planning a new tank

Bigpig · Post by **Bigpig** » 19 Sep 2007, 12:58

Hiya,
I am planning a couple of new tanks just now, and wondered if I could get some of your thoughts?
I want to set up a tank to house two, maybe three pairs of Bristlenose. One pair will be Sp3, and one Rannunclus.
I would also like to have a pair of Twig catfish in there as well.
My main question is;
I want to have good water movement, and am not sure if I need a couple of internal power filters, or one big external filter?
I like the idea of 2 (or more) internals moving the water in the same direction.
Anyone got any advice/experience of this???

happy days,
bigpig

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 19 Sep 2007, 13:58

I would go for an external filter - they require less frequent cleaning to keep flowing that good flow. Of course, you could combine an internal with an external if you wish. I have a few Eheim 221x filters in my fish room, they are good quality and not too expensive.

I also use an Eheim compact pump just to circulate water in my tank.
http://www.eheim.de/eheim/inhalte/index ... 27585_ehen

I wouldn't put more than one set of bristlenose in one tank. It's most likely that the males will fight instead of mating with the females.

--
Mats

Bas Pels · Post by **Bas Pels** » 19 Sep 2007, 14:02

Personlly, I'm very found of internal filtration. However, I don't refer to any commercial product, but to custom made glass filters: 5-10 % of the whole tank content.

They are filled with the blue foam, several (5 - 7) layers of 5 cm

These I hardly clean at al. I replace one layer every 3 or 4 months, spend 5 minutes slushing out the worst debris, and let it oxydate in the air for a few months.

Before reusing is, I flush it again

Cleaning any eheim takes considerable more time

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 19 Sep 2007, 16:06

I would back up what Mats said.

I think off the shelf internal filters are a waste of time, money and space. The Eheim ones do look a bit better than the rest though.

An Eheim external with a powerhead and airstone will be great in my opinion. You may not need the powerhead though if it is a small tank.

Welcome to the forum by the way.

Bas Pels · Post by **Bas Pels** » 19 Sep 2007, 16:59

racoll wrote: I think off the shelf internal filters are a waste of time, money and space.

Here I fully agree

Bigpig · Post by **Bigpig** » 25 Sep 2007, 17:19

Hiya,
Thanks for those replies. Very interesting to hear your thoughts on internal filters.
I am now looking at externals, and a pump to move the water around.
A tank that I have now is a Juwel Rekord 96 litre, with comes with an internal filter.
The instructions said to change the filter sponges every month! can this really be right???
I have had this tank set up for a year and only ever changed one sponge, and only then as I wanted to chop it up to put in another filter in a different tank.
I usually rinse one sponge out in dirty tank water at every water change. ( I do a 10% change every week.).
I have had no problems with the water, which i check every week.
How often do you change your filter materials?

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 25 Sep 2007, 19:40

The instructions said to change the filter sponges every month! can this really be right???

This is not right. I only change my filter materials when they physically fall apart. Some of my filters have had the same media for 15 years and still going strong.

I just rinse them when filter output drops.

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 25 Sep 2007, 20:03

An external filter and a pump is in my opinion the best option.
I am also a bit funny about current direction and have found this to be the best option.
I would avoid cleaning your external filter till it is well blocked as I believe that bacteria colonies that are anaerobic (don't require oxygen) build up, and these are the ones that finalise the nitrogen cycle by converting it to nitrogen gas.
I may be in for a slating for saying that by others.
Matt

tzwms · Post by **tzwms** » 25 Sep 2007, 23:03

I'm not sure what 'slating' means, but I have to take exception to the comment about anaerobic baceria building up in the filter and them converting nitrAte to nitrogen gas.
Unless your filter is so blocked that there is no flow, there will be oxygen in the water in the filter. The aerobic bacteria converting the ammonia to nitrIte and then to nitrAte require oxygen; they will die if the filter is turned off for any period of time (approx. 30 minutes). So if you have aerobic bacteria in your filter (your biological filter is working), you can't have anaerobic bacteria (oxygen kills them).
Anaerobic bacteria, if you have dead spots in your substrate, will produce gas, but I don't believe it is nitrogen (sulfer dioxide comes to mind - rotten eggs). Anaerobic bacteria = bad water quality and sick fish. Koi enthusiasts go to great lengths to ensure that there are no areas in their ponds for anaerobic bacteria to build up because it leads to sick fish. If you have ever stirred up debris that has been allowed to build up in the settling basin of an outdoor pond, it will often spell foul; that is the waste products from anaerobic bacteria.

All the above having been said, I clean my filters (say a third of the pads each time) only when the flow starts to drop off. The buildup provides a substrate for the bacteria to grow on and helps with the mechanical filtration.

HTH

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 26 Sep 2007, 10:38

Yes, I agree with tzwms - if you have flow at all through the filter (beyond a trickle), it is unlikely that you'll get any anaeorobic bacteria living in the filter.

Someone posted about an anaeorobic filter method, which essentially was 15 meter of 1/2" hose, filled with course sand, and with water slowly trickling through it. That would work [and if you coil the hose, it wouldn't take up THAT much space].

--
Mats

Bigpig · Post by **Bigpig** » 26 Sep 2007, 11:18

Koi enthusiasts go to great lengths to ensure that there are no areas in their ponds for anaerobic bacteria to build up because it leads to sick fish. If you have ever stirred up debris that has been allowed to build up in the settling basin of an outdoor pond, it will often spell foul; that is the waste products from anaerobic bacteria.

HTH

[/quote]

Ref: smelly ponds.
I have just made a new pond in my garden, as the one that was here when I bought the place had got really clogged up with rotten leaves etc. Nothing was growing in there.
When I dug the, very deep sediment out, it really smelt foul.
Any way, thanks to everyone for the pointers.
I am now off to the LFS to have a look at external power filters.

happy days,
Bigpig