I want to upgrade from low light

But does the bio stuff disintegrate or just get dirty? I'm okay with doing that. It's worth it to keep my tank healthy. This thing is like my baby. Except I don't like babies. Lol

 

It really depends on what you use, I guess. Ceramic rings do eventually get brittle and need replacing.

 

Not sure if anyone recommended this but you might be able to retro fix your current light with LED's. Wonder if they make a LED strip light that would fit under your lamp?

What if you removed your florenent lamp and put something like this in your light. Looks like this kit does colors...sure someone has one that is white only and maybe a little cheaper.

you would basically be reusing the plastic case that housed your florenent bulb. Just a thought.




Get a water proof LED KIT if available.

 

You can remove the t5 and its fittings and slip an LED light strip under the housing, I did this with a 20g.

Look at Finnex planted plus and the Finnex ray2 depending on weather you want high or medium light, they make a 30inch fixture that could slip under the old housing, I have a thread somewhere of my rig I have on the 20g, super simple.

 

Here's the bio media I got. Is this right?

 

That exact box of biomax came in my mail today, I haven't read all the posts so I'm not exactly sure where you are at but I'm assuming you are wanting to make your aqueon filter much better with those.

They are actually designed to go into canister filter, those rings are pretty large so you might have a hard time getting many in the extra space, especially if it's a small aqeoun, I have an old aqueon10 and there is pretty much no space in it.

If they are returnable you could always pick up one of the packs designed for the Fluval Aquaclear filters, they come either already in a media bag or with one supplied, if you let me know the exact model of aqueon filter and post a pic looking into it with an idea of space I could probably give you better advice or idea of what I would personally do.

 

That exact box of biomax came in my mail today, I haven't read all the posts so I'm not exactly sure where you are at but I'm assuming you are wanting to make your aqueon filter much better with those.

They are actually designed to go into canister filter, those rings are pretty large so you might have a hard time getting many in the extra space, especially if it's a small aqeoun, I have an old aqueon10 and there is pretty much no space in it.

If they are returnable you could always pick up one of the packs designed for the Fluval Aquaclear filters, they come either already in a media bag or with one supplied, if you let me know the exact model of aqueon filter and post a pic looking into it with an idea of space I could probably give you better advice or idea of what I would personally do.

It's the Aqueon quiet flow 30 (for up to 45 gallons! Lol)
Here's the carbon filters that currently go in it, the mesh bag I'm going to use, and the biomax. I think that will work.


I also have a fluval aquaclear 50 that I'm doing a sponge and then a mesh bag with crushed coral to help keep the hardness up. I'll use this mesh for the crushed coral I think and just let there be a little extra bag or something.


EDIT: and I am replacing the carbon filters with the biomax, so there will be enough space.


I think I am definitely getting that LED from eBay since it's only like $50, and if I end up not liking it it was only $50(which is still a lot but not $110!) and if it works, then I only spent $50. Does that make sense?
Next weekend I will be buying a large assortment of ludwigia, swords, and maybe some Java ferns.
My only concern is that this tank needs to be able to handle a rather large bioload since I want to technically over stock it (I'm making sure that swimming space is not an issue, but I need both filters to be filtering lol)
If you want details on all the fish that are going in, I can post that. Basically it's what's in there now, plus 6 ottos and 8-10 harlequin rasboras (plus one more female platy since my betta died)

 

Are you wanting to use the standard carbon cartridge as well as adding the biomax?
If so you are probably going to struggle to get much in, I don't know how much coral you are using but it might work out better to put the coral in the Aqueon since you will be able manipulate it better in the space.
That way you could get a lot more biomax rings in the back of the Aquaclear. Did you open up the biomax? You could open the box and leave the bag seal and just see how big they are in regards to the aqueon.

 

Are you wanting to use the standard carbon cartridge as well as adding the biomax?
If so you are probably going to struggle to get much in, I don't know how much coral you are using but it might work out better to put the coral in the Aqueon since you will be able manipulate it better in the space.
That way you could get a lot more biomax rings in the back of the Aquaclear. Did you open up the biomax? You could open the box and leave the bag seal and just see how big they are in regards to the aqueon.

I am replacing the carbon with biomax. I actually will have more space in the Aqueon, but it will be a weird shape. The fluval would be easy but I could only use like a third of all the biomax where the Aqueon maybe could fit it all.
Inside the fluval



And here's the Aqueon. You can see if I didn't have the filter cartridge and the blue thing I could probably fit all of it. And I could use the blue thing to get it in there (and maybe I leave it in so it holds shape idk)






Oh! I forgot! Here's the biomax next to the mesh that will fit best in the Aqueon

 

I guess you could just try it out on both filters and see which works best, the aqueon probably would fit more if you removed the cartridge holder thing. Just try out your options with it. The only issue I see is your only established bacteria is probably on that cartridge you have in there so you don't really want to remove that until the biomax build up a colony too.

 

I guess you could just try it out on both filters and see which works best, the aqueon probably would fit more if you removed the cartridge holder thing. Just try out your options with it. The only issue I see is your only established bacteria is probably on that cartridge you have in there so you don't really want to remove that until the biomax build up a colony too.

It's been long enough since I did a water change. There's plenty of bacteria in the sand and there should be some on the fluv sponge. Filter cartridges get changed out every month, it's not going to mess anything up.
Plus, my tank should have enough plants still to keep any minI cycles from taking more than a day.




Oh yeah, the whole bag of biomax fit easily.

I was surprised at how well that fit. There's only a couple rings out of the water, but I don't have anywhere else for them to go haha.
This was a success! An expensive success, but still a success.

 

I'm surprised it all fit to be honest, but you did have to take the blue thing out.
You should give the biomax a quick wash in old tank water every month or so since there won't be any mechanical filtration in that filter, not too vigorous though, just to get off some of the dirt that will build up over time.

 

I'm surprised it all fit to be honest, but you did have to take the blue thing out.
You should give the biomax a quick wash in old tank water every month or so since there won't be any mechanical filtration in that filter, not too vigorous though, just to get off some of the dirt that will build up over time.

Do the rings themselves need to get replaced often? And yeah, no mechanical filtration, but I could maybe get a sponge for that like, up here?

 

Yeh that area would be good for a sponge like the one in the Aquaclear, a coarse sponge shouldn't effect the flow too much.

You don't want to ever replace the rings, unless they got so covered in dirt that they were black or somehow disintegrated into dust, which to my knowledge they won't. In either of those scenarios the tank would of had to have been neglected pretty bad and there wouldn't be any fish left alive.

If for some other reason they needed replaced you would only replace 1/2 at a time. But like I said you shouldn't ever have to replace them, just give them a quick bath every now and again when you do water changes.

 

Yeh that area would be good for a sponge like the one in the Aquaclear, a coarse sponge should effect the flow too much.

You don't want to ever replace the rings, unless they got so covered in dirt that they were black or somehow disintegrated into dust, which to my knowledge they won't. In either of those scenarios the tank would of had to have been neglected pretty bad and there wouldn't be any fish left alive.

If for some other reason they needed replaced you would only replace 1/2 at a time. But like I said you shouldn't ever have to replace the,, just give them a quick bath every now and again when you do water changes.

Okay, thank you! Wouldn't the fine sponge like the aquaclear has restrict flow more than a large sponge though? Because the holes for water are smaller? Just asking because I have some big 'ol sponge bits haha. Although they did restrict flow a lot when I had cut it to fit around the intake (which I accidentally broke so it has to have a sponge on it haha)

also, I am officially buying this light right now!

 

I edited my post just after posting it, the should is a shouldnt. The fine sponge would restrict flow more yes. If you have a prefilter sponge on the intake pipe then I wouldn't even worry about a sponge in the filter, I actually a prefilter sponge to my AC50 today so the coarse sponge in it is probably useless now.

 

yeah, I have one of those fluval intake sponges or whatever. so I guess there's technically some mechanical filtering happening haha.

 

Got the new lights today! Here's a before


And after!


Plus the moon lights! The only issue it that the cable thing really wants to fall out

 

The tank looks awesome Yay!

 

Nice!


with my fingers.

 

Just got a small bunch of ludwigia repens today. Hopefully I can get some more tomorrow when I go buy my harlequins.