants in it versus fake plants right?
Yes. Sorry, force a habit. Obviously you can "plant" a tank with fake plants, but when someone refers to a planted tank, they generally mean a tank in which they grow live plants. By the way, these are all great questions and I am thrilled you are asking them and not being shy!
4.) If you use a canister filter, what things go inside the tank? is it like a couple hoses or something that just sit inside the tank? I really don't understand how it works?
Actually, you seem to have a pretty firm grasp. The canister itself sits somewhere outside the tank. Many folks keep it behind or below their tank. What goes in your tank is an intake tube and an outflow tube to transfer the water from the tank, to the filter, and back to the tank again. There are three types of filtration a fish tank can have. There is biological, which we discussed above, then mechanical. mechanical simply means it removes the physical debris from the tank. this can be fish poop, excess food that gets sucked in, in a planted tank it can be dead leaves etc. The last type of filtration is chemical filtration. This is usually in the form of activated carbon which acts as a sort of chemical sponge, trapping chemicals in it. Certain types of filters can offer one, two or all three types of filtration. You can even modify your filters in some regards to do these jobs. The old undergavel filters with lift tubes were great for biological filtration, but left something to be desired for mechanical. With some modification, they could be used for chemical filtration as well. The HOB filters are usually able to handle all three. They have a sponge or biowheel as biological media and sometimes another sponge for mechnical filtration. You can add carbon to these (in fact, many stock filter cartidges come with carbon in them) for chemical filtration. A canister filter has whatever media you load it with. Many come with media in the box with directions on how to set it up.
5.) I heard that the Aheim canister filters you only need to clean once every 6 months... is this true? How expensive is the cleaning and do you need to buy new parts when you do this? Does it take a long time to clean, etc?
I'm sorry, but that is someone trying to appeal to your inertia. I think most people would suggest cleaning a canister filter every month. if you do not, the media clogs and the rate of flow is reduced dramatically. This means it is filtering less and less water, which can be dangerous as it will lead to increased levels of toxins in the tank. Some folks will do it every two months but I feel that's pushing it, unless they have some other filter on there backing them up. To clean a filter usualy takes little more than time. If you use activated carbon on a regular basis (and there is no need for this, honestly) then it can cost a bit to replace that. Otherwise, it's a simple matter of rinsing sponges and other media in water that you removed fom the tank into a bucket. How long it takes depends on how regularly you do this and what brand of filter you have along with fish load. I hear figures of around 15-30 minutes to break down a canister, clean the media, reload it and get it going again. All in all, not bad once a month.
6.) Do canister filters make the top of the water bubble and make lots of noise? right now I have a 10 gallon tank with this cheap hang on filter and it makes some prettly loud bubbling noises and the water on the top of the tank is always in motion quite a bit.
Right now, canister filters are some of the quitest filtration on the market. You can adjust the flow and angle of the tubes to make it virtually motionless. A slight nioseless ripple is a good thing, though, as surface turbulence is what keeps oxygen in your fish tank for the fish to breathe. As a side note, if you keep the water level full on your 10 gallon and put a filter sponge on the outlet, you can reduce that noice quite a bit.
7.) How often do you have to replace the gravel in the tank?
Never, if you don't want to.
8.) And how often do you have to drain some water and put new water in? I heard you only do 20% at a time when you do this, not 50%.
I recommend doing a 50% water change once per week. 20% is old school mentality. For some reason, it persists. The theory used to be that changing too much water shocked the fish. This was because the theory also used to be that you shouldn;t mess with tank water very often. Most books and sources cited cleaning a tank as a necessary evil that could kill your fish. So, they recommended cleaning only once per month. In that month's time, the water in your area can change significantly due to seasonal changes and what the water company is adding to your water to deal with such changes. This scared people back in the day. So, they changed water less often and less water. less water was necessary because in that month's time the water's chemistry changed so much in the tank that it didn;t resemble the water coming out of the tap. Change too much water, it could shock your fish. Now, we know better, or should. Changing water more water more often keeps your tank's water cleaner, and closer to source (usually the tap). My fish actually love water changing day. As I add new water in, they play in the current which to me would indicate that changing their water is not shocking their system, but rather stimulating it.
Let me be the first to warn you, there are tons of myhs in this hobby. Question everything you can and research as much as you can as well. Ask here and get the various opinions. I can assure you that a site like this with people who research much and foten is more likely to yield more current and accurate information than a fellow that sits in a pet store all day, unless he is actively seeking out new information.
Thanks again for all of your help, really is appreciated!
It's what we're here for, please feel free to ask anything you want as really, there is no stupid question whn you are starting out and learning about aquaria.
Just a heads up. Also to answer your question about all the stuff at Big Al's: