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Even though the White Cloud Mountain Minnow is a hardy little fish it still needs a clean and healthy environment to live in. Adding a filter to your fish tank can help you achieve this.
The White Cloud Mountain Minnow in it’s native environment lives in clear running streams. Filtering your White Cloud Minnow tank helps you to recreate the natural benefits that a free running stream provides. Which means that installing a filter in your White Cloud tank is important.
My White Cloud Mountain Minnows live in a filtered aquarium. Admittedly it’s a filtered community aquarium. But even if it was a White Cloud only tank I would still install a filter.
The reason for this is that filtering your White Cloud Mountain Minnow tank provides so many benefits it just makes sense to filter it.
Let’s start by taking a look at the Pros and Cons for/against adding a filter to your White Cloud Mountain Minnow tank.
Pros – Why You Should Filter Your White Cloud Minnow Tank
Here’s my list of why I believe that you should filter Your White Cloud Mountain Minnow tank.
A Tank Filter Is Necessary Because:
- A tank filter removes the debris from the tank water keeping the water clean and clear
- A tank filter helps to keep toxins, such as nitrite, that build up in the tank water under control
- A tank filter can help to catch/remove algae depending on the type of filter you have
- A tank filter oxygenates the water by continually breaking or moving the water’s surface area
- A tank filter moves the tank water around creating flow/current in the tank creating a more natural environment
These are my Top 5 Reasons for installing a filter in your White Cloud Mountain Minnow tank. There are probably others but these are the ones that instantly sprang to mind.
Cons – Why You Might Not Want To Filter Your White Cloud Tank
Here’s a few reasons that might put you off filtering your White Cloud Mountain Minnow tank
- Depending on what type of filter you use you will need to replace the filter inserts on a monthly basis which costs money
- All types of filters need cleaning out as part of your regular tank maintenance schedule
- Filters with large intake inlets can suck up and kill baby fish (fry)
As you’ve probably gathered I’m a fan of filtering your White Cloud Mountain Minnow tank. And I honestly believe that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
The drawbacks are few and can be overcome by choosing the type of filter carefully. And also by accepting cleaning the filter as part of your tank maintenance regime.
But it’s entirely up to you.
Weigh up the Pros and Cons and make your own decision. At least that way you’ll have given both sides of the argument fair consideration before you make your choice.
Do Aquarium Filters Create Flow?
All aquarium filters create a flow/current in the tank at the same time as they’re filtering and oxygenating the water. This triple benefit makes installing a filter in your fish tank worth doing a few minutes extra on tank maintenance.
Although, to be honest, most filters only need a little time spent on them during your regular tank care routine to keep them running efficiently. And, in my experience, sponge filters are the easiest of the lot when it comes filter maintenance.
Tank filters are often included as part of a tank setup kit particularly in Aquarium Starter Kits. Although this doesn’t mean that you can’t change the filter at a later date if you want to and as you become more experienced in the fishkeeping hobby.
You don’t have to buy a kit though. You can choose a tank and then add the filter and any other stuff you want to put with it. It’s all a matter of personal choice. But it’s always best to get some advice before you decide. You can have a chat with your Pet Store or Aquatic Dealer before you buy, or do a little online research.
Do White Cloud Mountain Minnows Like A Fast Flow?
The White Cloud Mountain Minnow’s natural environment is in streams that have a constant flow/current. So creating a flow in their tank is an important consideration. However, a constant fast flow isn’t necessary, or even best, for your White Cloud Minnows.
I appreciate that opinions vary on the speed of the flow for White Cloud Mountain Minnows. So you may disagree with my view. But that’s fine because each fish keepers personal experience can differ.
My reasons for not having a continual fast flow are these:
- Even the current in a stream isn’t always at full speed. The flow varies depending on things like the season, the weather and the route the stream takes through the landscape.
- Fighting against a fast flow 24/7 can be exhausting for the fish and exhaustion can lead to illness.
- In their native environment White Cloud Mountain Minnows will find sheltered areas of slower flow to rest in.
- A fast flow that never slows down makes life difficult for baby fish (fry) who will struggle to withstand the force of the water. Which might reduce their chances of survival.
The community tank that my White Cloud Mountain Minnows live in is filtered by an internal filter that came as part of the tank setup kit. It hangs inside the back of the tank and is powered by the same ‘electrical circuit’ that runs the lights. Although the lights can be turned on and off without affecting the running of the filter.
It’s a Cartridge Filter with a ‘waterfall’ effect that creates flow as it filters and oxygenates. I’d describe the flow as a moderate flow but I have no way of measuring its flow rate for sure.
I also have an external air pump that I added myself that runs an air stone/diffuser. This creates bubbles that come out of the top of a ‘ruined tower’ tank decoration.
The bubbles from the air stone/diffuser not only look effective but they also increase the oxygen supply as they burst and break the water’s surface. And they increase the flow in the tank water too.
My White Cloud Mountain Minnows and their tank mates enjoy the extra flow and often ‘play’ in the bubbles. However, I only run the bubbles after the morning feed then they’re turned off for the night just before I do the evening feed.
By doing this my White Clouds and their tankmates get a decent period of moderate flow. The evening and the night time hours are spent in calmer water which allows everyone to wind down and rest.
While the fish are resting the shrimp and snails really get to work on cleaning up the tank. So reducing the flow in my community tank at night is good all round.
There are adjustable filters available that let you change the filtration and, therefore, the flow levels. So if you need to change the flow/current in your aquarium, even if it’s only now and then, they could be useful to you and your fish.
