Tropical tank mates and tank sizes

First topic message reminder :

tropical, aquarium, tank, mates, fish, 10 gallon, tiger barbs, pictus catfish, plecostomus

use aquaclear filters if yur gna do HOB. i inherited a 20yr old one and it still works perfectly

Whatever you can get your hands on will work to be honest. There is a ton of personal preference when it comes to HOB's.

From what I have seen they are all close to the same designs and many times the cartridges are interchangeable. It comes down to proper size filter for the tank and proper stocking of that tank. You keep two two thing in mind when you buy one and you will likely have no problems with any filter. Don't forget though that the internet is a great source of reviews and further long term use for these items. Not only limited to the forums here but across the whole web.

I'd second on the Aquaclear, I have a couple, a 110 that runs lovely, and another on a 20 long.
Check out the Tetratec 500, HOB. I was looking at buying one used, and decided not to after I read the reviews. Searching on the net for reviews is a good way to see just what the general opinion is.
As for a canister, keep an eye for those too. I picked up a Eheim 2233 for $40, doesn't have the ceramic tubes, but works great, so as Striking said "they are out there", you just need to keep looking.
Advantage of canister over HOB is that canisters are near silent, no running water sound, and often less frequent cleaning.... but still weekly water changes no matter what you have.

if youre gna go canister filter. you might as well make your own. im planning on upgrading my cruddy air/sponge filter in my Crayfish tank to a DIY canister.

for my main tanks tho, im partial to AquaClear with its efficient and minimalist part design. they have kept the exact same design and interchangeable replacement parts for the last 30 some odd years . whereas other brands will change designs every few years and generally make it a pain for you if a part breaks to replace. i guess im nostalgic or perhaps just consistent

im pissed cuz my pictus catfish died durring the night. he was doing fine fora while i guess the sudden change of temperature caused his death. =,,,,,,,((((((((((((( super sad face

That sucks. I'm on the fence with the HOB filters, I like my Ac 500s and my emp 400s. Gotta say the Ac is was easier to get going again after you unplug it

well dude. dont get anything new. if i was in your position right now. id start over from scratch. go to your lfs and get a credit on yur remaining fish.

its not often u get a fresh start

take everything youve learned and apply it to your new setup in the future. at least this way you wont have to do patch up jobs which is a hassle and can get expensive/

my philosophy is if you gna get something you love and gna have for a lifetime you might as well do it right the first time.

also start a new thread

so ur saying bring them to my lfs and sell get a refund. maybe they'll take care of them until i have it all set up. but idk ive had the tropical tank setup for a few months.
i think tht their fine now but it was just the pictus tht scared me. but idk wat i should do now.

Pictus as I see it you now have a 55G tank, you need to get some filters to cope with the tank size, and you need to get the tank cycled.

It's time to sit down, think about what you want in the tank, then read up on the fish.
If you want a shoal of Tiger Barbs then great, you will have a tank that can accommodate a nice shoal, but think about what else you may want in there. Read up more on Tiger Barbs, their habits, their needs on water, and environment. Then see what they are compatible with Angels, Clown Loaches and Neon/Cardinals are all South American, but Angels love a Neon snack..so read up.
There is no one on this forum I bet that hasn't miss matched at some time, we all have had to learn, and all have had the corpses to witness our lessons.
Decide what you really want, then do your research. Unlike me, when I was your age, I had a small town library as my only source of information, you have the internet and a bunch of folks here... that have made the mistakes.
Every tank you set up is a mini world (that's how I picture it) and you have to make sure the place is ready before you introduce the inhabitants. Take your time...and dam it's hard I know...get it set up right, the water right, and then add your fish..gradually.

End of sermon

from what ive heard tiger barbs dont go well with angels because tigerbarbs are fin nippers and particularly the long finned

**particullarly go for long finned.