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Post by corycatwoman on May 16, 2010 1:40:36 GMT -5
Tank Size: 36Lx12Wx30T Age of the tank: n/a pH: n/a Ammonia: n/a NitrAtes: n/a nitrites: n/a GH/KH: n/a Temperature: n/a Fish in your tanks: no Fish: will be in there soon Question/Problem: sponge filter advise, is all this neccesary?
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Post by corycatwoman on May 16, 2010 1:45:11 GMT -5
i purchased a 3 foot tank. it came with part of the undergavel system(missing the powerheads)
i then purchased a 50 gallon HOB (marineland bio-wheel) capable of moving 200 G/ph
i would like to get a hydro 5 sponge filter. but my concern is how would i rig it to my tank?
can i rig it to my HOB?
will i have to get powerheads to the undergravel to install the spongefilter?
i would prefer not to have a undergravel at all for the factor that i will have too large of rocks for the plate to hold. so if i have to use the undergravel for the sponge i will only be using half of the undergravel system leaving the other side cut off(plugged up) and useless.
suggestions on what i can do to get the sponge filter added to the tank so i can start putting water in it and getting it up and running?
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Post by bikeguy33 on May 16, 2010 20:40:19 GMT -5
you have a sufficient filter for this tank. if you dont have a powerhead this filter will be sufficient. i wouldnt recommend hooking up the undergravel to this filter as that water distance is extensive. others disagree....but at the best of times i dont like undergravel filters for the simple fact few people maintain well enough to get rid of all the crap under the grid...
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Post by corycatwoman on May 16, 2010 22:17:12 GMT -5
thanks i filled it up and left the undergravel in there its not running and nothings connected to the up tubing but its there if i decide i do want to add power heads to it in the future.
i have not yet baught the sponge filter because i still dont know exactly how it is installed or if i can install it with out purchasing any equiptment, it would be nice if i could manage to connect it to the HOB as a pre filter but i feel like im an alien when it comes to sponge filters there out of this world and i never understood it, not saying they dont work i just dont understand how even after reading countless articles and seeing first hand.
so i have all my substrate from my 30 gallon tank was enough to fill the bottom of the tank suprisingly, i added alot of random limestone from my 30 and some i never had a chance to put in the 30. i doubled all my caves and hidey holes. added my 3 mbuna. and everyone is exploring.
as for the 30 gallon tank. it got a revamp aswell, since i pulled all the substrate out and had it bare. i added 20 pounds of black sand. let it settle evened it out. conditioned the water. already established. aswell as the filter. no ammonia spikes yet. and added all the fish in the 10 gallon tank. including the blue crayfish. everyone in there is happy and exploring.
im only hoping i dont end up having to re cycle both these tanks. i tried my best to leave alot of the biological media in the 30 aswell as half the water.
im sure the new 3 footer will be fine it has all the substrate and half the limestone from the 30 in there. and i had the 50 gallon filter running in the 30 along side the 30 for about 3 days now. so it should have all the bio media from my gravel and limestone and some of it in the filter already.
keeping an eye on water parameters. ill let you know if i come across any problems. im sure i will, ive never had upgrades go this smoothly before.
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Post by bikeguy33 on May 17, 2010 1:05:48 GMT -5
Just keep an eye out. other than that ya seem to have done everything well. test often for the next 2 weeks and ya should be okay...
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Post by Carl on May 17, 2010 9:13:32 GMT -5
To add to bikeguys points; You may need to watch your parameters since your HOB filter is not yet seasoned, however some of the bacteria in the substrate may find its way to your HOB Filter. I would recommend a Sponge filter as a compliment it, however a Hydro Sponge #3 would be my recommendation for a tank of this size. I personally prefer to use a air pump to power it vs. a power head in this size tank. You can use a Sponge Pre-filter to attach to a HOB Filter such as Bio Wheel. If it is an either/or question I prefer the redundancy of the separate sponge filter. Another reason I would recommend the Sponge filter as a compliment is that the Marineland is a rather over rated HOB filter with over rated bio capacities that a Sponge Filter (& some other HOBs) can easily surpass. It is also easy to pile up substrate next to the sponge filter to quickly "season it" with aerobic nitrifying bacteria See these articles: * Aquarium Answers; Do Bio Wheels really work?* Sponge FiltrationCarl
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Post by corycatwoman on May 17, 2010 12:52:09 GMT -5
ok back to the sponge filter questions.
what size air pump would be sufficiant to run it?
and can i install it using your video instructions?
i do have a really old air pump but im not sure the size.
and what is the lease expensive way to rig a hydro 3 up?
sorry for the multiple questions, i just feel i have pretty much an open door to all plausable ways of rigging it up im just trying to save some cash and rig it up cheapest way possible.(and still get the bennifits)
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Post by Carl on May 17, 2010 13:01:33 GMT -5
Almost any pump rated at 1.5L/per minute or more should work such as the ReSun 9601Using air line tubing as per my video is the most simple in my opinion and the most economical Carl
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Post by corycatwoman on May 17, 2010 13:06:38 GMT -5
well im sure my air pump is alot greater. it has the 2 blowers. i usually cut the one off with a pinched tubing.
so i should be able to just add the sponge filter to that according to your video? as long as i cut off the 2nd outline?
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Post by corycatwoman on May 17, 2010 13:15:09 GMT -5
i looked it up. i believe not 100 percent but 98 percent sure its aqua culter 20-60 gallon air pump with the double outlet. so it should have around 3.5 flow rate. so if i cut the 1 outlet off is that 3.5 coming out of the 1 outlet. or would it just be 1.75?
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Post by Carl on May 17, 2010 15:09:02 GMT -5
i looked it up. i believe not 100 percent but 98 percent sure its aqua culter 20-60 gallon air pump with the double outlet. so it should have around 3.5 flow rate. so if i cut the 1 outlet off is that 3.5 coming out of the 1 outlet. or would it just be 1.75? If the air pump is rated for 3.5 L/minute with two outlets, you shoud be getting 1.75 with one outlet or you can combine them with a "T" connector for more power (although you may not need this much) Carl
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Post by corycatwoman on May 17, 2010 15:17:19 GMT -5
thanks, so now all i need is the sponge filter with the uptubing? or does all that come with the package deal?
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Post by Carl on May 17, 2010 19:36:01 GMT -5
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Post by polaris96 on Jun 3, 2010 17:59:29 GMT -5
You could also use one tap of your air pump to create venturi lift in your undergravel risers.
Stick an 1/8" air supply tube down to plate level inside the riser. The riser tube will contain an air/water mixutre when you turn on the air pump (the technical term is "foam" even though it doesn't look like what we think of as foam). Because the foam in your riser tube weighs much less than the surrounding water, the water column the tank outside will try to equalize itself by pushing into the riser tube. The end result is water sucked through the gravel and spat out the riser. Sorry for being longwinded, but it's always seemed like a neat process to me.
I don't know if the venturi generates enough flow to make it worthwhile. I hope one of the more experienced aquarists can help you with that one.
It is very cheap, though. It's the same principal a sponge filter uses. If you have some tubing around, you could set it up for free.
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Post by corycatwoman on Jun 4, 2010 8:48:29 GMT -5
neat! thanks polaris! i havent even gotten my sponge filter rigged up yet. i have been fighting ammonia spikes from the last 4 fish i added in this week. and having it unfilterd this week isnt helping the spikes(melafix fin repair) had to take it out.
currently have 1 inch of gravel over my UG plates. on top of that a 8 inch layer of limestone chunks. 1 very oversized bushy plant and 2 tall plants. the UG up tubes. and lots of fishes!
list of fishes being housed
1x socolofi 1x red top zebra 1x albino red top zebra 1x OB Peacock 1x Electric blue Ahli 1x Venestus 1x Jewel cichlid 1x a hybrid that is being mean and i want to pawn off to someone!
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Post by polaris96 on Jun 4, 2010 9:25:27 GMT -5
make sure to add some fertilizer for your plants. I have a similar setup to your aquarium and I tried flourish tabs but they never worked very well. I use azoo plant grower bed, now, because you can buy it in small packages. The other choice might be either eco-complete or onyx sand, but I only see either product sold in giant bags for $$$. Mix a bit in with your top layer.
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Post by parker002 on Jun 7, 2010 12:30:23 GMT -5
I let Carl talk me into sponge pre-filtration back in April and I have to say it's the best decision I think I've made yet. The oldest two filter cartridges in my HOB filters were worn-out at about the same time, so I bought new cartridges when I bought the sponges. I changed my water this past Saturday and checked the new filter cartridges - they look BRAND NEW and they've been in use since the middle of April.
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Post by kagome on Jun 8, 2010 21:52:03 GMT -5
I love my big sponge filter. The other great thing about redundant filtration is that if one goes out completely you are not in a panic situation where your tank suddenly has no filtration. This came in really handy when my main HOB filter went out on me.
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Post by parker002 on Jun 9, 2010 11:49:58 GMT -5
I love my big sponge filter. The other great thing about redundant filtration is that if one goes out completely you are not in a panic situation where your tank suddenly has no filtration. This came in really handy when my main HOB filter went out on me. I have redundant HOB filters (2 Aqueon 55's in a 55G tank) and use a sponge pre-filter on both. Just based on these first few weeks, I expect they will extend the life of my HOB filter cartridges by SEVERAL months, allowing me to add carbon without having to replace the cartridges themselves. Great investment - the sponges are going to save me a ton of money on upkeep.
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Post by babygeige on Jun 9, 2010 20:40:38 GMT -5
I agree! Pre-filters are the way to go! One of my favorite things is that I find I don't have to take the filter apart to clean as often, and even when I do, it's not nearly as gross as it was before I started using them.
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