GLOfish babies

Question
QUESTION: Hello. In case you dont remember I had 8 GLOfish in my 10 gallon tank, and for now I also have 3 loaches. On the 6 hour ride home I kept my GLofish in my little 1.5 gallon tank so they would be easy to transport, and aparently they decided that the trip was an exellent time to make babies. I found about 13 surviving fry when I happened to look into the empty 1.5 gallon tank after removing the adults. My big tank is cycling all over again unfortunately, but now that the water is cloudy and nasty looking I transfered the fish into a tub of fresh water for a little while.
Anyway, the 13 babies are getting bigger, and I can see their colors now, but even though I heard otherwise, a few of the babies are looking as if they are going to be clear.I have grown to love the little devils, but I know I cant keep nearly as many fish in the tank as I would need to. I just got a good paying job, and I plan on getting one of the nicest heavy duty filters I can when I get my first paycheck. How big of a filter would I need to get to keep a lot of the babies? I have no idea what I will do with the fish I cant keep, but I'm still limited by my 10 gallon tank, and I cant get a bigger one due to dorm rules. What kind of filter should I get and how many would it let me keep? Also, I'm feeding the little guys first bites fry food several times a day and doing partial water changes whenever I notice stuff floating on the top that shouldnt be there. Is this enough to keep them healthy? I also got some loaches, two of which I'm returning tomorrow, but I plan on keeping my kuri loach and getting him/her some buddies like I'm supposed to. I figured some of this extra load would be fine because I'm going to get that super filter, but as for now I dont know what to feed my little kuri loach. The glofish eat all the bloodworms before any of the loaches get a chance at them and they dont touch the cucumbers I make them. I know my questions are never in order, but to make the cycle more bearable I got some amonia neutralizer I've been using, but I have all the fish in a seperate container now for at least a little while. How long should I leave them in the other container while the tank cycles before I put them back in? I have plenty of time to do big water changes in the new container, but I dont want to do it forever in the big tank. I also got some cheap little grass to put in the big tank with some of the little tablets, and the grass hasnt died yet. Is there anything I should do differiently? And of course advice on the new filter would be nice.
Thanks!

ANSWER: Hi Kelley,

I'd like to recommend a 'super' filter. A filter that's reliable, efficient, and perfect for your setup would be the Fluval 105 canister filter, by Hagen Aquatics. These are very nice filters, and are available at your local fish store. canister filters are superior to other types - they can accommodate much more filter media, and they are kept outside of the aquarium, meaning less wasted space from an intake tube or in-tank filter.

You can put different types of filter media for different purposes in this filter. For example, if you needed to lower the pH slightly, you could put some peat into the compartment. There are multiple filter 'baskets', for a variety of media.

See this link for a description/picture. Remember, the size you want is the Fluval 105, (smallest one, circulates 85 gph, for up to a 20-25 gallon tank) not the 205 (pictured).

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753121&utm_source=googlepro

In my personal opinion, that would be the best filter if you want to accommodate all your fish properly. If you do not like the one I recommended, feel free to ask me again: I'd be happy to suggest an alternative!

Your fry-feeding routine is perfect. Keep up the good work! Good thing you are doing the partial water changes! Adding a sponge filter would be even better... (the tiny ones that attach to an air pump)

Wait until the tank has finished cycling (another 3 weeks approx). Fry are very sensitive to ammonia and nitrite.

I hope I answered all of your questions!

(P.S. I still remember your situation; there's no need to tell me again - save some typing energy...)

Good Luck, and Happy Fishkeeping!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello. You suggested a filter for me a while ago and I looked at the price on that filter and it is outragious! At most I'll be making just a little more than that in my two week pay check. I really need something I can afford!The most I could possibly pay for a decent filter would be $50-$60. Even with my job I wont be rich! (The babies are doing nice by the way, getting big with really fat bellies)

Answer
Hi Kelley,

I'm sorry about that. I'll give you some other good choices for a great filter in your tank.

My personal favorite would be the Emperor filters by Marineland, but those ones are way too big for your tank. However, don't worry: There's plenty of different choices!

The two I would recommend are, in order,

-AquaClear 20 (Hagen)
-Penguin 100 (Marineland)

I'll list the pros and cons of both.

The Penguin is a bit like the Emperor (made by the same company, also with a Bio-Wheel), except that it is smaller, a bit noisier, and does not offer a variety of media. It's still a very good filter, though. The main feature is the Bio-Wheel, which is a small wheel that spins, and houses beneficial bacteria. This filter offers more bacterial 'space' than the average filter. The Bio-Wheel is the only notable thing on the filter. (If it didn't have a Bio-Wheel, it would just be like any plain cheap filter). I like the Penguin because it comes in small sizes for smaller tanks, and it is superior in biological filtration to your average filter. However, it may be a bit noisy, because the water splashes from the wheel. If you keep the water level up, this shouldn't be a problem.

The AquaClear 20 is a great choice for your tank. It offers a great variety of filter media for a small filter. These filter media can be bought separately, and you can 'customize' the filter with various filter media to suit your tank's needs. Such media include:

-*Foam (filters out particles, and houses beneficial bacteria)
-*Carbon (absorbs odors, colors, and chemicals/medications)
-*BioMax (a unique media that houses LOTS of beneficial bacteria)
-Zeolite Carbon (a mixture of carbon and ammonia remover)
-Amrid ammonia remover (removes ammonia)
-PhosX (removes phosphates, reducing algae)
-Peat (lowers pH, and is great for softer-water fish)

Items marked with a * are included in the package.
In the AquaClear, only the carbon needs to be changed, once per month. Never change the BioMax, and only rinse out the foam once a month, don't replace unless broken. The AquaClear foam and BioMax is just as good as the Bio-Wheel in housing bacteria.
The only 'con' about the AquaClear is that it has some issues with self-priming. This can be a huge problem if you live in an area that experiences frequent power outages. This means that sometimes, if the power goes out, and then comes back on, the filter will have problems starting up and pumping water. However, the motor will still be running dry, and it may overheat and burn out. This has happened to many people, but this can be prevented by keeping a higher water level, as opposed to a low one.

Sorry for the long explanations, but I wanted to give you a good perspective of both views.

The approximate cost: Penguin 100 by Marineland ($25)   +tax
         AquaClear 20 by Hagen     ($25-29)+tax

I hope this helps, and Happy Fishkeeping!