Tank with bulkheads?

[bpayh]

Hey all,

I just got a (used) 29 gallon tank from LFS for free, complete with hood, light and sand. It has two PVC pipes installed near the top, far apart from each other. One of them has a guard on the tank interior, to prevent fish from getting sucked in, I supposed.

Can people point me in some good directions on how to utilize this tank for a freshwater setup, filter-wise?

[Birdlady]

Hello! Nice Deal!

Two ideas, you could use a wet/dry below if you wanted for filtration or

You could just flow the water down into another smaller tank and then back up, but just use the lower tank for heaters and such that might otherwise clutter up the tank

I don't imagine you would need any powerheads in the tank if you get a good return pump.

Anyone else???

[Birdlady]

I suppose a good question would be, What do you plan to put in the tank? What are your ideas....then we can better help you too!

[bpayh]

Thanks birdlady, that's fast!

I'm still undecided on what to put in. I'm torn between doing some small cichlids and a simple community tank with barbs of some kind (i like barbs).

I hear that wet/drys are the good stuff as far as filters go; I have no idea what they even look like. What kind of water pumps would I need to get? Can we talk some prices?

The idea of a second, smaller tank sounds good too. I could try keeping plants in it or something?

[Birdlady]

You would have to try and find out what the flow rate of the overflow box is that is on the tank and match up a return pump. I like the Mag Drives myself for price and reliability.

For the second tank, I would just use it for gear and such. I don't think you could get one big enough for return pumps and plants. What shape is the tank?

Community tank with barbs? Aren't barbs aggressive? Now, freshwater tanks....its been a real long time for me so forgive me if I am mistaken.....

I like cichlids too....they make dwarf ones, right? Why not have plants in the main tank if you want them

YOu know, it is late and I had to take some serious med for a sinus infection....sorry if I sound kinda loopy.....

[bpayh]

Some barbs are, some barbs aren't. As far as I know, none are aggressive in that they eat other fish, they're not big enough!
Yeah there are some small cichlids like the firemouth. Actually I'm tempted to get a baby oscar because I like oscars so much; I'll give him to my friend when he grows bigger.
Many cichlids don't really need plants and actually tend to uproot them.

Thanks for your suggestions, I'm going to look into them. So what about a canister filter? Are those for saltwater setups only?

[Birdlady]

Actually, I think canister filters started as a freshwater filter....some people use them on salt, I don't. I have no experience with them, but I am thinking you could hook it directly to the overflow and return bulkheads...if you can, that would be a good idea..

Anyone?? I don't really know how canisters are hooked up.

[bpayh]

Yeah that's what LFS was telling me, but then I was trying to look up some stuff on canisters on my own and they were only ever mentioned in reference to SW setups. Made me a little nervous....

[da colts]

i would use a wet/dry on the tank. canister filters are great if used correctly, if using a canister, get a good brand name (magnum,fluval,ehiem,)and don't forget to get quick disconnects so you can clean the cannister without taking all of the tubing off the tank. myself? i would go with a wet/dry, i use them on my salt tanks and have used them on freshwater.

[reefman_MC]

If you ever plan to plant live plants you do not want a wet/dry. They will disperse Co2(make it leave the water) which is one of the most important factors in plant growth. For anything other than plants go wet/dry. You might look at Emperor Tetras. Gorgeous easy to care for Tetra with the personality of a cichlid. My favorite Tetras are Emperors. If not emperors you might try dwarf cichlids such as Rams or Peacock Cichlids. Angelfish are Cichlids too you know.