# 3ft Tropical Fish Tank "Filter Advice, PLEASE"



## deano1099 (Jun 28, 2007)

Hi there,

Ive recently purchased a fish tank, it holds 90 litres of water, and the dimensions are 800x300x400mm, i currently have a fluval 3 internal filter in the tank, however the tank keeps getting cloudy with little algae particles floating around, i dont feel this filter is suitable for my tank, ive changed and washed the foam filter pads out and this makes limited difference. So i wish to upgrade to a better filter. Ive done a bit of research into filters and im currently leaning towards an external filter and also looking to purchase a uv clarrifier, it would be really great to hear from some people who have had past problems like this and what filter they have purchased as im sure this is a regular occurence. Just incase your wondering what fish i currently have ive got 3 clown loaches, 3 mollies and a common pleco.

P.S, im looking to spend around about £100 or less if possible :-D

Look forward to hearing your reccomendations.

Cheers.

Deano.


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## 8and6 (Jan 19, 2010)

your tank is obviously still cycling, use patience you must young aquari!  changing the sponges just puts you back at day 1 again and negates any work you've just done

the cloudiness is a stage all new setups go through, it's just a bacterial bloom in the water column, the fluval 3 is perfectly adequate for that tank with that stocking

next stage you will get is the ugly brown algae, but again, its short lived, just a couple of weeks or so

everytime you change filter sponges you are getting rid of the bacteria you need for denitrification.
the clown loaches will be suffering the most from this, i wouldnt be surprised if you have an outbreak of ich shortly

if you want to get an external fine go ahead, it will help extend the service period interval, but you really dont have a need to, and certainly no need for a UV steriliser, be better spending the money on a good liquid test kit 

these are stages you cant get around and are a sign that everything is on track


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## deano1099 (Jun 28, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> your tank is obviously still cycling, use patience you must young aquari!  changing the sponges just puts you back at day 1 again and negates any work you've just done
> 
> the cloudiness is a stage all new setups go through, it's just a bacterial bloom in the water column, the fluval 3 is perfectly adequate for that tank with that stocking
> 
> ...


Thank you very much for your reply, as im fairly new to all this im learning all the time, something ive taken particular interest in is, the filter water flow litres per hour ratio, as my filter is pretty small, would it not be beneficial to my tank to upgrade to a filter that will turn over more litres per hour, obviously withing reason so i dont blast my fish out of the tank, i was thinking seen as though my tank holds 90litres, maybe a filter that turns over about 150litres per hour, please let me know if i am incorrect, also please can you inform me on what "ich" is, im pretty worried :-(, all in all though the fish seem very happy in there tank.

All advice is welcome.

Cheers.

Deano.


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## andy007 (May 13, 2008)

Hi
Personally I wouldn't go getting a bigger filter for that tank, as the Clowns and the Common Plec need a much much bigger tank anyway. If you plan on keeping them I'd get yourself a tank of at least 250 lts with a good external filter capable of turning over at least 1200 lts per hour. Without the Clowns and Plec, a Fluval 3 should be more than adequate to deal with a 90 ltr tank.

As Steve has said, your tank is trying to cycle. This means that the ammonia level will be rising, to be followed by nitrIte. Both are toxic to fish, and Clowns being particularly prone to whitespot, will probably mean they will get sick

Do you know anyone with a mature fish tank? If so, you could help your filter mature quicker by pinching about a quarter of their filter media and putting it in your filter. Your going to have to do partial water changes on a regular basis to keep the ammonia and nitrIte levels down, but this will slow the cycle down. It could take anywhere between 6-12 weeks to fully cycle, and during that time any fish in there will suffer.


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## RichL (Nov 4, 2010)

Externals are good but do require more maintainence - you have to think about seals etc - and they do fail so a damp floor is always a risk

I personally like eheim aquaball internal filters - I upgraded my two aquaballs with aditional media baskets - they are very very good internal filters imho and experience

90 liters is not big enough for most 'plecs' - aor ancistrus (bristlenose cats) and not for clown loaches either (in the long term)

As its a new tank - ypu may be cycling still (oh i wish folk would fishless cycle tanks) - and just because its cycled doesnt mean its stable

patience is key to fish as too is research 

the flow rate on filters is very misleading and open to interpretation - too many variables involved - but for a tropical fresh tank - it isnt too important - you also need to consider the fish your keeping - you will stress to death some fish by having to high a flow rate.

If you want to drop me a pm - i can let you know a very helpful tropical fish forum which has lots of guide to help you (im sure this site is good enough but it helps to go to a dedicated site  )

good luck


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

i agree, that filter is more than capable on the tank, the cloudy water as said will be due to bacterial blooms as it cycles, washing your filter out is doing so much more harm than good. 

i really dont believe you are happy to house clown loaches in a 90L tank though, and im hoping by plec you mean bristlenose and not a common. clowns can reach a foot long and need to be in groups. they need a 5-6ft or more tank once grown. can you not rehome them and cycle your tank without fish, or buy a couple of more suitable inhabitants? the white spot outbreak is just around the corner im sure, and its not fair on the fish really. 

while its cycling, keep up with the daily water changes to ensure the ammonia doesnt rise too high and harm the fish, and make sure you add dechlorinator to any tap water that goes into the tank. leave the filter alone entirely, just let it run 24/7 and it will be fine. the cloudyness will disappear. maybe add some live plants to the tank, even if you dont wish to keep them in there once its all sorted it will help out your cycle and your fish.


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