It is obvious to most people that aquarium filters capture the gunk suspended in the tank’s water, leaving it looking clear. This is called mechanical filtration. Filters perform a much more important function, however, called biological filtration. As discussed in the post on cycling an aquarium, fish produce ammonia both directly and through the . . . → Read More: Why Proper Aquarium Filtration Is Important
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The “Python No Spill Clean and Fill” is a remarkably useful tool for aquarium owners. The Python attaches to the end of a sink faucet, and has a gravel vacuum head on the other end. The Python empties the aquarium and any sucked up debris straight into the sink’s drain. Then, by turning a . . . → Read More: Python No Spill As I mentioned in my 55G disaster post, I decided to convert the aquarium in my family room from a community tank to African cichlids. The ph of my water is somewhat low (~6), and African cichlids like higher ph, in the 7 to 8 range. A good way to do this is with . . . → Read More: Converting My Tank From Gravel To Sand When an aquarium owner’s fish start getting sick and dying, one of the first reactions of most people is to run to the store to get medication to keep other fish from dying. This will generally only make the original problems much worse, likely causing further fish losses. Instead, the environment the fish are . . . → Read More: Why Do My Fish Keep Dying? Early on, I made the jump from hang-on-the-back (HOB) filters to canister filters. They are much more powerful and can be mostly concealed in cabinetry. I standardized on the Rena XP series of filter, and now have 3 XP2′s, 2 XP3′s and an XP4 across 4 tanks. I started out with a pretty standard media configuration that looked like this:
Continue reading Media Configuration For Aquarium Canister Filters Here’s a post to learn from… Yesterday was my day for weekly aquarium maintenance. I had drained one of my 55G tanks down about half way and noticed that my Rena XP 2 filter was barely trickling out. I keep the filter in a decorative box next to the tank, so I unplugged the filter, disconnect the input/output hoses, and take the filter to my sink. In the process of disconnecting the hoses, I had to wrestle with it a bit, because of the angle that the hoses come through a hole in the back of the box. This is important. I cleaned the filter, hooked it back up, and saw that it was pumping a good flow again. Satisfied, I closed the box, and went to dinner with my family, who have been staying with us for the holiday, at Macaroni Grill. Continue reading Disaster Strikes… A Leaking Fitting On An External Filter Causes An Under-Carpet River Here are some pearls of wisdom I wish I had when I was starting out with my aquarium. Starting Out and Buying Aquarium StuffAccept that you are going to kill some fish on accident. You will either learn from the mistake or drop the hobby. New Aquariums need to be cycled. Taking the time to understand what this means is a must. Small tanks are not easier to keep fish in than large ones. Maintenance on a small tank takes less time, but a larger tank provides a larger volume of water which generally provides a more stable environment for fish, and is more forgiving of mistakes by beginners. Under-gravel filters suck. You will hate them. Also see the comment on gravel. Unless you have a specific need, don’t put gravel in the bottom of your tank. Go with a “bare bottom” tank, and add decorations. Leaving the tank bottom bare will make it easier to clean out the fish waste. If it is not kept clean, it will contaminate the water, causing sick and dying fish. Do not buy fish on impulse. Read up on fish that you are considering buying. Many small and cute, colorful fish in the pet store grow up to be demanding monsters. Don’t rely on the tank size rating when buying a filter for your tank. Most filters are rated on their flow without media, which will slow down the flow. You want filtration that will turn the water over between 5 and 10 times per hour. For a 10 gallon tank, that’s a 50 to 100 gph filter. For a 55G tank, it’s 225 to 550 gph. Canister filters are well worth the extra money. They are quieter and more powerful than the kind that hang on the back of the tank. Maintaining a planted tank is much harder and more expensive than it looks Spend the extra money and get a “master test kit” to test your water with (this is the kind that uses drops of reagent chemicals in test tubes). The test strips are not that reliable. Online pet stores are MUCH cheaper for most food, chemicals and hardware. Pet stores regularly sell fish that are entirely inappropriate for 99.9% of fish keepers. Know what you are buying and whether you can properly care for them. The employees of pet stores only appear to know what they are talking about. Don’t accept the advice of pet store employees on setting up a new tank, particularly the big chain stores like Petco, Petsmart, etc. Don’t accept the advice of pet store employees on how to treat a disease with your fish
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