Fish tank filter

WIZE

I got a 54ltr fish tank yesterday and it came with a water filter and also a heating rod .

I will be leaving the filter on for the next 5 weeks so the tank will be ready for when I buy some fish

Will the filter pump oxygen in tthe water or will I have to get an air pump also ?

lrushe

I've a 90 litre tank with no air pump in it for the past 3 years and have never felt the need to get one.

cichlid child

You could point the filter slightly towards the suface of the water it will provide oxgen and keep surface scum at bay

Alkers

Most Haunted wrote: »

I got a 54ltr fish tank yesterday and it came with a water filter and also a heating rod .

I will be leaving the filter on for the next 5 weeks so the tank will be ready for when I buy some fish

Will the filter pump oxygen in tthe water or will I have to get an air pump also ?

Leavign the filter running for five weeks is just wasting five weeks. You need to cycle the tank with ammonia. Google is your friend and stock the tank lightly to start.

ManyQuestions

Fiftyfour litre, right?

Get a pump, for gods sake, they're cheap enough and the bubbles can help set the scene.

Agree with Simona on the running for 5 weeks being a waste. Do you have a friend with an established tank? If so, take about 5 litres of their water and pour it direct into the filter, leave it for a week and the bacteria will have built up, just check the levels to be sure.
If you dont have a friend with a tank, go to your most reliable LFS and ask them for some. Good to build a relationship with them too.

I have a 330L and two 190L tanks, been running them for over 5 years now...and ballsed up so much so often the LFS thought I was taking the mick with the questions. Better to ask than to spend a fortune every 4 weeks replacing! If you need any more info, drop me a PM.

And...good luck! Its addictive.

Jay.cymru

for a fast start u can by a small bottle of live bacteria from any fish shop, ideally por it in and leave for a week to let the bacteria build up, im collecting and breeding african cichlids a few years now and whenever changing a tank i always use the live bacteria to start with.

terenc

No harm in having an extra pump in the tank, could come in handy if you need more
oxygen in the tank if you have to use medication for your fish at a later stage.
I have a 100 lt tank. Great hobby.

Discodog

You can get a nozzle for the pump which draws air in with the flow. You mount it with the tip below the surface at an angle of about 10 degrees. The nice thing with this is that some fish will enjoy swimming against the current.

I would always want an air pump as well. But beware as some can be irritatingly noisy.