Fishowner24
Member
Ok I have a question do you need to put stress and zyme in your aquarium after you clean it and does your fish tank need salt?
Ok and how often do you clean the tank?Islandvic said:If you are referring to API Stress Coat and API Stress Zyme, I dont use those products so I can't really give advise on that.
My water changes usually consist of a 50% - 75% change and the only thing I add is Seachem Safe dechlorinator. I temperature match the water and the fish dont really appear stressed afterwards.
Regarding your question about salt, I think in most cases salt isn't needed. Some people use salt to treat Ich or in other specific tanks for certain species of fish.
Ok what would the flow look like when diminished? Would it look not as smooth? And how do you know when the sponge filter is dirty?Islandvic said:Fishowner24 , so asking how often I clean my tanks is hard to answer.
I try to do water changes every 7-10 days. I use an old credit card or a Mr Clean Magic eraser to wipe the inside glass whenever its needed.
I remove the glass lids and wipe them down in my shower once every 2-3 weeks. While the lids are off, I wipe down the inner plastic lip of the frame of tank.
I dont vac the sand substrate at every water change, mainly because not much detritus and uneaten food collects on the bottom. My tanks have multiple filters and there is usually enough current in the tank to blow some of what's settled on the substrate around so it gets sucked up by the filters. I will usually do a quick vac of the sand twice a month with a siphon gravel vac and bucket.
My canister filters get cleaned once every 1-3 months, or whenever I see diminished flow.
The sponge pre-filters on the intake tubes get removed and rinsed off maybe twice a month.
I pull the media basket from my Aquaclears out maybe 1 or 2 times a month to give the foam blocks and other media a rinse. It really just depends because the pre-filter on the intake tubes cactch a ton of muck allowing me to extend the interval between cleaning the main media in the Aquaclears.
My sponge filters that run off air pumps get cleaned every 2-3 months maybe.
So to sum it all up, I clean manly tank on an as-needed basis.
Dont get caught up with trying to clean the entire tank all the time.
when should I replace my sponge for the sponge filter?Islandvic said:It really takes letting the tank run for a while and monitor everything. Keep an eye on it everyday and you will start to notice when the filter starts to get dirty.
Every tank is different, every filter is different, and everyone has varying fish stocking and feeding routines.
It's hard to pinpoint when exactly to clean a filter.
As time goes by, you will get a better feel for how your tank runs.
Regarding sponge filters specifically, they can go a long time before they need to be cleaned. Usually a month or two, or more.
To clean them, just get a 5 gallon bucket half filled with tank water and swish it around some and smack it against the side. Give it another swish and smack against the wall and it's good. You dont want to get them 100% clean. If you do, you will remove the beneficial bacteria. For the most part, sponge filters are a "set them and forget them" type of deal.
I think you're on the right track for a successful tank. Asking a lot of questions now saves you from mistakes in the future.
Consider starting new a thread if you have specific questions, that way your question is more exposed to members on the forum. You will get a lot more responses from a wider range of fishkeepers.
Is it the fluval edge prefilter? I wonder if it will fit my TopFin one, I measured the intake and it’s exactly one inch diameter. Quite long with lots of opening too. (Attached a box picture for reference)Fishfriendof315 said:I took fluval canister prefilter cut it in half, wrapped it around the intake tube. Used super glue at the seam to make a good round. And stuck a bit in the bottom to seal up.
First, THANKYOU for posting this. It's really excellent and inspired my wife and I to go out and buy the MF-40 intake sponge prefilter, bio media balls, and coarse sponge. We also have the Top Fin Silenstream PF20 hob filter.Islandvic said:
There are other combinations that may be utilized w/ DIY media, but this will get you on the right track for your set-up......
I don't see the bio media so I'm guessing your hob has a vertical bottom-to-top flow instead of back-to-front flow? Or am I just blind? (Wife is shaking her head yes to that last question )Rcslade124 said:This is my tidals. The first one is bio media on bottom then 2 sponges on top. The second is just a bunch of sponge cut into square. They need rinsed off but doing their jobs.
I think I have the same HOB as you. The way I have it is “bottom to top” since the water flows up from the bottom. Coarse in the bottom, fine media, purigen and then bio rings in the top. Oh I also have a coarse sponge in that gap between the tube and the slotting space.2fishinabowl said:First, THANKYOU for posting this. It's really excellent and inspired my wife and I to go out and buy the MF-40 intake sponge prefilter, bio media balls, and coarse sponge. We also have the Top Fin Silenstream PF20 hob filter.
But this particular photo showing left-to-right arrangement of media is puzzling since water flow on most hob filters like ours is from back-to-front :
Much like electricity, water always takes the easiest path so most of the water will flow through the coarse sponge and never reach the poly or bio media.
In our humble opinion a better media arrangement would be this (view is looking down from top of filter) :
That would force all the water to flow through each layer.
It would be interesting to see what other people have done to modify their hob filter media.
Yes the seachem tidals flow from bottom up. On the left the the filter the water drops in about 1 inch from the top. Then fills from bottom and out.2fishinabowl said:I don't see the bio media so I'm guessing your hob has a vertical bottom-to-top flow instead of back-to-front flow? Or am I just blind? (Wife is shaking her head yes to that last question )
Yes thats an awesome filter. Maybe we'll get one.Rcslade124 said:Yes the seachem tidals flow from bottom up. On the left the the filter the water drops in about 1 inch from the top. Then fills from bottom and out.
I respectfully disagree with the water flow being bottom-to-top in the Silenstream PF20 and most other HOB filters. The flow through media is usually back-to-front in a HOB.Viper0n said:
I appreciate that. And yes experimenting is fun. It's fascinating how many variations of setups and opinions on those too.Islandvic said:Rcslade124 , thanks for sharing pics of your Tidal setups !
2fishinabowl , each HOB takes some trial and error, especially when trying out different media and their arrangement in the reservoir.
Either way I think it will work. It will flow through all the media, but at different rates.
That's what makes this fun, trying out different ways and methods. If your method works, then post pics and let us know!
Ah okay.. I should have looked that up properly. I just assumed since the intake tube goes all the way to the bottom of the reservoir the water would probably fill up the same way. Well.. time to tinker again2fishinabowl said:I respectfully disagree with the water flow being bottom-to-top in the Silenstream PF20 and most other HOB filters. The flow through media is usually back-to-front in a HOB.
A very informative article at the Aquarium Science website backs me up on this.
"Most HOB filters move the water from one side (the side away from the aquarium) of the hanging box to the other side (the side closest to the aquarium) of the HOB through a “cartridge”. This is a “back-to-front” flow HOB cartridge filter."
"There is one type of HOB filter which is unique. The two currently sold are the Seachem Tidal™ Power Filters and the Hagen Fluval/AquaClear Power Filters. These are relatively large HOBs that flow from the bottom of the filter up."
You can read the whole HOB writeup by going to number 8 in their main menu here (Filter Designs).
The url is Aquariumscience_dot_org. Not sure why the site won't link here.
Anyway from that page scroll down to the link at 8.2. Hang On Back Filters. Sorry I couldn't figure out how to direct link that.
But listen, like Islandvic said, experimenting is what makes this hobby fun. The more we talk about this stuff and share, the better it is for everyone.
And hey welcome to Fishlore!
I appreciate that. And yes experimenting is fun. It's fascinating how many variations of setups and opinions on those too.
It's all good.
Islandvic said:Putting it all together:
The following are pics of different combinations of DIY media that can be used in your HOB filter. For reference, I use the Top Fin Silenstream 20 HOB filter. Your HOB filter may differ but the same concepts will apply.
- Intake pre-filter sponge + small bag of Bio-Max added to stock cartridge
- Filter Media Pad cut from bulk roll + Polyfil + small bag of Bio-Max
- Filter Media Pad cut from bulk roll + large bag of Bio-Max
- Intake Sponge Pre-Filter + Polyfill + Aquaclear Sponge + large bag Bio-Max
There are other combinations that may be utilized w/ DIY media, but this will get you on the right track for your set-up......