Post by parker002 on Apr 24, 2018 16:36:07 GMT -5
My daughter bought an 8-gallon hexagonal tank for "glo-fish" (pictured below). Probably not a good idea in general as it's mostly a marketing gimmick but we're past that point now and I'm needing help. 
I have a couple of issues right now - one is that the lighting is woefully inadequate if not completely wrong. The tank hood has built-in blue LED emitters, almost like black lights to accentuate the "glow". There's no way to replace them and since the tank is hexagonal, there's really no way to replace the hood either. We've been leaving the lights off and that has led to mild improvements but not perfect.
The tank houses 5 guppies, 3 tetras, 2 oto catfish, and a tiny betta. I'm guessing it's overstocked but I thought I could compensate with better biofiltration (more on that later). We have an ammonia alert which registers zero at all times. Nitrates are high but no nitrites, so I think it is cycled (not sure though). We've been using Seachem Stability to help with the cycling. We also use Wonder Shells.
The tank came with an Aqueon Mini-10 HOB filter which has a special filter insert in the outflow that can be interchanged depending on need. I put in a sponge that is supposed to reduce phosphates but have no way to test and see if it is working (or even if phosphates are high actually).
The other major step I took was to build a makeshift bio filter. I took a medicine bottle, drilled some holes around the bottom and filled it with Seachem Matrix. I then attached an uplift tube to the lid and attached an air hose. So basically the same concept as a sponge filter only using Matrix as the media. I see they make tiny Sponge Filters now so I may buy one of those and get rid of my homemade job.
What else would you guys suggest to try?
I have a couple of issues right now - one is that the lighting is woefully inadequate if not completely wrong. The tank hood has built-in blue LED emitters, almost like black lights to accentuate the "glow". There's no way to replace them and since the tank is hexagonal, there's really no way to replace the hood either. We've been leaving the lights off and that has led to mild improvements but not perfect.
The tank houses 5 guppies, 3 tetras, 2 oto catfish, and a tiny betta. I'm guessing it's overstocked but I thought I could compensate with better biofiltration (more on that later). We have an ammonia alert which registers zero at all times. Nitrates are high but no nitrites, so I think it is cycled (not sure though). We've been using Seachem Stability to help with the cycling. We also use Wonder Shells.
The tank came with an Aqueon Mini-10 HOB filter which has a special filter insert in the outflow that can be interchanged depending on need. I put in a sponge that is supposed to reduce phosphates but have no way to test and see if it is working (or even if phosphates are high actually).
The other major step I took was to build a makeshift bio filter. I took a medicine bottle, drilled some holes around the bottom and filled it with Seachem Matrix. I then attached an uplift tube to the lid and attached an air hose. So basically the same concept as a sponge filter only using Matrix as the media. I see they make tiny Sponge Filters now so I may buy one of those and get rid of my homemade job.
What else would you guys suggest to try?
