[Piper]

I finally have a stand for my 20G long (whatever) tank. I plan to use it for fry or quarantine if needed. I have never had more than one tank before.

I am in the process of placing an order to equip the tank. What I possess so far is a light and a Fluval C3 for filtration. It is up and running to get the cycle done. My current plan is to acquire the following items. Tank divider, heater, Thermometer and air pump. Unfortunately, this tank can not be close to my 55G so I can't share anything including the huge freaking air pump I have on my 55G. There is not much water circulation from the C3 and I was considering getting a small power head but if I have fry in there not sure how that will work. I guess an air stone will help some.

If any of you guys have experiences with this type of tank I would be grateful for any advice or suggestions to make this tank as useful as possible. Oh - my 55g has Malawi Cichlid (Red Zebra, Yellow Labs and Acei).

 

[DrgRcr]

Realistically, you can use just sponge filtration on that tank. Especially if you have fry, then there is no worry of them getting blown around or sucked up by the filter intake. Sponge filters provide plenty of surface area for bacteria growth, are more economical, and the air will help to oxygenate the water. Just do water changes every two days or so for fry to keep it clean and promote faster growing, healthier fish.

 

[GaFishMan1181]

:thumb:

 

[Piper]

Thanks guys. I actually have wrapped some course sponge around the C3 intake and secured it with a couple of cable ties. Flow seems to be fine although if I play with the flow control and place it at the low end the impeller will cavitate. Full flow seems to be fine. This raises an interesting question. Will a sponge filter fit the intake pipe of the Fluval C3? The telescoping C3 pipe is 3/4" outside diameter. I can't find a lot of information about the sizes on the commercial sponge filters.

I also wonder if the restriction on water flow would be to significant for the Fluval pump......

Bad idea?