Grow Up Tank Set Up

[RichardChen]

I bought a Jungle sponge filter (triangle shape up to 25 gallon) and running it in a 10 gallon tank with 40 some Sciaenochromis fryeri frys.  I use Rena air 300 to pump the water.  I turned off the Odyssea 250 sponge filter but left it in there to seed the beneficial bacteria.  All the water was drawn from the 125 gallon comminity tank where my daddy and momy fish breed.

In the past 3 days I saw about 2 frys died each day.  I am started to question if the Jungle sponge filter was working.  I feed those fry First Bite in the morning and fresh hatched brine shrimp in the evening.  I saw the brine shrimp swimming by the filter without getting suck in.  Is something wrong with the sponge filter?

I have a 48 gallon bowfront tank house 20 brichardi and 3 Otopharynx lithobate juv.  The brichardi's size are about 1 1/2 in to 2 in long.  They were born last year around Thanksgiving.  They grow very slowly.  The lfs wants them in about 2 inches long before taking them.  So I am thinking about to add a tank somewhere in the house.

I saw Walmart has a 55 gallon tank and a stand for less than $250.  I am thinking about use it for new frys and allowing them to grow into juv until 3 inches long so I don't need to transfer them from 10 gallon to 48 gallon.  When thinking about frys, sponge filters pop into my mind.  Can I use 2 sponge filters (50 gallon capacity each) with powerhead to filter the 55 gallon tank?  What sponge filters are the best in the market?  What GPH powerhead should I run with the sponge filters?

Another question I want to ask is that I had a Emperor 400 power filter in the storage room.  I quite using it when I started to use Eheim.  Emperor is noisier than Eheim and the cost to replace the filter cartridges each month is a lot more than Eheim fine pads.  Is there any work around solution to reduce the cost of replacing the filter cartridges of Emperor 400?

Thank you for sharing.

[CichlidFan]

Re: Grow Up Tank Set Up

You can make up your own filter media content, instead of using those blue throw aways. I have small pieces of lava rock in mine with that blue filter media that fishboyt makes his sponge filters with.

Once in a while, I'll put a sock of purigen in both sides for a couple months.

I replace the blue filter media about once a month and rinse the rocks and that's about it.

I do run 2217's in conjuction with my emps though, and I clean those about every 45 days.

CF

[RichardChen]

Re: Grow Up Tank Set Up

I had a thin layer of substrate cover the bottom of the fry tank.  I found it trap dirt a lot.  Will it be better without the substrate in the fry tank?

[armthehomeless]

Re: Grow Up Tank Set Up

I think it is easier to have fry tanks without substrate. Better is all in your personal choice, but it would certainly be easier to keep a tank without substrate clean.

I believe that is why you see so many bare bottom discus and tropheus tanks... :wink:

[RichardChen]

Re: Grow Up Tank Set Up

Cool armthehomeless.

I am going to give it a try.  Any suggestion for the combo of sponge filter and powerhead for 10 gallon and 55 gallon fry / grow out tank?

[Zulaab]

Re: Grow Up Tank Set Up

Filter on a tank.

On a 10 tank I would use an AquaClear 50 and I would attach media net (cut down to size) rubber banded around the intake.
A sponge filter for additional air and allowing for the little ones to pick at.

On a 20 I would use a AquaClear 70 and use the same trick as above.

What I am looking for is a lot water filtration so you have little chance of ammonia spikes etc in the tank.  I would also attempt to seed the filter first with some dither fish or run it on another tank first to get as much bacteria to grow in the media first.