Why I Use A Sponge Pre-filter

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Beau
Photo by Bill Longshaw

Photo by Bill Longshaw

I use a sponge pre-filter on the intake of my Fluval 205. I do this for a two reasons.  First, I use it to keep small fish from getting sucked into the intake.Second, I use it to filter out large debris before it reaches the filter.

The smallest fish I have are neon tetras, so there’s no issues with getting sucked into the intake. I do, however, have lots of plants in the aquarium. Duckweed is free floating, and leaves detatch from plants. I like to keep that out of my canister filter.

There’s nothing special about the sponge. The sponges I buy are cheap and fairly generic, with a hole in the middle that fits right over the intake basket.  You can use pretty much whatever type of sponge you want.

I clean my sponge everytime I do a water change. If I go too long between cleanings, the sponge clogs up and the flow from the filter is reduced.

Do you use a sponge pre-filter?  What kind?

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Aquarium Neglect

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Beau
Neglected 26 Gallon Aquarium

26 Gallon Aquarium

Due to hectic home and work loads lately, I’ve been neglecting my 26 gallon aquarium. It’s been over run with duckweed (though it has been beneficial), algae, and the water level has been a bit low.

I haven’t been keeping up with the fertilizers, and I haven’t changed the water as often as I should, which is somewhat amusing, since my last post was about water quality.

My fish and snails are doing good, and most of the plants are still growing.

I just removed a bunch of duckweed a day or two ago, along with a bunch of string algae. I have tufts of algae on the substrate, mostly where I had planted dwarf hair grass. I don’t overfeed, and I can’t imagine that much fish poo being on top of the substrate for that stuff to keep growing like it does.

As it is, I’m still learning about this hobby, only being in it for about 2 years now.

I wrote a post a while back about tearing this aquarium down and starting from scratch. I still plan on doing that. Maybe if I actually set a date to do it and order the rest of the things I need it’ll actually get done.

Along with that, I still have to set my smaller aquarium up so my fish have a home while I finish the project.

I have all my aquarium maintenance stuff on my Google Calendar so I won’t forget what I need to dose and when to clean the filter, etc. I just need to adjust my schedule so that I keep up on it.

I’m also thinking about moving the aquarium out of my kitchen so I can enjoy seeing it more often.

I think some of the neglect comes from me not seeing it all the time. There’s plenty more places it could be than in the kitchen.

Do you neglect your aquarium(s)? Send me photos of your neglected aquariums, and let me know how you overcame the neglection. Send photos to beau at liening dot us, or upload them to your favorite photo sharing site and send a link in the comments.

Here’s some more photos of this aquarium:

Algae on filter intake

Algae on filter intake



Algae on substrate

Substrate algae

More substrate algae

More substrate algae

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Planted Aquarium Water Quality

Posted on April 18, 2010 by Beau

One of the most important aspects of any aquarium is water quality.  Different species of fish, invertebrates, and even plants need specific ranges of water quality.  When you clean an aquarium and perform a water change, you generally use a water conditioner.  Water conditioners remove and/or neutralize harmful chemicals and metals, such as chlorine, ammonia, copper, or even selenium.

Water Changes

When I clean my aquarium, I generally start by removing any algae off of the glass.  I then siphon out 50% of the water (after I turn the power off to the filter, heater, lights, and CO2).  I then prune my plants, and remove any other algae that might be present.  I then add the amount of conditioner prescribed by the bottle label to the aquarium.  After that, I fill the aquarium up with water.  Then I turn the filter, heater, lights and CO2 back on.

Testing the Water Quality

Having a successful aquarium requires good water quality.  A good way to ensure you have good water quality is to test your water.  There are many test kits out there.  These kits can test a wide variety of parameters, such as pH, Carbonate (KH), General Hardness (GH), Nitrite (NO2), Ammonia (NH3 & NH4), and Carbon Dioxide (CO2).

When I’m following my aquarium maintenance schedule, I test my water once midweek, and do a 50% water change every Sunday.  If my water parameters are off, I do a partial water change and re-test.  If the second test is in range, I wait until Sunday for my regular water change.

Causes of Bad Water Quality

There are many causes of bad water quality.  Your aquarium might be overstocked, or you might not have a regular maintenance schedule, or an inhabitant may have died and you haven’t seen it yet.  Whatever the cause, you can have great water quality in no time.

Suggestions for Great Water Quality

  • Make a routine maintenance schedule (and stick to it)
  • Weekly water changes
  • Clean your filters
  • Test your water parameters regulary
  • Watch the behavior of your inhabitants

Did I miss anything?  Do you have any suggestions?  Let me know!  =)

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Tear Down Plans for 26 Gallon Aquarium

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Beau

I would really like to tear down my 26 gallon aquarium and start from scratch. I want to move the fish and snails to my 20 gallon aquarium (which I would need to setup), remove all plants, driftwood, and substrate.

I want to give the glass a thorough cleaning. I will be replacing my red flourite substrate with natural soil plus a sand cap.

What I already have:

    26 gallon aquarium
    Fluval 205
    Hydor Koralia Nano Powerhead
    Sand banks for raised areas
    Driftwood
    Fish

Things I still need to purchase:

I want to make a better moss wall, covering the whole back of the tank, using magnets to hold it in place. My current moss wall is mostly a failure. It only covers about half of the back wall and growth is sporadic.

I will probably try the “dry start” method, to promote fast growth before I fill the aquarium completely with water.

You might think I’m converting to an “el natural” tank, but I’m staying high tech. I’ll be using the same lighting, same filter, same pressurized CO2, and adding a power head for more circulation.

I still need to plan out what plants I’ll get this time, and also plan out the aquascape.

I’m keeping the same fish, except eventually I might get rid of the Chinese algae eaters and replace them with a couple otocinclus. I’d also like to get a few zebra nerite snails. I love my neon tetras, but I only have 7. I might bring that number to 10, I’m not sure yet.

I’ll have to get everything I need before I start this project of course. And then I’ll have to setup the 20 gallon aquarium and cycle it before I move the fish and snails over.

I also need to figure out where I’m going to put the 20 gallon. Not much room in the kitchen right now. Maybe I’ll put it in my office for the time being. I’ve been planning an “el natural” setup for this one, so I’ll probably set it up the way I want it so I won’t have to redo it after I’m done with the 26 gallon.

So that’s the plan. What do you think?

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No Carbon In My Filters

Posted on March 24, 2010 by Beau

I’ve read a lot of discussions on various forums on whether activated carbon should be used in a planted aquarium.  Some people say it removes all fertilizers from the water column, some say it only removes iron from the water column.  Personally, I don’t use activated carbon in my aquarium.  I have enough plants, beneficial bacteria, and mechanical filtration that cleans my aquarium very well, and that’s if I also keep up on my water change schedule.

In theory, a heavily planted tank with plenty of water circulation and plenty of mechanical/biological filtration, you shouldn’t need to use chemical (carbon) filtration.  In my filters, I use mechanical (sponges and pads) and biological (ceramic noodles, bio-balls) filtration.  I also have a few blue mystery snails, and 3 Chinese algae eaters.  In my opinion, if you have a good combination of plants, water circulation, mechanical and biological filtration, water changes, and a good cleanup crew (fish, inverts), you’ve got it made.

There are a few reasons I would use activated carbon in a planted aquarium though.  Sometimes when new driftwood is put into a tank, the wood leaches tannins into the water making the water murky.  Activated carbon removes the tannins from the water.  I would also use activated carbon in the first few weeks of setup,  if I were using a soil-based substrate, to help control the amount of excessive nutrients leaching out of the soil.  Carbon is also good to use to remove medications from the water.

Do you use activated carbon in your planted aquariums?  Why or why not?

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