what is the best filtration system to use for fish?

Question

i have a 30gal tank that has 4 blackshirt terta, 2 platys, 1 betta, and 1 molly in it. i change the water a week ago and now the nitrite levels are rising and now my molly is getting sick . so i now i think i need ti increase the biological filtration. so whats the best way to do this and keep the water chemistry just right.

Answer 1

This does sound like a new tank, or one that being cleaned too thoroughly, or has had antibiotics used in it. You mentioned cleaning the water a week ago, so I'm thinking that maybe this tank has only been set up for a few weeks - that would fit with the rising nitrites as well.

Your biological filtration is increasing by itself, but slowly. Eventually, the bacteria that are multiplying will be able to convert the ammonia and nitrite to nitrate, which won't be as harmful to your fish. There are a couple of products that you can buy that will add bacteria to your tank, but there's a lot of variability in how well these work. You can also raise the temperature of your tank which makes the bacteria multiply faster. You can raise it to about 80o or a little higher, as long as you have good water movement from a filter or powerhead.

Until the tank is fully cycled, you'll need to try and keep the ammonia and nitrite levels down by doing partial water changes (I'd do them around the time the levels get to 0.5ppm - this is when they start to cause the fish to get stressed). You can also relieve some of the stress by adding salt (without iodine in it) to the tank at 1 tablespoon for every 5 gallons of tank water. When you do a water change, if you remove 5 or 10 gallons of water, this will make it easy to put the right amount of salt back in.

When you clean your tank, don't try to clean it so well that you might lose some of the bacteria. If you use a gravvel vac, clean just what's lying on the gravel and deep into the gravel right at the front of the tank every time. Then just do 1/3 of the tank well. Each time you clean, do a different 1/3. This lets the rest of the bacteria be undisturbed so it can continue to reproduce and repopulate any lost when you cleaned. If your filter needs cleaned, rinse any pads or other media in water you take out of the tank - don't rinse it under tap waper because the chlorine will kill the bacteria in the filter. You can keep reusing the media untill it's falling apart. And it's best not to clean the filter and the gravel on the same day.

The very best type of filtration is a wet/dry filter, but this is a bit much for a 30 gallon tank. A canister filter is probably the next best, followed by a biowheel, then a regular hang-on-back type. The more area you have for bacteria to grow (the filter media plus the biowheel if the filter has one), the more efficient the filter will be at removing the ammonia and nitrite from the water. A canister is preferred over a hang-on, because in a canister, water is forced throught the filter where if a hang-on filter clogs, unfiltered water can go over the top of the cartridge or uptake tube. To get the most out of a filter, it should be rated (in gallons per hour) to filter 5 to 10 times the volume of your tank (150-300 gph for you).

To get a more detailed explanation, see the websites below. The first also includes a graph of the general progression through ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

Answer 2

6 rasbora: ok 9 cory cats: ok a million rainbow shark: no longer ok, they get too tremendous for that aquarium 6 silver tip tetra: ok Even with out the shark you'd be taking a chance in overstocking the tank. cut back the variety of cories down somewhat and also you are able to be a lot extra helpful off. inspite of solid filtration, you should do diligent water variations and continuously save an eye fixed on water high quality. the area with overstocking is not in basic terms water high quality, yet territory for the fish. The rainbowshark will overstock the tank in basic terms because he does no longer have adequate territory, in spite of water high quality. the different fish can do ok in a 20 gallon as far as territory, despite the indisputable fact that the more beneficial variety of fish may reason water high quality concerns, and as they age, you may run up adversarial to some territory subject matters from crowding.

Answer 3

for a small tank like yours i would just get a hang on the back power filter. a canister filter would just be overkill for that size of that tank. i recommend either marineland's biowheel or hagen's aquaclear. i personally have used the hagen aquaclear 50/200 which i would recommend for your tank and i have no complaints. its simple to setup, easy to change filters, reliable, and the filtration components allows you to limit the loss of beneficial bacteria. another filter in high regard are the biowheels. they are slightly pricier but are known for their ability to sustain the necessary bacteria in your tank while being an effective filtration unit.

you cannot go wrong with either one. everything else just seems to be junk, yes even the whiper line.

Answer 4

How long has the tank been set up for? this could account for the nitrite spike, if you get a 30 -60 whisper or tetra care filter it will be fine for your tank

Answer 5

A Fluval 3 or 4 internal power filter would be the best.

Try this link:
http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_filters_hagen_fluval_plus_internal.asp?CartId=

Answer 6

A canister filter might work the best for you.