Fire bellied filtration

[steve]

hi

i am looking to get a couple of these and was looking through all the posts to see if i can come to any conclusions on this issue. i was thinking of getting a 15gal(UK Measurement) tank. having 6 inches of water with a well planted island. would it be ok to put a Rena filty in there? it is very small but does create a small current. how can i disperse this? also what type of plants should i get? aquatic or normal boggy garden plants?

sorry for all the questions but i want to get it right

thanks in advance

 

[Jennewt]

What type of filter is the Rena? Rena is a brand name, they make a lot of different products, which probably include several completely different types of filters. Here is an article that may help:
http://www.caudata.org/caudatecentral/articles/filters.html
You might also like to look at the example setups on that site.

For plants, I would recommend an plants that can grow partially above water, with roots below water. Bear in mind that it's hard to contain dirt and not have it contaminate your whole tank. Pothos is houseplant that works great, it doesn't need dirt. Here is a page that has a picture of pothos:
http://members.cox.net/jpmacke/design.htm

 

[steve]

thanks. the filter is a mechanical one called the Rena Filty. it is an old model and i think they have stopped making it. it is only 10 long and doesn't create much current ( i tested it today).

with regards to the plants are there any others than i could use? i heard java fern is good but i'm sre its a fully aquatic one.

 

[Jennewt]

Yes, java fern is fully aquatic. Both java fern and java moss are easy to grow underwater plants. It's hard to find above-water plants that don't need dirt. I have a nice one, but I don't know what it's called. I bought it at a pet store labeled as "bog plant". It basically grows well under the same conditions as the pothos, with the plant above water, and the roots in the water.

By the way, if your firebellies are mostly aquatic, you might want to raise the water level and just use underwater plants. Larger water volume means better water quality, in most cases.

Don't forget to make sure you have a totally secure seal of the aquarium lid! Passing a filter cord under the screen top, for example, leaves enough of a crack for escape.

 

[steve]

thanks

where can i put a picture of my tank for people to see if they think the setup is ok?

 

[admin]

You can put it here in this conversation - if you look on the menu to the left, you will see "How to include images" - just follow those instructions.

 

[steve]

C:\Documents and Settings\Monkey\Desktop

Tank from side.JPG

 

[steve]

C:\Documents and Settings\Monkey\Desktop

Tank from above.JPG