What kind of filter should I get for my 20 tall aquarium? I have four goldfish and one plecostamus.?

Question

I'm using a "hang-on" waterfall style filter from my old #10 ten tank, but my water stays cloudy and it seems to clog up the filter insert really fast.

Answer 1

How long has your tank been up and running? What is your water testing out at?
When you set up your tank, did you wash the filter and gravel well?

Another reason your water could be cloudy and the filter is getting clogged is due to over feeding and overcrowding in the tank.

Also, your #10 filter is too small for your current tank. It will only filter 30 gallons per hour, you need one that will filter 60 plus. Especially with gold fish.

Until you can get a new filter, you will have to rinse out your filter pads daily.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.
Four goldfish although small will quickly out grow your tank.

Answer 2

The cloudiness could be a couple of things including a bacteria bloom or unnecessary chemicals in the water. For example, many years ago I was using a recommended dechlorinator which turned out to be not needed as I was on well water. Stopped using it and instant clear.

Your other query is one I have dealt with before, for many years. Being soft skinned fish, glodfish excrete a slime coating. This tends to clog filter cartridges quite quickly and an excess of food or detritus can add to the clogging significantly. I seem to recall having to clean my filter inserts every 7 - 10 days and I was running two Penguin 300s at the time for a total of four cartridges (110 gallon tank). They also did a great job of clogging my Hydro V sponge filter. It's kind of the price you pay for keeping goldfish.

Answer 3

You are OVERSTOCKED. Baby-juvenile fancy goldfish NEED 10 gallons PER fish, while baby-juvenile long bodied goldfish NEED 20 gallons PER fish. Adults will need atleast 50 gallons per fish. Find a new home for the pleco because they shouldnt be housed with goldfish and they always develop a taste for the slimecoat on goldfish. Goldfish and plecos excrete soo much ammonia. Get a bigger tank and a filter recomended one size higher then tank size and do more partial waterchanges more often or find homes for the fish where they can get the proper care they need. Properly cared goldfish can live 30 plus yrs and grow 12-14 inches. Common plecos grow to 2 ft in length and NEED a heated tank since they are tropical fish.

Answer 4

A good external filter might help as your tank is over stocked. Cloudy water usualy inicates a bacterial bloom and if your filteration isnt good then it cant keep up. Also goldies are big waste producers and plecs are even bigger!! Try and get a bigger tank and consider using an external filter.

Answer 5

Please, I repeat PLEASE do no longer use and undergravel clear out no rely what every physique tells you. Undergravel filtration does draw the water in the process the gravel to allow the micro organism to do this is interest, however the fashionable "over the back" type filters do comprise a "organic and organic wheel" that does a greater advantageous interest. the main important concern with Undergravel filters is that it traps too lots waste in a close-by that would no longer be wiped sparkling with a typical gravel vacuum. to boot, in case you get some sort of parasite or different sickness interior the tank it is going to stay resident decrease than the Undergravel and make for a real nightmare while attempting to treatment the tank. do no longer constantly have confidence what a puppy save says. a place that for the time of basic terms sells fish would have a lots greater advantageous expertise than a young person making minimum salary on the mall puppy save. puppy save workers many times in basic terms regurgitate the standard ineffective know-how from 10 years in the past. undergo in concepts google is your chum.

Answer 6

you should get a whisper filiter for a 20 galloon fish tank they work very well had mine for three years it still works well as long as you replace the filiters about every month they work well they hang on the back mabey its time for just a new filiter since yours is so old Theres no need for a under ground filiter just a waste of money they dont work well i have a 55 galloon and 7 fish goldfish are dirty fish as far as too many being in your tank thats just a rule of thumb so many inches per gallons but i never listened to that i had alot die for that reason but i have had my seven for 3 years and there getting big yes 7 in my tank and there big so dont worry about that .you know about 25 per cent of water change i hope its not a new tank but mines never dirty .so you tell me people will get you to spend money on anything no need dont forget your stress coat with your water changes k i change my fish tank every two weeks and they do fine feed less i feed my fish every other day get sinking pelets its gold fish food it sinks keeps your water cleaner and they dont golp air when they eat get some of that for them it really saves your water trust me i have learned so much about fish since i had my tank 3 years along time

Answer 7

Get an undergravel filter. Make sure also that you are not feeding them to often or too much at one time. You might want to get a couple of small algae eaters or two small snails.

Hope this helps!