Frequent Aquarium Questions

• I have 1 oscar in a 40 gallon tank with a hang-on filter. I need a recommendation on a better filter for my tank.
  
  
• I am setting up a marine tank that has a lot of liverock and sand on the bottom. I was wondering if I need an undergravel filter. I heard somewhere that if I dont have one, the sand will turn black.
  
  
• I have a Whisper 60 on a 55 gallon tank. How often should I change the bio bag and bio foam?
  
  
• I am wondering how high my water level should be because I am afraid that my fish can't get up to the food because of th current from the filter.
  
  
• I have a power filter and a biowheel filter and DIY CO2 injection. Is that too much filtration?
  
  
• I'm setting up a reef tank. Is there such thing as too much filtration?
  
  
• What is the best filtration system for a 55 gallon freshwater tank?
  
  
• trying to get my nitrates down to an acceptable level, i heard of bacteria that eats nitrates but also needs carnon (i.e. glucose) to survive. after experimenting 1 teaspoon at a time adding regular sugar to my biological filter (up to 4 now) i woke up to find a bloom in my tank and the nitrates at '0'. I added sugar right after my partial water change. up to now i have never had a '0' nitrate reading. ever hear of such a thing?
  
  
• I'm planning to set up a lightly stocked fish only 75 gallon saltwater tank. I am going to use an air-driven protein skimmer and a Fluval 4 and a Fluval 2. Is this set-up good enough?
  
  
• Can you suggest the best filter option to clean heavy waste in a 75 gallon freshwater tank?
  
  

• I have 1 oscar in a 40 gallon tank with a hang-on filter. I need a recommendation on a better filter for my tank.
  
  An Eheim canister filter is an excellent choice for your setup.
  
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• I am setting up a marine tank that has a lot of liverock and sand on the bottom. I was wondering if I need an undergravel filter. I heard somewhere that if I dont have one, the sand will turn black.
  
  You should not install an undergravel filter for your setup. I would purchase some fish or invertebrates that will be able to sift and stir the sand.
  
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• I have a Whisper 60 on a 55 gallon tank. How often should I change the bio bag and bio foam?
  
  You should change the bio bags at least once a month and maybe more, depending on how fast it gets dirty. The bio foam should only be rinsed lightly when it gets clogged.
  
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• I am wondering how high my water level should be because I am afraid that my fish can't get up to the food because of th current from the filter.
  
  You should fill the tank as high as possible and aim the return of the filter towards a corner or if not possible, move the filter towards one extreme end.
  
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• I have a power filter and a biowheel filter and DIY CO2 injection. Is that too much filtration?
  
  I would not agitate the surface too much. You can remove the biowheel filter and leave the other one on for circulation. Make sure the water is topped off high in your tank so the splashing is kept to a minimum.
  
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• I'm setting up a reef tank. Is there such thing as too much filtration?
  
  I would strongly suggest not purchasing a large number of fish since the focus should be on the corals. I would run the wet/dry filter as a "berlin" design without the biological media. Buy a quality protein skimmer and lighting system and you should be set.
  
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• What is the best filtration system for a 55 gallon freshwater tank?
  
  If you are not under budget constraints, you can install a wet/dry filter. If you have a tighter budget, you can install a quality canister filter.
  
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• trying to get my nitrates down to an acceptable level, i heard of bacteria that eats nitrates but also needs carnon (i.e. glucose) to survive. after experimenting 1 teaspoon at a time adding regular sugar to my biological filter (up to 4 now) i woke up to find a bloom in my tank and the nitrates at '0'. I added sugar right after my partial water change. up to now i have never had a '0' nitrate reading. ever hear of such a thing?
  
  
  
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• I'm planning to set up a lightly stocked fish only 75 gallon saltwater tank. I am going to use an air-driven protein skimmer and a Fluval 4 and a Fluval 2. Is this set-up good enough?
  
  I would suggest purchasing a wet/dry filter like these: http://www.aquariumpros.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=FLwd. You can keep one of the Fluval canister filters for mechanical and chemical filtration.
  
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• Can you suggest the best filter option to clean heavy waste in a 75 gallon freshwater tank?
  
  I would strongly suggest a quality canister filter like this one: http://www.aquariumpros.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=HAW2215370&Category_Code=FLcn&Product_Count=
  
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