should i get a 20 gallon tank filter for my ten gallon tank?

Question

my fish are hanging around the top of the tank alot and i know that means they are gulping air because there isnt enough in the water would a bigger filter put more air in the water. and if not what will put more air in my tank. and there are only two fish in the tank and they are a male and female*i think* balloon belly mollies

Answer 1

Yes, a larger filter is almost always a good thing and in this case certainly won't hurt. With only 2 fish in a 10 gallon tank however, I don't think low O2 is the direct problem in your case. First I would check the tank temperature and also the ammonia levels. Both ot these things are common reasons for the activity you are seeing.

I have also noticed that some surface feeding fishes (like mollies) will continue to do what you describe for a while after being fed so if you fed recently there may be nothing at all wrong.

MM

Answer 2

Hi. First off, bigger is always better. A balloon molly is happiest in a 30 gallon tank. You have two in a 10 gallon. Second, are you adding salt? Mollies should have 1 tsp aquarium salt for every gallon of water. Just remember when doing water changes that the salt is not evaporating with the water. The filter is not the problem. You haven't mentioned how long this tank has been set up or if you've tested the water. The fish may be going to the surface for air if the tank is new and not cycled. This would mean that there is high levels of either ammonia or nitrites in your tank, both of which are toxic to the fish. Once the good bacteria is happily settled in on your filter media, they will eat ammonia as quickly as your fish produce it. Make sure when rinsing out the filter during your water changes that you rinse it in a bucket containing aquarium water. That way, the chlorine in your tap water isn't killing the good bacteria and making you cycle all over again. It's very hard on your fish and will lower their immune systems. It's good to do weekly water changes of about 25% and make sure you add a good dechlorinator each time. Sorry if this sounds basic, but you did not mention if you were doing all this yet. A 10 gallon filter is good for a 10 gallon aquarium, so you should be looking at your water parameters.

Answer 3

my experience says no,..one time i put a 15 gallon filter in a 10 gallon tank and i couldn't get any steady levels, plus my fish were doing circles! i got one for a ten gallon and i managed to get most of my levels steady. I reccomend a bubbler.
This past summer my tank temperature literally got to about 92 degrees F for about three days. And i was so so So! worried about my fish because i don't have an air condiner, nor could i run out and get a chiller unit (location). so in an effort to add air to the water i attached a bubblestone (costs about $0.50 to $1.00) to my air pump and stuck it down inside my filter. If put in right, the filter can work really well for dissolving the oxygen. Plus if you stick it in the filter you don't have to look at the air line, the bubble stone, or the bubbles or have to fight the suction cups to stay down.
You can also try lowering the level of the water in your tank (or raise the filter) so that the output lies above the water line. on the way down the filtered water will catch oxygen.
FYI
you will need an air pump, silicone Aquarium tubing and a Air/Bubble stone. You should be able to find these at any aquarium place. Also when buying an air pump remember that they can make noise, i've never owned a loud whisper so i suggest buying that brand. Its DEFINETLEY worth it to spend a little more and not have that annoying pump sound.

Answer 4

A bigger filter can't hurt. Go for the Hagen Aquaclear 30 which is designed for tanks 10-30 gallons. If the flow is too great, you can adjust it. It will give you room to grow into a 20 or even 29 gallon tank in the future.
http://www.hagen.com/usa/aquatic/product.cfm?CAT=1&SUBCAT=107&PROD_ID=01006000020101

Answer 5

You can never filter to much. You may use a bit more energy, and spend more on filter material, but you are keeping your pets, your charges, alive. The extra filter material helps if for some reason you can't change the water when you must. (Not an excuse to let it go longer, but you can space the change periods longer.

Answer 6

you want a clean clear out. The old one is purely too small to artwork effectively. situation is, each and all of the effective micro organism is in the old clear out. i could run the old clear out in the recent tank, with the recent clear out too for a number of days, perhaps a week. shifting the gravel from the old tank to the recent one will help too. extra advantageous than probably, your old heater won't shop up the two. jointly as a 50 is high-quality for a ten gal., this is going to hardly impact the temp of a 20. you would be wanting a one hundred watt heater till now it gets chilly.

Answer 7

ye sget the 20 cuz my dad had a 14 year old fish and i acciadentally cut off the air in the tank
boy did i screw that fish over lmao

Answer 8

Yes.