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i;m still researching equipment etc for my new upgrade tank. some sites say for planted tank, don't want to much filteration as it removes co2 etc that plants need. and should only move volume tank 2 to 3 times an hour through filter.

tank will be heavily planted 60g 40x18x24 inches.

heavily stocked to with
1 angel
1 RTS
1 clown pleco
7 H. rasbora
4 dwarf rainbows
1 otto
5 corys

so which filters would be best out of these.

cheers shekoi

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

i say the 700 should be sufficient

The 700 would be a good choice. I like the amount of media that you can place in the baskets. However, I would skip the carbon pad unless you are trying to remove meds or polish your water.

The caution by many people is not water turnover as to CO2. It is felt that surface agitation prompts the loss of CO2. Minimizing surface agitation will help you prevent CO2 dissipation. You can do this by moving your spray bar or return to a vertical position in the tank or by placing it below the surface.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Plus, if you are not injecting CO2, then surface agitation is not a bad thing

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

cheers for the replies, i'll go for the 700 then.

What would replace the carbon filters with?

is there any problem with leaving them in, plants or fish?

cheers shekoi.

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

Replace it with another pad either fine or coarse. The problem with carbon, in general, is that it is effective only for a short period of time. After a couple of weeks, it no longer has a benefit. After a month, the carbon may be detrimental.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

I know your questions were about hardware but I have to comment on your stock list

heavily stocked to with
1 angel
1 RTS
1 clown pleco
7 H. rasbora
4 dwarf rainbows
1 otto
5 corys

The angel should be okay by himself; however, the others I am a bit worried about. I do not know what an RTS is...
The ottos and cories should really be in larger schools. You shoudl ahve atleast 2-3 ottos because they do much better in groups. The cories should be in a school of 6 minimum. Also, they need to be in a school all of the same species! Not many people realize that they need to all be the same species. They will be much happier and much healthier if they are.


Christina

I doubt the cories would notice a difference between 5 and 6, but a few more otos would be nice.

RTS i think will be Red Tailed Shark.

Last edited by Callatya at 09-Dec-2005 20:33

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

RTS is a redtailed shark.

i intend to increase ottos, i'm waiting till i've got enough algae in the new setup and i'm wan to make sure the tank is stable.

i did have 9 corys until last few weeks, some got stressed by a large bristlenose i put in, since been removed. two died in last week, no idea why, no marks etc, water is fine.

i've had them few years so could have been age.

i hopefully will incease shoals but long way of that yet.

shekoi

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

I would add more Corydoras & Otto's & the 700 filter would be fine.


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Sorry, I didn't completely specify what I meant about the cories schooling. What I was saying is that 6 is the minimum for the schools. You really need more like 8-10 in a school for them to be happy. I have seen the difference in the cories when there are only say 4-6 and 8-10. They are MUCH happier when there are several. That is really all I was tryign to say.


Christina

cheers for all the replies.

why 700? thats what i thought of having no not sure again. my 40g now has a fuval 304 on will flow rate 710lph and i don't think that one would be good enough on a bigger tank..

i know i said earlier that been told have lower flow rate with plants,
but the filter details say that the 700 max tank is 250litres my tank is around 250litres. so wouldn't the 1200 be better as my tank is in its lower range.

it's so confusing with so much equipment to choose from, it took ages to get to just the tetratecs. still haven't decided on number and wattage of heaters.

cheers shekoi.

Last edited by shekoi at 12-Dec-2005 03:07

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

canister filters are very efficient, so a lower flow rate is acceptable with better filtered water. A quality of quantity type of thing.

If you're planning on injecting CO2, as abbey stated before, surface agitation is your enemy. If you have a good maintenance schedule, a 700 should be sufficient. Also, plants will help filter the water as well, giving an added boost.

If you feel you want to upgrade your tank in the future, a 1200 would probably be a more logical choice.

cheers

i always do a 10-20% water change a week.

but now i'm thinking about rearranging my tanks, so i'll be adding fish to current stock. would the 700 still be ok.

fish adding will prob be glowlights x6 dwarf gourami, bristlenose pleco.

or 5 h. rasbora and pleco.

cheers shekoi

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

Won't the Angel snack on the Ottos when he gets big?

20 Gallon Long:
Aquaclear 300
2 Bolivian Rams, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus: Gumby and Pokey

my angel is almost fully grown, i've had ottos for years and never a problem, to much plantnting for a start the ottos hide really well.

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk