Freshwater Tropical Tank Filter/Lighting/Care

Question
Hello!!

I have a fully cycled, planted, 10 gallon freshwater tropical aquarium. I wanted something bigger but unfortunately my university limits my tank size to 10 gallons or less. I have a moneywort plant, a cabomba plant, a moss ball, and a frill plant. My filter is an Aqua-Clear 5-15. I also have an aerator in the tank. My pH stays around 7.2. At the moment I have 6 harlequin rasboras, 1 Otto cat, and 2 male guppies, one of which will be a birthday present for my little brother and is in my tank temporarily.
My first question is about my filter. The output is very strong, it blows around my moss ball like crazy, and my fish tend to swim under the output because it will push them. How can I alter the filter to make the output less strong?
My next question is about my Otto cat. Hes doing well do far, but I've heard the first month is always the hardest. He eats off the sides of my tank and I've heard of people giving them veggies as a dietary supplement. I don't think my tank is big enough to keep his belly happy, so I was wondering what the best veg for him would be, and how to prepare it? He's a beautiful fish and I really want to see him thrive!!
My hood, because I have a small tank, holds two small flourescent bulbs instead of one long strip. What kind of bulb would be best for my plants with this set up? I'm having a hard time finding bulbs in stores for plants that aren't the long strip flourescent bulbs. Is there a website you recommend? Or a type of bulb? Or should I replace my hood for one that houses one of those long bulbs?
Lastly I have a couple questions involving moving my tank. I'm going into my sophomore year of university. I go to school about an hour to an hour and a half from my home. What would be your recommended way to move my tank and fish successfully? I'm very nervous about the move later this summer...
Thank you so much for all of your help!!!

Answer
Hi Kait,
Ok, for your filter problem (output being too strong..common problem with power filters) You can take a plastic aquarium plant and wedge it in front of the filter output or wedge it directly in the filer box itself so the outflow is more lightly distributed instead of a heavy downpour so to speak.

Hang on the back type power filters are my favorite filter types.. And the ones I recommend most to people. But sometimes they do need minor adjustments because they work so well! :)

Otto cats can quickly clear their tanks of algae in no time. And they commonly starve if you aren't careful. Even if there is a supply of green algae I still recommend supplementing at least once a day by offering otto cats and other algae eaters a slice of zucchini or specific algae wafers every night when the lights are out (this is also to help discourage the other fish from eating all the otto's food and when most algae eaters are most active) You can also offer them thawed mashed green peas, romaine lettuce and spinach are also great foods to supplement. It helps a bit to soften the fresh veggies in a bowl of water microwaved for a bit.

Now for your hood... If you already have florescent bulbs, that is fine in my opinion. Theres really not a big major need for the big long tube florescent. Unless you want to upgrade the wattage for certain plants. Florescent is generally good enough in itself and if its rated somewhere around at least 1.5 to 2 watts per gallon that is sufficient for growing lowlight common aquarium plants. If you go higher your plants may demand fertilizers and supplements to help with the higher growth rate due to the increased lighting. Dtermine the wattage rate of your current bulbs to figure out if it is enough according to the general needs of your current plants.

As far as moving your tank. The use of ice chests is your best route. Have at least two if you can. One to put the gravel/decor in (and keep it moist to preserve the good bacteria) and the second to house your fish in. You can buy battery-powered air pumps to provide oxygen but your fish -probably- won't need it. An hour an a half is not too long for fish, especially little species in a reasonably sized ice chest. The icechest should definitely preserve the temp of the water as well (I've had good luck in the past) and the darkness will help your fish stay calmer as well.

Moving your tank is just a simple matter of taking out decorations, removing the fish into their ice chest, then scooping gravel out into the second ice chest. You can leave the gravel in the tank, just it makes the tank heavier to carry. If you decide to leave the gravel in, just be sure to keep it moist.

Then, once you are settled at your school. Set the tank back up, put the gravel back and hook up the equipment. Fill the tank and try to match the temp your fish are already adjusted to in the icechest. If the temperatures are equal or very close... add your fish back in. Allow for the fact that they will be stressed and may be pale and act really scared. Give them time and know theres always a chance you -might- lose one or two.

Good luck and I hope this helps!
Susan~