# Under Gravel filter



## ninjastar (Mar 1, 2010)

Hi everyone Im new too this forum. And just started this hobby and wanted to get into it because my dad did but stop. So ya I need. So heres my questions.

1-How does this work because I have these pannels underneath my rocks and these two tubes sticking out? How do I get this to work, what do I need to buy.

2-I have an empor 280 and the wheel doesnt spin as fast as my new penguin 200. Whats wrong?

3-What is the best way to clean? Do I need anything as far as tools?

4-Do live plants help?

5-Do bubbles help?

6-What do I need to help better my tanks as far as chemical wise and cleaness.


So thanks everyone and I hope this forum does me well.


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## ssajid (Mar 1, 2010)

Dear ninjastar,

Welcome to the fish world first.

I go through your questions. I need some informations regarding your aquarium.

1. Size means length, height, depth.

2. Type of fish you have in your aquarium.

3. Size and number of fishes in your Aquarium.


Because every family of fish needs its own requirements. 

Regards,


Sajid Raza


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## ninjastar (Mar 1, 2010)

1. Size means length, height, depth.
-60 gallon tank. I would say 50in,14in

2. Type of fish you have in your aquarium.
-4kois,4 male guppies, 4 female guppies, 2male molly, 2 female molly, 1 algey eater.


3. Size and number of fishes in your Aquarium.
-4kois,4 male guppies, 4 female guppies, 2male molly, 2 female molly, 1 algey eater.


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## ssajid (Mar 1, 2010)

you have mix two different group of fishes, kois are normaly like to live in ponds and group upto 15-20 inches eats a lot and the rest are small species not get the length more than 3 inches.
but dont worry. all of your fishes do not need strng current to swin in the aquarium for your se;ection of filters are ok, you just keep to maintain clean water free from suspended particles. if your nitrogen cycle is ok you do not need to buy any further tools.
Live plants will help to provide oxygen in the water but kois are very fond of live plants they eat plants if you place it. as a biggner i do not suggest you to put live plants in your setup. just try to maintain a clean enviorment.
Bubbles creates an additional source for the oxygen supply and also looks beautiful so you can put some shawers in your tank.
just initially concentrate on a healthy diet and clean water, if your filter do not work properly contact the supplier. Go through the site www.simplydiscus.com for some essential informations.
Wish you good luck.
Sajid


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## ninjastar (Mar 1, 2010)

Couldnt find any koi fish for this program.

Tank (LxDxH): 50 x 18 x 13 inch (50.6gUS)
Filters: Marineland Emperor 280, Marineland Penguin 200B

8 x Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)
2 x Balloon Molly (Poecilia latipinna hybrid)
1 x Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna)


Recommendations/Warnings/Suggestions/Notes:


Suggestion: Minimum recommend male to female ratio for Guppy is 1:2 (M:F). You will less likely to experience problem if you get even more females.
Suggestion: If you want to keep more than 1 Balloon Molly, minimum recommend male to female ratio is 1:2 (M:F). You will be less likely to experience problem if you get even more females.

Recommended temperature range: 68 - 82.4 F.
Recommended pH range: 5.5 - 7.8.
Recommended hardness range: 1 - 15 dH.

You have plenty of aquarium filtration capacity.

Your aquarium filtration capacity for above selected species is 256%.
Recommended water change schedule: 15% per week.
Your aquarium stocking level is 40%.


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## ninjastar (Mar 1, 2010)

Well the thing is, is that before only one fish lived in the tank and now I added all these other fish. And just early today I had the water tested and the lady say that the ammonia was good but the nitrate and some others were high, but she said it could have been from the cause of my moving the gravle. But ya should I spend money on filtration and what ever helps the tank and the water or can I start buyin some decor?


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## labecs (Mar 25, 2010)

Maybe you added too many fish too fast... I'd suggest doing more frequent water changes. I also think that the koi should not be there at all. They get to be very big and they will even eat the rest of your fish, plus, like ssajid said, they are dirty and eat a lot. As far as I know, you can add your decor already, as long as you use aquarium ready stuff. Don't use real rocks or driftwood yet. That's my opinion, let's see what the experts think.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

ninjastar said:


> Hi everyone Im new too this forum. And just started this hobby and wanted to get into it because my dad did but stop. So ya I need. So heres my questions.
> 
> 1-How does this work because I have these pannels underneath my rocks and these two tubes sticking out? How do I get this to work, what do I need to buy.
> 
> ...


to answer the first question, get the 1" tubes from the petstore for undergravel filters, usually called uplift tubes, to get this to work either run an air pump off it or my favorite, a power head.

2- clean the bearings

3- a tooth brush 


4- live plants help ALOT, however with koi I am not sure they will let the plants live

5- yes they do, people say you dont need em but those are the people who lose their fish to suffocation, I am heavily planted and run an air pump on the tank

6- with goldfish, you need to do very frequent water changes, also get a much larger filter. you want optimally a 4x ratio on your filtration meaning your tank size (60 gallons x4= 240 gph minimum) and with goldfish you might as well double to triple that minimum amount you need.


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