PlanetCatfish.com

Your two-cents=my sanity, lol

O.k., so I’m setting up a “55 G” tank with hopes of making something of a catfish paradise (beginning, at least, with bristlenose plecos,) only my eyes are dizzy trying to plan and place an order for what I’ll need (incl. a bit of wisdom re: stocking)—so your input will be *so* very appreciated as I’m ordering today—Oct. 20th : ) Please call me out on any “unnecessaries” and let me know why (for although I’ve had fish my whole life, a big tank staggers with possibilities, lol.) My eyes are seriously blurry from decision-making.

The Filter: Rena XP3
Media? Do I go w/ what’s standard and recommended?
The recommended set-up is:
Two 20 pores per square inch (ppi) layers of foam (mechanical filtration)
Two 30 ppi layers of foam (mech. Filtration)
Microfiltration pads (use one, according to the manual)
And some sort of carbon or other chemical filtration product

But I’m wondering...Is there anything that would work well and have a fairly long re-useable life?
(True, sponges can be rinsed a few times before replacing, but...are there any products that could be switched out—like Ehfifix?—that might work better or last longer? I bought the filter 2nd hand and the previous owner seems to have used “noodles” unsuccessfully for mechanical filtration. Overall, I’m up for ideas : )

Also, pertaining to the filter...
Would a Flow Meter be too extravagant or a reasonable accessory? (My past filters have been HOBs, I could see when they were slowing or needed cleaned, but are things so different with a canister? Would it be worth the cost—about $7?)

(I’m also going to try to replace both “O” rings—for the canister and the impeller—just to be on the safe side. Crazy?)

Replacement Input/Output parts
The people I got the filter from were a bit...scattered and a couple output pieces are missing (which for a passable stand, XP3 and aquarium, etc. for $110 I can’t really complain.) Mainly it’s the spraybar, jet outflow, suction cups and suction cup holders...To replace, which would you recommend: buying the Rena kit that has all the input/output parts for about $30 + shipping, getting something like a Customflo kit, or just buying pvc replacements of the pieces I need (i.e. a spraybar seem to run around $8)?

Prefilter sponge for uptake strainer?
Would it keep things cleaner/safer or just strain the filter and cause it to labor harder and eventually burn out sooner?

Aerator—yea or nay?
I guess “who needs them” with something as strong as the XP3...right?
I’d considered the Hydor Ario Turbo 4 aerator + led light....but, would there be so much aeration/water flow that, should I want to see the fish at night, just get led “spotlights”?

Fish
Oh, this is the tough one. I’ve seen the multitudinous eggs tended by bristlenose daddys—I’d be delusional to believe bristlnose plecos are self-limiting in terms of reproduction, right? Truth be told, that little scene is so dear if I had tons more room that’s the way I’d go. I like the thought of meeting newborn fish, watching them grow and enjoying their company for years. As it is, I’ve found someone local (a nice fluke) who has 2 brown females about 4” in length--$10 per fish (fish that would definitely be QTed for a few weeks.) Also offered—brown male of 4” and 2” long albino juvies for $15 each (which seems a little reversed of what Aquabid has to offer.) Opinions? Get the girlies then ( of indetermininate age?) Once the pleco situation gets settled, it’s all easier from there—I’d like to and/or/either provide a home (rescue) to other peaceful cats needing a nice life or branch out into other cats and/or other long lived fish, hopefully—peaceniks : )...(I’d considered platy’s, one of my favorites, but they die so terribly. My nerves just aren’t up for that right now.) (Anyone’s two-cents worth counts for a lot here : ) Thanks so much.)

Finally, has anybody tried Hikari’s new water conditioner?

(Other definite upgrades I’m making are a glass canopy—easier to clean, a mix of silk and...dare I?...I’m going to try growing a few plants, too, finally getting a dip-and-pour for easy catch and transfer of fish, a greater selection of foods, a digital thermometer instead of chasing the glass one and...ahhhh...upgrading to a wheeled 40 G or so wheeled trash can for quick and easy water changes : ) )

Okie-dokie, you have my complete heart-felt thanks in advance for checking this post out and hopefully knowing about things I haven’t yet considered, lol. Truly.

Your filter media sounds OK. There are some products that provide better biological filter efficiency - Eheim Substrat Pro is a Sintered glass product, other manufacturers have similar products, and all share the common "sintered glass gives lots of surface area for bacteria to live on" feature. This should go "after" the sponge pads.

The only filter media that require regular changes are:
* micro filter pad (they are meant to clog up, and can never be properly cleaned). You can buy "filter floss" for this purpose, which is much less expensive, but you need to cut/shape it yourself [not hard].
* carbon filter media. Needs replacing every 4-6 weeks according to manufacturers. Strictly speaking, you shouldn't need this permanently anyways - I only use it when removing medication.

The remaining media shouldn't need replacing more than every few years if that (the sintered media is "for life" - obviously, when cleaning, you may "loose" one or another piece [ball or lump] from time to time, and eventually need to restock it. But if you loose many each cleaning, you need a better method! (And I don't clean mine as often as I should, but they get a clean about 2-3 times a year - you should definitely not clean them too often). Sponge media goes brittle and starts to fall apart eventually, but not done so yet in my 3+ year old filter (I think it will be 4 years old this Christmas), and sometimes, the fine media clogs up so badly that it's hard to clean it properly, at which point you may need to replace it.

Replacing the O-rings seem like a decent idea if the filter is more than a couple of years, just in case - I'm sure it's not a huge amount of money. Some Vaseline (the PURE versioin, not fragranced or otherwise "improved") can be used on the O-rings to make sure they are lubricated and seal properly.

I can't really say what is best for getting replacement bits for the filter. If the $30 kit is inclusive of hoses as well, which is often a good idea to replace after some time, as the hose looses it's flex after some years of use, and can be hard to fit to a new position. I find the suckers [sic] are a lousy on most products, and tend to not suck very well (or in other words, they suck! ) -- they usually work OK when they are less than a couple of months old, but after that they deteriorate and stop working... I also tend to not use the spray-bar assembly, just the return hose and a small piece of pipe to direct the water in some suitable direction inside the tank - this improves flow (but less spread out) and reduces the problem with particles blocking the holes in the spraybar.

I've never used a flow-meter to check my filters - it's usually obvious when they start slowing down too much (ESPECIALLY when using a single outlet rather than spraybar).

I have airstones in ALL of my tanks - two in my big tank. I see no reason NOT to have one, but it's a personal choice, and I don't think your fish are particularly going to _NEED_ one.

$10 for a 4" female is a decent price, I think.

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Mats