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hi everyone I have some questions about the aquarium

2K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  leogtr 
#1 ·
I have heard that the Zebra Danios love currents so would it be OK to add a 250 GPH powerhead to a 20 gallon aquarium? I bought it one ebay for 15 dollars and I thought that the fish would love it since when I do water changes they like to come and stay by the tube that is feeding the water into the aquarium(which is im not gonna lie really cute) so its a 250 GPH powerhead for a 40 gallon tank so is it too much for a 20gallon? the descriptions says that its new and the seller has 14 thousand stars and 99.5% possitive feedback.

My other question is about little worms that I am seeing in the tank. They are almost microscopic and they are white so do you guys know if those are a good sign of a healthy ecosystem? I remember someone told me that they are a good sign but I just would like to be sure so what do you guys think?

also do you guys know the effect of carbon on the fish? I am getting paranoid about the water quality and I am doing 50% water changes daily. I have heard that carbon is good and I have also heard that it is bad so what do you guys think?

thank you for you help I really appresiate it :)
 
#2 ·
Hey leo,
the white worms may be planaria and are usually a sign of overfeeding/excess nutrients in the water. Google "planaria" and see if this looks like the worms you have. If they are, cut back on the feeding and be sure to vacuum the gravel when doing water changes.

Why are you getting paranoid about your water quality? I can't remember, is your tank still cycling? What are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings? Running carbon is your choice. I personally don't use it unless I need to remove meds. If you want to use it you'll need to change out the carbon every 3 weeks or so for it to be effective. As for if it's really bad for the fish or not, there is a lot of controversy over that.

As for the powerhead, it sounds like a bit of overkill to me. I don't really think you need it.
 
#4 ·
ohhhhhhhhhhhh okay thank you jeaninel:) I really dont know how to feed my fish :| three of them are super hyper when its feeding time, some of the others stick to their hang-out spots until some food flies down to their sight and then they'll get some but one of them is tiny and he only eats after everyones done because I guess he feels intimidated that everyone else is a bit larger..exept two other little guys that I have they are so cute because they are always together and their the only ones that are not afraid of me and when I do water changes they love getting under where the water is coming in and yeah they just love love that current..thats why I bought this powerhead and I did some search and it seems like danios love the current of the water so yeah:) I do water changes everyday because I overfeed the tank and the nitrites reach above 0..and because I just like to see Cheppe and Kempachi play in the current:mrgreen:

I don't know about the powerhead.

The little worms sound like planaria. I don't know much about them.

I don't think carbon is either good or bad. Many remove it when they've got live plants because it sucks out things the plants could use (I think). Also, it only works for a short while before it needs replacing so it can get costly, so people don't bother with it.

Why are you paranoid about your water quality? Is your tank still cycling? Overstocked? If your tank is not cycling and you are not overstocked, you shouldn't need to do daily 50% changes. Do you have a test kit? There's no need to resort to paranoia when you can test and know exactly what's going on.
yeah yeah I read that the carbon is no good because it takes stuff that the plants use..the tank is cycled but I guess that because I overfeed the ammonia and nitrites rise..I use the API master kit.






thank you for your responses guys:)
 
#3 ·
I don't know about the powerhead.

The little worms sound like planaria. I don't know much about them.

I don't think carbon is either good or bad. Many remove it when they've got live plants because it sucks out things the plants could use (I think). Also, it only works for a short while before it needs replacing so it can get costly, so people don't bother with it.

Why are you paranoid about your water quality? Is your tank still cycling? Overstocked? If your tank is not cycling and you are not overstocked, you shouldn't need to do daily 50% changes. Do you have a test kit? There's no need to resort to paranoia when you can test and know exactly what's going on.
 
#6 ·
A clarification on the water current issue. As jeaninel correctly stated, strong current is not necessary. There is a misconception around in the hobby that Zebra Danio require strong currents. Not true, as you will see if you read our profile (click on the shaded name). These fish are now known to occur in slow waters, calm, shaded streams, and moving into standing water pools to spawn.

Forget the powerhead, as it will create so large a current in a 20g that the fish will be fighting currents and possibly be unable to escape it. This creates stress on fish, and they "burn out."

As for fish frolicking in the water stream during water changes, this is natural. Fresh water is coming in, they love it. Also, they know by instinct that food (insects, larvae, daphnia, etc) will be more easily captured in moving water as the current carries the food bits. But that should not be taken as evidence they prefer to live in fast water, quite the opposite.

Byron.
 
#7 ·
A clarification on the water current issue. As jeaninel correctly stated, strong current is not necessary. There is a misconception around in the hobby that Zebra Danio require strong currents. Not true, as you will see if you read our profile (click on the shaded name). These fish are now known to occur in slow waters, calm, shaded streams, and moving into standing water pools to spawn.

Forget the powerhead, as it will create so large a current in a 20g that the fish will be fighting currents and possibly be unable to escape it. This creates stress on fish, and they "burn out."

As for fish frolicking in the water stream during water changes, this is natural. Fresh water is coming in, they love it. Also, they know by instinct that food (insects, larvae, daphnia, etc) will be more easily captured in moving water as the current carries the food bits. But that should not be taken as evidence they prefer to live in fast water, quite the opposite.

Byron.
oh okay thank you Mr. Byron I apperciate your imput:)
 
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