The new 55 gallon tank?

Question

I got a new 55 gallon tank; it was used traded it for a an old pc. Its my 1st 55 gallon, I have 4 10 gallons, and a zillion 1/2 gallon mason jars.

Anyway; I am in the process of setting it up, my plan was to transfer my 12 female bettas, 2 catfish, and snails to it. Because right now they are all in a 10 gallon.

(Yes yes I know 1" per gallon, the bettas however are a bit different in their upkeep and I have been monitering the water very closely and doing water changes every 5 days. I wasn't expecting to get the last 2 females as a perk from a shipment of bettas that arrived. None of the fish are ill. And some of the betta are like 1/2 inch as is one catfish)

So anyway, this 55 gallon has an undergravel filter, which runs via an air pump. I've been using powerfilters in my tanks, and am unfamilair with this particular filter type, is this acceptable, or should I get a power filter?

(On a side note; is a 55 gallon a better breeding tank then a 10/20 gallon?)

Answer 1

Okay, here's the deal with undergravel filters. Everyone is against them and if they're used the wrong way, these people are right they don't do any good, but if you use them the correct way, they can work great. You can't use the standard gravel or pea-sized rocks that is typically used as substrate because those are too big and they let the gunk fall through underneath the filter and yes, it will then clog up. Also, this big of gravel doesn't allow for the beneficial bacteria to grow. If you use a fine gravel/coarse sand, so that each grain is only about 1/16" to 3/32", this stuff works great. It still allows the water to circulate, but compacts together closely enough to stop the gunk from falling through and allows a great bunch of beneficial bacteria to grow. You should have two air tubes for a 55 gallon and use two powerheads. I like the Penguin 1140 Powerheads. This is a really good system if you use it correctly and it's reasonably priced. Power filters used alone aren't really good for larger tanks because they don't collect enough beneficial bacteria in their filters to support a large tank. Same with canisters. These can be used as secondary filters though because they do deal with the chemical filtration better. If you don't use the undergravel, you would need to go with an external filter which is getting into some money and they can be noisy.

Answer 2

Undergravel filters are great as a second filter in combination with an external filter. The undergravel filter is where most of your nitrofying bacteria will be produced and remain. The air pumps create the lift in the tubes which helps pull the water in the tank down through your gravel. This bring ammonia to the bacteria who change it into a harmless form. It also keeps the water clearer having one running, as your uneaten food and feces arent floating around the tank, they are pulled under the gravel. You can use a 55 as a breeding tank, or use your other tanks, it depends on how many females you want together in one tank.

Answer 3

Glad you are moving the fish to a bigger tank, sure they will like it. I would get a power filter too, because I have a tank that had just and undergravel filter and it was fine till it had more then just one fish, then the tank seemed to have slightly bad water quality, so I got a box filter too. Hope this Helps and Godd Luck!!!!! =)

Answer 4

Cycle the 55gal tank first. this ought to take between a million and a pair of weeks. presented the fish are all small: Then introduce 0.5 the fish. Wait 2 weeks. Then introduce the relax fish. in the event that they're great - only a million or 2 at a time with 2 weeks inbetween each and each intro..

Answer 5

I would go with the power filter, also I find the 20 gallon tanks just fine for breeding

Answer 6

The Gravel Filters are good but they're only for the gravel you should buy the gravel filter and the power filter too. The gravel filter helps remove poop, thus decreasing the amount of nitrates in your tank