Tank hunt

Back in the fold said:

@jaylach $ 10.25 for the two plate economy model or $ 19.95 for the single plate Professional Series model . Both with a 24 x 12 footprint . I just ordered a heater from them last week and shipping was $ 11.28 . I expect that filter would be about the same , give or take a buck .

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jaylach said:

Actually I find it sort of funny to have economy and professional versions. I mean as long as the plates hold up the substrate and mount the risers who cares?

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Back in the fold said:

Yeah , I agree but the Pro model does have more surface area since it has those wavy ridges . Those ridges might make it stronger to hold up a deeper gravel bed too . Just a thought , I don’t really know .

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jaylach said:

All plates I've seen have support 'pegs' all over the underside so the wavy ridges are not likely to give more support. On the other hand the ridges could give more water flow depending on how the slots are arranged.

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An associated question. My current tank is my first with all live plants. I have a couple of swords that I would like to carry over to the new tank but they would need cut back as they are taller than the height of the new tank. Will cutting back the leaves cause harm?

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gwand said:

I cut my sword leaves about two weeks ago. So far the plants are healthy. No browsing or other signs of injury at the cut site.

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jaylach said:

All plates I've seen have support 'pegs' all over the underside so the wavy ridges are not likely to give more support. On the other hand the ridges could give more water flow depending on how the slots are arranged.

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An associated question. My current tank is my first with all live plants. I have a couple of swords that I would like to carry over to the new tank but they would need cut back as they are taller than the height of the new tank. Will cutting back the leaves cause harm?

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Bamf Comics said:

The ridged plates are definitely more durable than the cheaper plates. I've had the little ridges on the cheap ones break and the connection point for the uplift tubes is more practical. I've had the snaps on the cheap ones break off and no matter which of the models I used, I'd always find myself wanting to flush the tanks regularly to get all the mulm out that accumulates in the dead spots. The best way to view that is with an open frame type stand so you can actually look underneath and see the crazy things piling up and where your flow is pretty much non existent. You can even find baby fish trapped under there that way as well to know and rescue them. What I would have to do is pull the uplift tubes off, put a garden hose running temp adjusted water down one while holding the vac over the other and peaking underneath to make sure I was accomplishing the goal. Eventually I gave up the frustration and just converted everything over to sand bottoms from 1/4 to 1 inch and used alternative filtration to worry about bio and mechanical options that were easier to service. You have a lot of options there right now including simple sponge filters. Sponges and internal filters can be hidden in/by the decor, they're simple to service, I even have some starting to get covered by plant life, the fish go to them to snack off of since stuff is where they can access it, not pulled down into the gravel and away, you save on food if you're using bottom feeder tabs and such since more of the food stays in places where the fish can access it longer, lower nitrate as a result, most tanks have enough bio after they've been established that additional isn't really needed unless you're overstocking anyway, etc.....

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jaylach said:

Welp, tank ordered and should be here next Thursday. Actually it is a 21 gallon high not a 20 gallon but still 24 inch to fit the table. Comes with a mat and clear glass hood.

May not be able to use a single UG filter plate as the width of single (pro) plate is 24 inches and the tank is 23.6 inches.

UnderGravel Filters

LOL! My bathtub will be useless to me for a few days as the tank gets leak tested. Will be happy to get rid of the 20 gallon cube as I never really did like the builtin hood and sponge filtration.

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gwand said:

When you leak test do you fill the tank all the way?

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jaylach said:

Yes I normally do but it will depend on if it will fit flush on the bottom of my bathtub.

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gwand said:

Do you leave tank in tub overnight or longer.

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