Bio wheel filter

[FishWhisperer]

I saw a 5 gal tank at Wal Mart (by Aqua Tech) which uses a bio wheel filter and have a few questions. (1) Can someone please tell me how this filter works different than the regular cartridge filters? (2) Is a five gal tank too heavy to sit on the desk top of a 6 x 8 cube? (3) What kind of fish is recommended for this tank size? Thanks for your help.

 

[OCCFan023]

A biowheel adds a a place for bacteria to multiply and thrive (in the biowheel) but works with the same principle of cartridge power filters

What are the dimensions of the 5gallon tank

Neons could be cool in the 5, like a school of them, depends on what your looking for though

 

[rhoymand]

bio-wheel filters use a spinning porous wheel to collect beneficial bacteria that naturally filter the water. some bio-wheels can have cartridges added like regular powerhead filters. those are the best because they provide chemical, mechanical, and biological filtration.

water roughly weighs 10lbs a gallon, so the 5gal tank would weigh approx. 50lbs. not sure if your cube can support that much.

for a 5gal Id put maybe a single betta, with 2 cory cats. or 5 of any small fish like neon tetras, fancy guppies, or zebra danios

 

[FishWhisperer]

Thanks for that information. I don't know the exact dimensions of the tank but it is combination of a rectangular and square, it that's possible. I think it will weigh approximately 60 lbs including the water, rock and decorations. Is that too heavy for a desktop. Do they make stands for this small tank? I have not seen a stand for 5 gal tanks. Appreciate all the advice. I thought about a "puffer fish" for the tank?

 

[rhoymand]

if you can sit on the desktop without worrying about it crashing down, it should be fine. as long as its level and sturdy. Ive never seen a stand specifically made for a 5gal but I think even the cheapest side table could hold a 5gal no problem. just dont knock it over.

as far as puffer fish I believe those are brackish and would really limit the choices for tankmates.

 

[TitanWarrior]

Your desk sould hold it. Computer parts tend to be heavy so the have to support the weight. I found a monitor that weights 66 pounds. It should hold the weight of a 60 to 70 pound tank.

 

[Pure]

Cories would not be a good choice. Most of them get to be a hefty size and they prefer to be in schools so you would need at least six. Some of the smaller ones like pandas would work, but I don't think you would be happy because there would be nothing in the upper levels of the tank. Zebra danios would also be a nono for such a tank again not the smallest of fish and are schooling. Not to mention zebra danios are very zippy fish and need more space than a 5 gallon can provide.

Not all puffers are brackish, in fact there are a bunch that are fresh water. But all except the dwarf puffers get way to big for even a 10 gallon. Their diet of protein means they are messy eaters so their bioload is surprisingly high. Dwarf puffers would be nice, in a 5 gallon you could put 3, and even then I would strongly suggest you plant it very heavily to help break up the line of site and curve aggression. Dwarf puffers are notorious fin nippers, and the only fish I've heard people keeping them with and not having any problems are otos. You could fit 3 otos in with them but your pushing your limits at that.

The problem with this set up and otos is they are very very touch about their water quality. A five gallon is a very small body of water in retrospect. And thus hard to maintain favorable water quality for otos. But as long as you kept up on weekly water changes I don't see why it couldn't be done.

 

[DarkMuse]

You could always get some Pygmy Corys and a few top swimming dwarf fish like: Dwarf Rainbowfish, Pygmy Gourami, Cherry Barb, etc. A lot of people dont like snails, but *knock on wood* my Black Mystery Snail hasn't laid eggs since I had him (assuming it's a him).

Oh, yes, there are freshwater puffers, but I wouldn't recommend putting them with other fish as someone has already stated.

Hope this helps.
Amanda

 

[FishWhisperer]

Thanks to all of you for the advice. I always know I can come to this site to get the expertise I need. I'll be moving cubes soon so I will have to wait a couple of weeks before I buy a five gallon. I do like the dwarf rainbow fish.