Newbee question on filtering

**ren_hao** · 10th Oct 2013, 13:47

I am a new to fishes

Currently, I have a 12 litre tanks with the following fishes
1 pleco (small one)
4 cardinals
3 small white fish with orange coloring on the forehead
1 longkang fish my son 'caught'
There are 2 plastic plants in the tanks
I am using a hanging filter. The filter came with the tank and is hung at the back of the tank
Otherwise the tank is bare

What I noticed is that the filter seems to cleaning up the back of the tank well, there are minimal waste material there
But at the front of the tank, waste material seems to be gathering. I am clearing it after every feed. I feed 2 times a day

Do I need a filter that has higher power or is this perfectly normal?
The thank has been up for about 2-3 weeks. I have just managed to get the PH under control with temporary introduction of coral rock after daily 20-30% WC did not work

**David** · 10th Oct 2013, 14:43

Hello

I am guessing that the front and back you are referring to is the bottom section?

If you are, it's quite normal as your in flowing pipe is at the back end. The debris will be sucked out leaving the only the front as there is little water circulation.

You have busted your fish to water ratio. I would feed the fish only once a day rather then twice.

You mention PH. May I know the reason for raising PH with coral chips?

**ren_hao** · 10th Oct 2013, 15:45

Hi David,
yup, i totally busted the ratio.... newbee mistake

I am trying to learn on how to maintain a tank correctly before moving to a 2ft tank. Hopefully, no more fish will die on me.

The reason for adding the coral temporary was because my water was extremely acidic, pH4.5 or lower and I did 20-30% WC to no avail for a couple of days.
I went to my LFS and was recommended to add in a small coral rock to bring up the pH. It did the trick in 2 days. Now that the pH is back up to about 7, I have remove it.

**Berny** · 10th Oct 2013, 15:53

Originally Posted by ren_hao

I am a new to fishes

Currently, I have a 12 litre tanks with the following fishes
1 pleco (small one)
4 cardinals
3 small white fish with orange coloring on the forehead
1 longkang fish my son 'caught'
There are 2 plastic plants in the tanks
I am using a hanging filter. The filter came with the tank and is hung at the back of the tank
Otherwise the tank is bare

What I noticed is that the filter seems to cleaning up the back of the tank well, there are minimal waste material there
But at the front of the tank, waste material seems to be gathering. I am clearing it after every feed. I feed 2 times a day

Do I need a filter that has higher power or is this perfectly normal?
The thank has been up for about 2-3 weeks. I have just managed to get the PH under control with temporary introduction of coral rock after daily 20-30% WC did not work

The part in bold, what pleco is that? Small now doesnt mean it will stay small for life. Keep a lookout for the super common sailfin pleco which can grow up to 2ft. Would be good if you can post pictures of the pleco for us to identify to prevent future issues.

**ren_hao** · 10th Oct 2013, 17:33

Hi Berny,

Here the pic of my pleco. I suspect it is a common sailfin
image(1).jpg

**Berny** · 10th Oct 2013, 17:35

it does look like a sailfin, if that's the case, you better be prepared for much more than you expected - Sailfin pleco are heavy duty poo machine, they poo way way more than what they eat, they can also grow up to 2' in length and can be quite aggressive

**ren_hao** · 10th Oct 2013, 17:41

2' as in 2 foot or 2 inch?
That may explain why my tank pH dived...........
So, a 2 foot tank will be too small eventually?

Any idea what fish is this? Bought it from LFS but forgot the name

image f1.jpg

**Berny** · 10th Oct 2013, 17:42

2 foot. That fish looks like a german ram to me, but i'm not very sure about that.

**ren_hao** · 10th Oct 2013, 17:44

sh*t..................... I was only planning for 2 foot tank................. going to get a earful from the CO. Dont know if I should return it to the shop so that they can resell it to the "right" owner

**Berny** · 10th Oct 2013, 17:46

you can keep it, but have to monitor the water condition closely, especially nitrate and nitrite and maybe ammonia. As for size... perhaps can keep till its bigger then give/sell it to those who are keeping monster tanks?

**David** · 10th Oct 2013, 18:50

A acidic PH is better for you tank because NH and NO is less toxic in lower PH. However, this does not mean that you perform less water change.

If possible change the Pleco to something else but fish. If the LFS refuse, just give it back anyway. Please don't donate it into our reservoir or water ways...not a responsible thing to do....