Filter Issue

[w1nk5]

I am a complete novice. Don't get me wrong, I did my homework, this is just my first aquarium.

My wife bought me a 55 gal aquarium that came with a Eheim 2227 filter.

I have the tank and filter set up and everything 'seems' fine. However, after the filter fills with water and the output cycle begins, the filter sends a small air pocket out the output tube that makes a very loud noise when expelled.

Has anyone had this issue? Anyone have any ideas on how to troubleshoot this?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[blainep]

Welcome to CAC w1nk5

As long as there are no leaks in the piping, let the filter run for a while.

I haven't used any Eheim filters, but I know the Fluvals I use can take some time to get all the air out of them.

Hope that helps a little.

[CACAdmin]

Hi and :Welcome: I've never used a canister filter so I'm not of much help in the troubleshooting department on this one but someonewith some knowledge/experience with them is bound to pop by.

[thegrandpoohbah]

Like Blaine said, that is probably normal. Each and every one of my canister filters is noisy and spits out air for a while when I have to open them up to do maintenance. Once it works all the air out of the system it should be fine. I will help mine along by gently tipping the canister body back and forth to shake some of the air pockets loose.

[w1nk5]

Ok, cool. I also have a couple other questions if you guys don't mind.

Should I leave the filter on all the time. Or can I run it on some sort of cycle?
Can I submerge the output tube and install an aerator so it does make so much noise?
As I mentioned b4 the filter and tank are used. I cleaned the filter and tubing out to the best of my ability but after I added the substrate and got the filter going it smelt pretty terrible. I have noticed the smell has decreased as the filter runs and I attempt to stabilize the pH. What kind of water conditioner would you recommend to get my tank ready for fish and to rid it of the smell? The stuff I have is "pH 7.0 Seachem, Neutral Regulator' says it adjusts pH to 7.0 and eliminates chlorine, chloramine and ammonia.
I have a 13 month old son and would like to have colourful fish for him to look at. I was thinking cichlids with some angel fish. But if you could recommend something that is better for a beginner I am open.
Finally, can I get one of those fish in the there that cleans the tank as soon as I get the water stabilized? What kind of fish would you recommend for that?Thanks guys... I really appreciate all the help.

[blainep]

Ok, cool. I also have a couple other questions if you guys don't mind.
Should I leave the filter on all the time. Or can I run it on some sort of cycle?
Can I submerge the output tube and install an aerator so it does make so much noise?
As I mentioned b4 the filter and tank are used. I cleaned the filter and tubing out to the best of my ability but after I added the substrate and got the filter going it smelt pretty terrible. I have noticed the smell has decreased as the filter runs and I attempt to stabilize the pH. What kind of water conditioner would you recommend to get my tank ready for fish and to rid it of the smell? The stuff I have is "pH 7.0 Seachem, Neutral Regulator' says it adjusts pH to 7.0 and eliminates chlorine, chloramine and ammonia.
I have a 13 month old son and would like to have colourful fish for him to look at. I was thinking cichlids with some angel fish. But if you could recommend something that is better for a beginner I am open.
Finally, can I get one of those fish in the there that cleans the tank as soon as I get the water stabilized? What kind of fish would you recommend for that?Thanks guys... I really appreciate all the help.

Question 1 - Yes, the filter should run 24/7
Question 2 - Yes, you can submerge it. You may not need an aerator depending on fish load etc.
Question 3 - With the filter running, the smell will dissipate. You could add a pouch of activated carbon to help out, if you want. Don't worry about PH until you get a chance to research what kinds of fish you want.

Question 4 - Any of the fish you are thinking of will require a little research, mostly to ensure your fish will be matched to the environment you can provide.

Question 5 - By stabilized, do you mean cycled ? Lots of choices for a cleanup crew. Again, a little research will go along way . Google is your friend ! :laugh:

Wander around a few local fish/pet stores and see what catches your eye, do a little research to see if you can provide a good home for them, then, add fish slowly to the tank.

[thegrandpoohbah]

1. Leave it running 24/7. Turning it off causes the beneficial nitrifying bacteria in the filter media to die.

2. Yes you can. I have my Rena XP canister filters set up with the return spray bar under the surface of the water.

3. Any aquarium water conditioner will work. Its primary purpose is to remove chlorine and chloramine from the water. Any bad smell in the water should go away as the tank cycles (see below).

4. Depends, what kind of cichlids? Angelfish are South American cichlids. If you are refering to African cichlids then I would not recomend mixing them since Africans are more aggressive and territorial. Regardless of what fish you decide on, it is always a good idea to research them first to ensure compatibility with your tank (tank size and water parameters) and your other fish.

5. Why? The tank is brand new, there should be nothing to "clean". Plecos and other algae eaters are very common. But despite what you may have heard, they do not clean up fish poo. They will (depending on the species) eat nuiscance algae and leftover food. Again, do your research first. The most common "tank cleaner" sold is the common plecostomus which can grow to well over 12+" long.

Before you add any fish to the tank I would suggest reading up on the aquarium nitrogen cycle: http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&safe=off&q=aquarium+nitrogen+cycle&meta=&aq=f&oq=aquarium+nitrogen+cycle&fp=fdb7627fc4f0229c. I believe that is what you are refering to by "stabilized" but most people don't fully understand what that means. It can be daunting at first but feel free to ask if you have any questions. That's what we are here for!

[w1nk5]

Sweet. Thats a lot of good information.

When I say stabilized I do just mean the end of my fishless cycle. You know, add ammonia to produce all that beneficial bacteria. Well, I don't need to tell you guys that.

As for the type of fish I really don't have a clue. I know I need to do some research, my tank did come with a approx. 10 books for both fresh and saltwater tanks. I just know I want colourful fish.

What kinda of fish do you guys have in your tank that are living in harmony?

I have a freshwater aquarium encyclopedia at home that has so many cool fish in it I don't even know where to start.

Questions:

Is there something I can use to test the oxygen level in the water? I would like to submerge my output pipe but I would also like to ensure there is an appropriate amount of oxygen in the tank for my fish.
How often should I clean out the filter?Again, any information would be greatly appreciated.

I am going to post some pictures probably later tonight and you guys can tell me what you think.

Cheers. :wink:

[thegrandpoohbah]

Awesome! Not many newcomers to this hobby have even heard of fishless cycling much less know how to do it. That would definitely explain why your water smells so bad. It will go away once your tank finishes cycling. On that note, make sure you do NOT use Seachem Prime at this point for your water conditioner. Prime will actually de-toxify ammonia which would be counterproductive at this point.

Are you planning on having a planted tank? If so then the plants will provide the O2 and you do not need to worry too much about oxygenation. In my non-planted tanks I submerge the filter output but I do aim it up a bit to increase surface agitation/gas exchange.

I clean out my canister filters once every 3 months or so. That will however depend on your filter and on your tank stocking levels.

For freshwater fish, if you want colourful then African cichlids are a good way to go. Just do a google search for "Mbuna" which are cichlids from Lake Malawi in East Africa. There are quite a few of these species that will do just fine in a 55G tank.

If it were me, I'd go with 6-7 each of Pseudotropheus demasoni (http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/demasoni.htm) and Labidochromis caeruleus (http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/caeruleu.htm). That will give you some very vibrant blue and yellow colours in the tank. Both species are very hardy and easy to care for. Get the Electric Yellow Labs first then add the Demasoni afterwards, the Demasoni tend to be more quite aggressive and this will help prevent territorial issues. Another nice option would be Pseudotropheus saulosi (http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/ps_saulosi.htm). The males turn blue w/ black bars and the females stay yellow. These are a more mellow tempered mbuna. Do not mix these with Demasoni as the males are too similar in colour and will become the target of their aggression.

If you do go with mbuna just make sure to have lots of rockwork in your tank to provide hiding places and caves for the fish to spawn. Depending on you water hardness and pH, you may want special rocks (such as tufa or Texas holey rock) which will buffer your water and help get the hardness and pH up to the appropriate levels.

Here is my 50G breeder tank with 12 juvenile P. saulosi shortly before I had to move and sell them all. The second pic is the alpha male just starting to change colours from yellow to blue.

[w1nk5]

Thanks. I will definately look into those fish.

I have yet to actually begin to add the ammonia (or even purchase it). I just set this tank up on christmas eve and have been running the filter and heater for a couple of days. My filter initially had a leak I fixed and am waiting for a part. I will probably begin to add ammonia after I get the part for my filter.

As of right now my tank has very little hiding places for fish. I will post a pic tonight.

I would love to have a planted tank but as of right now all my plants are artificial. As for the substrate all I have right now is light colour gravel that came with it. I assume this gravel alone is not enough to sustain plant life.

I never considered pointing my output pipe up to increase surface agitation and gas exchange. I will definately do that.

Anyways, thanks for all the great advice. I'll post some pics tonight so you can see what I'm dealing with.

Thanks again.

[CACAdmin]

Was the gravel that came with the tank washed? If not, it might be that which is causing the odor.

As for choice of fish, there are quite a few very colorful one. Mollies, Platys, and Swordtails come in a variety of colors but as they are livebearers, you'd have to be prepared for a never-ending onslaught of fry to deal with.

[OldMan]

I would suggest a slightly different approach, but maybe the same result. Go visit your local fish shop and write down the names of fish that really catch your eye. Then you can come back here and we may be able to help you put together a list of some of those fish that would go together well.
As far as oxygen, there certainly are ways to measure it but most fish keepers never do that. Once you understand the principles involved you will know whether the oxygen is OK. The water / air interface, the surface, will quickly reach an equilibrium with oxygen at its saturation condition for the water temperature. If the water movement in the tank gets all of the water to that surface, without a lot of dead spots or stratification in the water column, your whole tank's oxygen content will be at that value. The old method of making the water mix well was an air stone, that still will give very good mixing. Since the introduction of powered water pumping in filters, the simple arrangement of the return water flow path has become enough to give that same mixing.

[w1nk5]

TheGranPoohBah > Your tank looks great. I like the way you arranged your rocks.

CACAdmin > I washed everything I put in my tank with a bleach solution. (5gal water / 1 tbsp bleach)

Here is a good picture of the atmosphere inside of my aquarium:

http://www.freewebs.com/chathamkentcap/images/stitchFinal.jpg

As you can see right now I have the output above the water injecting it with lots of oxygen for my fishless cycle. After that is complete, my plan is to submerge the output and point it slightly upwards to reduce the sound while still somewhat maintaining some surface agitation and gas exchange. The temperature is set to approx. 83 degrees for now and the filter has been running for about 48 hours. The water is crystal clear.

This picture shows some of the cabinet as well that I refinished and raised 8 inches.

http://www.freewebs.com/chathamkentcap/images/flash1New.jpg

So what do you think?

This aquarium is in our livingroom, so it is a fairly high-traffic area.

Should I add some more stuff for the fish to hide in?

Do you think I should add a background to simulate depth to help relax the fish?

I plan on adding some more artificial plants to hide the equipment. Eventually I will get some real plants in there as well.

[thegrandpoohbah]

Like I said in your other thread, the tank looks great. I find the commercially available vinyl backgrounds to be too shiny. With the darker backgrounds, when placed against the back of a glass tank they tend to creat almost a mirror-like effect. I've used them in the past but I prefer an in-tank background (usually made of styrofoam). More plants would be a good idea to give the fish places to hide and relax. And live plants are always a good idea since they will help maintain water quality too.

[Melody]

:Welcome: You're receiving awesome replies so I only have one suggestion that I didn't see in my skimming, pick up a basic fish species information book of some kind, if you haven't already. They cover the mainstream fish without overwhelming you like the more comprehensive volumes can. It's feasible to use them to create a wish list and they'll usually give you information about temperament, environmental requirements, adult size, etc. Most fish stores carry one version or another. Aquarium Fish by Dick Mills should provide everything you need at this point, but there are lots of similar books.

Otherwise, my best advice is to take your time. Add the fish slowly so the system can adjust and feed far less than what the container suggests for the same reason.

You can amuse yourself while you wait by going to the fish stores and writing those names down to research. Many stores use common names so if you can't find it in a book, by all means ask here - we're used to them.

Oh and Google 'tropical fish diseases' or something similar so you know how to spot sick fish in stores. If even one fish in the tank looks sick, don't purchase from the tank. If you see some sick fish in several tanks, find another store (unless they're labelled 'not for sale' - good stores will quarantine and treat fish but they don't sell from the tank).

It sounds like you're well on your way to success. All the best with it!

[w1nk5]

Thanks Melody. I'll look into that book, the books that came with the tank are either on specific fish (Cichlids) or are 6 inches think and cover like 3423423 fish. Pretty overwhelming, like you said. Although, some of the fish in there are crazy looking, freshwater sting rays and cat fish... probably not cheap tho.

thegrandpoohbah > I think I'm just going to leave it without a background. I like the way it looks now and once I add some live plants, I think it will look awesome. I'll just get some nice tall ones for the back. I wouldnt mind getting some of those surface plants either, whatever they're called.

:mask:

[bae3]

A dark background generally looks good, and with the white gravel may reduce the tendency of fish to look very pale as they try to be inconspicuous against such a light color. I've used dark brown cork board and 1/4" styrofoam painted dark brown on the outside of the tank as a background. Both add a little insulation which can be helpful if the tank backs against an outside wall in an old house! You can use paper or plastic of course. Just tape it on. Blocking off the sight of the wall behind gives more of the illusion of a window into another place, a little bit of nature.

I'm really glad to see a beginner doing actual research on the topic of fishkeeping rather than just doing things at random and then deciding that fish are like cut flowers, they're only supposed to live a few weeks or months. :-(

Note that unfortunately staff at many fish stores, especially the large chains, know even less about fishkeeping than many beginners, but you'll get good advice here.

Plants aren't difficult to grow, are very good for water quality and make your fish feel more comfortable and less stressed. You do need roughly 1-1.5watts per gallon as a rule of thumb for growing easier low light plants, and a bit more light is better. If you grow plants that are suited to your water conditions, you'll be more successful than with plants that aren't. For example, vallisneria does well in moderately hard to very hard water, while some other plants only do well in soft water.

Your gravel is a bit coarse for optimal plant growth, but a lot of plants don't mind that. I can't tell from the photos whether what you've got is crushed limestone or generic gravel coated with plastic to give it the white color. You can tell if it's limestone by dropping a few pieces into a small container of vinegar. If they release a lot of small bubbles (or even fizz), they are limestone and will keep your water stable at a somewhat hard level. This is ideal for mbuna cichlids and most common livebearers. If it doesn't bubble, it's probably plastic coated and won't affect your water chemistry. If you have very soft water, you might want to add some lime-containing material to keep your pH from dropping too far.

If you're going to go for mbuna cichlids, you'll have to either provide a lot of hiding places, or else stock quite heavily to control territoriality (also called 'aggression'). If you go with the 'stock heavily' route, you'll have to do a lot of water changes to keep water quality up. Mbuna like relatively hard water with a somewhat alkaline pH, so if that's what comes out of your tap, you'll have no problems.

If you want a lot of lively bright colored fish to entertain your little kid, common livebearers of the platy and swordtail group come in a variety of colors and will interbreed to produce an even wider array of colors. Most of the fry will get eaten if there isn't a lot of cover for them in the form of plants (real or artificial) which is just as well, since otherwise you'll be overrun. But with some cover, some will survive, and it's interesting to watch them grow and see what colors they turn out.

Apple snails are something little kids like to watch, too. They come in a variety of colors, but the golden form is the most commonly seen. They'll eat excess food (as long as you don't overdo it) and algae from the glass and other surfaces. When they are on the glass, you can see the tongue (radula) scraping away in a motion reminiscent of how little kids eat with their mouths open in order to gross you out. Kids find this pretty amusing in a snail.

Where are you geographically? It might help us advise you, or someone nearby might have fish or plants to spare for you, or be able to recommend local stores to patronize or to avoid. Also, which fish and plants will do well in your tap water -- it's a serious pain to have to modify tap water, so it's best to go with plants and animals that like what you've got.

Btw, if you want an very easy to maintain and very cheap to set up heavily planted tank, get Diana Walstad's book 'Ecology of the Planted Aquarium'. I just bought it for $23 plus tax at amazon.ca.

And in general, before you buy anything, ask here. There's a *lot* of overpriced and unnecessary stuff out there. E.g. aquarium lightling for growing plants can cost a fortune, or you can build a nice looking wooden hood with an ordinary fluorescent fixture or sockets for CFLs inside for very little, and not get ripped off on replacement specialty HO-T5 bulbs. You can buy glass covers at high prices from pet stores, or you can get a glass shop to cut covers for you from their scrap pile for cheap. While a good flake food should be a staple, you can buy it in bulk for vastly cheaper than those tiny plastic cans and store the extra in your freezer until you need it, and there's a lot of food you eat that is excellent for your fish, e.g. seafood, frozen peas and other vegetables, etc. A varied diet is best, since no one commercial food is perfect for every fish.

Oh, one more thing before I stop procrastinating on all the stuff I should be doing instead of blathering on here: You can get an analysis of your tap water from your municipal water department. If you live in a city, you can probably find it online. If not, phone them up and they'll send it to you on paper.

[w1nk5]

Wow, there's a lot of good information in there. Thanks.

I think I am going to order that book, and Im going to look into those plants, fish, and snails.

Thanks again.