Various Beginner Questions

[Marina Hyde]

1) My angel, goldfish, cory cat, and glass cats seem to lurk in the shadows. Are my bulbs too bright? (the bulb says plant and aquarium wide spectrum)

2) I use whisper internal filters (rated for 40 gallons) in my 20 and 30 gallons. I really like the ease and price of filters, but would like to look into under gravel filters, where do I start/go?

3) Do I have to have a CO2 system if I want a planted tank? Or even just a few live plants? If so, where/how do I begin to set that up/learn more?

4) My angel (assorted from petsmart) seems to randomly have red colored waste that floats, what's up with that?

[troy tucker]

Marina
Welcome to the Box!

1) My angel, goldfish, cory cat, and glass cats seem to lurk in the shadows. Are my bulbs too bright? (the bulb says plant and aquarium wide spectrum)

No, they are doing what fish do.

2) I use whisper internal filters (rated for 40 gallons) in my 20 and 30 gallons. I really like the ease and price of filters, but would like to look into under gravel filters, where do I start/go?

The filters you have are okay But If you are going to spend money on new stuff get canister filters. Under gravel are just more prob.'s. cleaning your tank.

3) Do I have to have a CO2 system if I want a planted tank? Or even just a few live plants? If so, where/how do I begin to set that up/learn more?

You don't need CO2 to have plants. Plants can be grown with good light and some don't need that. But CO2 can help.

4) My angel (assorted from petsmart) seems to randomly have red colored waste that floats, what's up with that?

This one I have no Idea. What do you feed them?

[mnemenoi]

1) My angel, goldfish, cory cat, and glass cats seem to lurk in the shadows. Are my bulbs too bright? (the bulb says plant and aquarium wide spectrum)

Doubt that it is too bright with T8 bulbs, probably just needs some plants and hardscape to give them some sense of protection. It is funny that the more wood, rocks, plants added actually promotes the fish feeling a bit more secure and venturing out more. All of those are shy species.

2) I use whisper internal filters (rated for 40 gallons) in my 20 and 30 gallons. I really like the ease and price of filters, but would like to look into under gravel filters, where do I start/go?

Internals are tough and UG filters are decent for certain applications. I would suggest either some Hang on Back Filters or a canister. You will be far better off in the long run and happier with the ease of maintenance. If UG filters are your preference, researching their proper use and application is a must and speaking/seeing others tanks might give you a broader knowledge base for your decision.

3) Do I have to have a CO2 system if I want a planted tank? Or even just a few live plants? If so, where/how do I begin to set that up/learn more?

We only keep non-CO2 tanks (considered low-tech), though C)2 can help, but they come with their own set of problems. Planted aquariums have many variables and should be researched well before trying to transition. There are many planted tank threads here and on the planted tank forum. Getting together with some experianced planted tank keepers can quickly sort out some issues and explain a collection of different topics that forums can take far longer.

4) My angel (assorted from petsmart) seems to randomly have red colored waste that floats, what's up with that?

I know little about angelfish, but my guess is air uptake. Try frozen foods/higher quality NLS pellets for more balanced nutrition.

[Marina Hyde]

I feed tetrafin goldfish flakes for my husband's goldfish and API tropical community fish flakes, and bottom feeder/algae wafers and frozen brine shrimp (occasionally)

[troy tucker]

Angel fish take big gulps off the top and the air they take in can make there poo float. Also plantmatter in the food will float. Try some shrimp pellets. All your fish should like them as a treat.

[Parzival]

It seems to me that the gold standard for filtration, wet/dry excluded, is Eheim canisters or Aquaclear HOB (hang-on-back) filters. My first tank came with an Aquaclear 20, and I've been very happy with it, and unlike a lot of filters I've seen you can use just about any media you want to use in it. I'd personally avoid anything that uses cartridges. Many of them seem to offer substandard filtration and are designed to keep you buying supplies. I'm relatively new at this hobby, so my take is probably worth less than $0.02.

I just picked up an Aquaclear 30 for another tank and it's just like the 20, only larger. No regrets. I can't wait to get my Eheim 2213 up and running, though.

[mnemenoi]

+1 Parzival, both those brands are my favorite and well said explanations as to why. I love Aquaclears for a HOB and they all work the same, from a 20 to a 110... Overfiltration is never a bad idea. I try and choose a filter rated twice the tanks capacity as they all become restricted through use. I have never seen a tank with too much filtration, lol. I think we are currently running 1-2215, 1-marineland 350 canister, and 1 AC-50 on a 30 gallon. Even our Ebi has 1 AC-20 and a sponge filter on it....