(/filter question) In a 5.5 gallon aquarium with 2 live plants and a power filter? If I got one, would I risk over oxygenating / killing plants?

I have a power filter on my 1.5 gallon (internal filter) with live plants too, but i don't use an air pump because the water coming out of the filter breaks the surface of the water. I don't think there's a problem with using airpumps with plants, never heard of problems, although if you're running CO2, that would pretty much nullify that.

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Lead me not to temptation...I can make it there myself just fine, thank you

Nope.


(don't need an air pump)

IMHO the live plants will provide all the oxygen you need.

also a pump would not kill the plants.

but that's just my .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

FWIW I did a 1 gallon test tank with micro swords, soil master select substrate, peat moss. called it the neon nano.

I had 2 neons live for 8 months in it and 1 last for two years.

Just the jar, plants, and substrate. no filter, no air stone just the jar and no water changes as well.


One thing that was interesting was KH and gh hardness remianed constant through the two years.

Which is why I use peat moss in my tanks now.

also see:

Self-contained Microcosm


my .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

Adding an air pump wouldn't hurt, but as long as the water level is about half an inch below the flow of the water from the filter, you should be okay. The constant water flow from the filter into the aquarium provides much more oxygen than an air pump would.

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30G planted aquarium with Aquaclear 50 and two Aquaclear 20s. 7 Cherry Barbs, 12 Cardinal Tetras, 1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco, 1 Golden Honey Gourami, and a handful of Ghost Shrimp.

Thanks! Didn't think I needed one but just wanted to make sure. I like the idea of a tank maintaining itself in the most natual way. I haven't yet had to change my filter, but how will this affect the nitrogen cycle when I do? I've read about ppl just rinsing filters to retain good bacteria...does it depend on the type of filter? Mine is just a one piece cartridge you replace.

Depends on the filter and media that you use. If you have a filter that only has one bio-bag but needs to be replaced then it can be risky. If you have multiple media, it's best to do one medium at a time every week or so to minimize risk. Also never rinse your filter or media in tap water, use water from the tank as chlorine will devastate the bacteria.

Since yours is a one piece cartridge then you could easily cause your tank to mini-cycle or even fully cycle if you replace it, but since your bioload is relatively low then hopefully the bacteria in your gravel/on your decorations will be enough to sustain the tank for a bit until the colony establishes itself again. If it's possible I'd suggest trying to fit a new cartridge in the filter first and letting it sit in the filter with the old cartridge for a week or two before removing the old one, or trying to somehow retain some of the old cartridge by rubbing it on the new one (while in water of course) and such to try to get some of the bacteria onto it.

It'd also be a good time to invest in a filter that can house multiple media, as that would be ideal..especially with a smaller tank.

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30G planted aquarium with Aquaclear 50 and two Aquaclear 20s. 7 Cherry Barbs, 12 Cardinal Tetras, 1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco, 1 Golden Honey Gourami, and a handful of Ghost Shrimp.

Thanks Rohkey, That's so so helpful! A second cartridge might actually fit, i didn't even think about that...but I will look into getting a new one...I'm not really familiar with different types of filters so good to know there's ones that will work better and not disrupt the cylce.