New Setup

Well...I decided not to plant my tank since it would be the first one Ive ever done and it is actually harder with a bigger tank, so I was wondering if you guys could give me some input as to what you think would be the best looking artificial structure for 1 3"largemouth 1 16" Longnose Gar and I also plan to add some other fish in the future I just have'nt decided yet, probably sunfish though. I have already planned on making some rock structures and what not for the largemouth, but I want to make sure I don't take up too much room in order for the Gar to turn around. Also the tank I have came with 2 Emperor 400 Biowheels and each one is set up to suck water from a different level, but I am having a terrible Algae probnlem in the tank that I currently have the Largemouth and the Gar in, so I was wondering if it would hurt to put a third filter (AquaClear 110) between the 2. I have also decided to do a sand and gravel mixture so maybe that will help also, and can anyone give me there insight and opinion on out of tank Canister filters and overflow filters...Thanks for your time and effort everyone and sorry for bugging everyone again.



Also...I PLAN ON PAYING MY DUES IN THE NEAR FUTURE AS SOON AS I GET THIS NEW TANK UP AND RUNNING!!!!

If your bass is really only 3", I am surprised that the gar has not eaten it!

Driftwood is always a really nice addition. And, you can usually gather your own for free. I like terra-cotta flower pots. They provide shelter and do not look too un-natural.

Additional filtration is always good, especially with large fish, but it will not help with your algae problem. Conventional filters just do one very important task, change one harmful nutrient (ammonia) into less harmful forms. (Research tank cycling.) Cutting down on the amount of light will help, but you you also have to get the nutrients out of the water. More frequent water changes may help, and that is always the aquarist's first line of defense. Plants will use up some of the nutrients, but (especially with a big fish load) you need to be heavily planted to make a difference. (Research Walstad aquarium.)

[quote name='bullhead' date='Oct 24 2007, 07:43 PM' post='21962']
If your bass is really only 3", I am surprised that the gar has not eaten it!

Driftwood is always a really nice addition. And, you can usually gather your own for free. I like terra-cotta flower pots. They provide shelter and do not look too un-natural.

Additional filtration is always good, especially with large fish, but it will not help with your algae problem. Conventional filters just do one very important task, change one harmful nutrient (ammonia) into less harmful forms. (Research tank cycling.) Cutting down on the amount of light will help, but you you also have to get the nutrients out of the water. More frequent water changes may help, and that is always the aquarist's first line of defense. Plants will use up some of the nutrients, but (especially with a big fish load) you need to be heavily planted to make a difference. (Research Walstad aquarium.)
[/quote



Yeah, he really is only 3". My Gar is suprisingly very docile, I have had other smaller fish in with him also and he did fine with him. It seems like the only thing he will eat is bluntnosed minnows. I am pretty sure that less light won't help me any because the tank is in the basement and only gets about 3 to 4 hours of direct artificial light a day and the rest of the light isn't all that great because I've got glass block windows. As far as planting goes, that is the whole reason I decided not top plant it in the first place, I don't want an extr emely densely planted tank, so I am trying to find the next most efficient way of doing it. I am not trying to bash your comment because I greatly appreciate it, I just wanted to clear that up. Thank You Very much.

Also...I PLAN ON PAYING MY DUES IN THE NEAR FUTURE AS SOON AS I GET THIS NEW TANK UP AND RUNNING!!!!

Good, that will save me a trip to Ohio, and create less wear for my duffel bag

Good, that will save me a trip to Ohio, and create less wear for my duffel bag

You need to come to ohio to go collecting with a bunch of us!

You need to come to ohio to go collecting with a bunch of us!

Yeah...I have never been collecting...well actually I went once with BZ, but that was awhile ago...but anyhow, that would be pretty neat

Yeah...I have never been collecting...well actually I went once with BZ, but that was awhile ago...but anyhow, that would be pretty neat

If you ever want to head to my neck of the woods I'll show you a fun time.

I live in NE Ohio


Tom

If you ever want to head to my neck of the woods I'll show you a fun time.

I live in NE Ohio
Tom

Where abouts particularly?...I live in Barberton...about 15 minutes from Akron, but I am also currently located in Lima for school...probably no for muych longer though

Where abouts particularly?...I live in Barberton...about 15 minutes from Akron, but I am also currently located in Lima for school...probably no for muych longer though

Tom has some good spots up here in Ashtabula County, which is about 1.5 hours from Barberton. Also some time in the spring 08, some of us are going to plan a 2 day outing in several hot spots in Ohio. Keep an eye on the Local Edition, Midwest & Canada portion of the Forum for the trip updates.

You should get back into the streams, there are some really great people here in Ohio who have a lot of experience who would be willing to take you out to some beautiful streams loaded with fish.

On the weekends I am in Orrville which is about 20 minutes from Barberton. I would be willing to take you to a nice little stream in Doylestown. If you would like to hit this little stream some sunday PM me.

Tom has some good spots up here in Ashtabula County, which is about 1.5 hours from Barberton. Also some time in the spring 08, some of us are going to plan a 2 day outing in several hot spots in Ohio. Keep an eye on the Local Edition, Midwest & Canada portion of the Forum for the trip updates.

You should get back into the streams, there are some really great people here in Ohio who have a lot of experience who would be willing to take you out to some beautiful streams loaded with fish.

On the weekends I am in Orrville which is about 20 minutes from Barberton. I would be willing to take you to a nice little stream in Doylestown. If you would like to hit this little stream some sunday PM me.

The offer is greatly appreciated, however Sunday is the day that I leave to come back to school, however, I will be transferring to the Ohio State ATI campus in Wooster for winter quarter, so maybe if your still up to it then and the water isn't frozen,(If it's gonna be anything like last year it will proabbly stil be 70 degrees), then I would jump all of the oppurtunity.

Tom has some good spots up here in Ashtabula County, which is about 1.5 hours from Barberton. Also some time in the spring 08, some of us are going to plan a 2 day outing in several hot spots in Ohio. Keep an eye on the Local Edition, Midwest & Canada portion of the Forum for the trip updates.

That about covers it if you wanted to see how long it takes to get here get directions to 44099 Windsor Ohio

PM me if you want to get up this way.

Since you aren't going to have any plants, curing your algae problem shouldn't be too hard. You can either reduce the amount (brightness) of lighting, or reduce the amount of time that the lights are on, or both. I have found that diatoms (brown filmy algae) will grow on the glass in low light, but it is exceptionally easy to wipe off.

Water changes aren't always the solution for everyone. It really depends on what's in your water. Some public systems are using a phosphorus-based anti-corrosion additive (it keeps the lead levels down). When I lived in GA, I found that water changes always made the problem worse, so I started using DI water (for higher light plant tanks). If phosphorus is a problem you can also add phos-guard or a similar product to your filters, but it needs to be changed out to be effective, sometimes often.

You could try a denitrifying filter. Google aquarium denitrification. I have never tried one, and I have heard mixed reviews of their effectiveness. Nobody manufactures one for freshwater, as far as I know, so it is a DIY project. Basically, this is a very low flow, low/no oxygen filter where anaerobic bacteria convert nitrites into nitrogen gas. A fun experiment, but probably more effort and expense than water changes.

Also, if other nutrients (i.e., phosphorous) are your issue, then this will have no effect.