Flithy FW tank. HELP!

[Nightwish79]

I have a 29 Gal and I only have 8 fish in it. I got 4 blood parrots, 2 algae eaters, and 2 tetra type fish (dunno exact type).

I am forced to do a major water change every week. And I go though 2 filters per week. The tank could be cleaned even more!

The problem is fish poop. Lots of it. Is there something that will help clean this up. Like snails, crabs, or even shrimp? I dont know much about them.

I am also considering an under gravel filter. Would that help me out?

[Junkzoo]

First of all, Welcome to TRT!
On to your question, nope, a UG will not help in the way you are hoping it will,,,
To put it bluntly, you have too many(big) fish for the size tank you have, as in the parrots make a lotta mess,,,
(you never mentioned what kind of filter you have on the tank already)
I'm thinking a canister filter would do you well,,Magnum350,Fluval etc.
if you get one, change the media often, as the bioload will be to the extreme with what you have.
Also, consider the amount /frequency you are feeding the fish,,,food in, poop out,,,, uneaten food will add to the problem,,,not to mention the waste from the fish,,,
bottom line: you have a system not capable of servicing the load in the tank,,,
up the filtration, or cut down on the feeding/number of fish in the tank,,,,(the big ones,,,)rule of thumb,,,inch of fish for gallon of water, (actual water, don't forget rocks/decorations take up space)
Again , Welcome to TRT!

[Nightwish79]

Thanks! I thought that the fish size was getting to be a problem. Ill see what I can do about that.

[Stang69]

I agree too mayb big fish. The parrots are too big for a 29. Look into maybe a 55 to 75 gallon setup or thin out the fish population IMO



Jeff

PS Welcome to The Reef Tank

[aquaticsdeptleader]

how often and how much do you feed?

Jim

[trussmandave]

If I may butt in, I myself feed twice a day. With some practice you will know how much they can eat in 5 min. or so, which is all most of them need. I myself quite often break the 1" per gallon rule, yet change water monthly or so at most. I make sure to overkill with the filters. I usually put 2 where 1 is recommended. I have relatively high nitrate levels, but if nitrite and ammonia are absent, I've yet to see this cause any problems in freshwater. So good filtration might keep you from having to make drastic changes.

[alaskaknucklehead]

What type of "algae eaters" do you have?

[alaskaknucklehead]

Pleco's can create an ENORMOUS amount of waste!