bunch of unrelated questions

[frankenfish]

ok i'v been saving these up seeing as they don't seem worthy of a thread on their own. so here we go.

1: I've been reading that cories and mollies aren't terribly fond of salt. when i do my water changes I've been putting in 1/2 tablespoon of aquarium salt per gallon. is that right or should i do more/less?

2: so I'm not supposed to change my filter cartridge? it says in the instructions to do it every month. please enlighten me as to this as they do seem to get pretty gross during that month.

3: now that i have 2 otos the tank has been kept so much cleaner. but I'm worried that my little 5 gallon won't grow enough algae to support them as a sole food source. should i supplement their diet with something else? I've read that they like green veggies. is their anything i can do to maximize the tanks algae growth?

i know i had more. i'l post em as they come to me

 

[Newman]

1. do less because of cories. mollies wouldn't mind salt as much but skinless catfish will.

2. simply take the cartridge out, do a water change on your tank, and rinse the filter cartridge out in the water that you JUST removed FROM YOUR TANK. make sure to never use tap water anywhere near the aquarium and w/e goes in it. then put the now cleaner cartridge back in.

3. You can leave the light in the tank for longer. algae will grow, but don't expect to feed them in just a 5 gal. you must supplement with vegetables as you said. blanched zucchini and spinach/romaine lettuce work very well. algae wafers *might* work too.

Your 5 gallon is REALLY overstocked, and certainly wont take all that fish bioload as they grow larger.

For the fish you have in that tank i recommend a 15-20 gallon minimum...that would also open up more opportunity to get more otos or cories

 

[misterking]

I generally reccommend the addition of salt for mollies, they're often kept in brackish conditions and even saltwater. I find the addition of a bit of salt helps to prevent fungal infections and ich. As Newman said though, Cories don't generally like salt in the water.

 

[OrangeCones]

+1 what Newman says, except the catfish is SCALEless, not SKINless! HAHA!

 

[frankenfish]

rofl. skinless fish

 

[Newman]

ROFL!
yea i meant skin-...scale-less

 

[frankenfish]

Your 5 gallon is REALLY overstocked, and certainly wont take all that fish bioload as they grow larger.

For the fish you have in that tank i recommend a 15-20 gallon minimum...that would also open up more opportunity to get more otos or cories

i just thought of this. my mom has a 10 gallon with 2 african clawed frogs. could i move some of the fish, like the two mollies, into there to spread out the load? my only concern would be the frogs eating the fish but the mollies are pretty big...

 

[Newman]

clawed frog will eat the mollies eventually. depending on their size, i still wouldn't do it. just get a 20 gallon tank...

 

[frankenfish]

can't atm. no room in my room. lol. moving into college in the fall. hopefully they'l let me have a bigger tank in my dorm

 

[frankenfish]

*just checked. i can have up to a 30 gallon*BOUNCINGS

you think they'l make it till then?

 

[Newman]

they should

 

[frankenfish]

was thinking of getting a live plant or 2. could anyone suggest an inexpensive, easy to care for plant that would be good for my setup?

 

[Newman]

java ferns and water wisteria. water sprite is good too.

 

[JRB__]

along with java ferns and wisteria as newman said, swords. Amazon swords are hardy.

 

[OrangeCones]

Most swords will outgrow such a small tank.

 

[JRB__]

Most swords will outgrow such a small tank.

true...(didn't really think of size)*thumbsups

 

[frankenfish]

3. You can leave the light in the tank for longer. algae will grow, but don't expect to feed them in just a 5 gal. you must supplement with vegetables as you said. blanched zucchini and spinach/romaine lettuce work very well. algae wafers *might* work too.

i just put some lettuce in. how long should i leave it in there?

 

[Newman]

a day and a night. see if they bite

 

[Popplefish]

Hornwort and duckweed do well, also. Hornwort can be grown without anything special, but snails will eat it.. careful.

Also, overstocked tanks aren't impossible to keep, they just mean a bit more work. On my 20 gallon, which currently houses 7 goldfish and 6 silver dollars, I change the water twice a week or so. It's fast because of the size and does everybody (me included) some good. Granted I'm switching those fish out for the setup that is currently listed in my signature this weekend, but water changes and making sure the chemistry is kept as close to normal as possible is all you can do.

Having had a fish tank in a dorm room.. take care, because it's a lot more work when you have less space.

 

[frankenfish]

the tank water is looking cloudy. the white kinda cloudy. could i have done something to spur a cycle? i just tested the water and everything looks good if not better than last time. could it just be time for a water change?