Filtration system advice

[mark4785]

I have a 300 litre aquarium that currently uses the Betta 1050 external filter. This filters 1050 litres of water per hour.

Is the LPH rate of this filter sufficient for this capacity of aquarium or should I be looking to upgrade?

 

[Colin_T]

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

What fish are you keeping?

What is the pH of the tank?

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If the pH is below 7.0 and you have fish that occur in slow moving water, it is fine. However, if you have fish that live in alkaline water (pH above 7.0), then a higher turnover would be a bit better because it will help remove any ammonia faster.

 

[mark4785]

Im not sure of the dimensions. It is an Aquael 300 litre aquarium with the typical rectangular shape. The pH is 6.0-6.5 and I keep 6 Discus and a Bolivian Ram.

 

[Colin_T]

it should be fine for some discus.

 

[mark4785]

it should be fine for some discus.

Ok I’ll keep the current system.

The reason I was considering an upgrade is because sometimes bits of food that are too small for the discus to identify as food ends up at the bottom and they wont eat it. The flow created by the filter pump doesn’t pick up the bits.

is there a large siphon on the market that reaches 60cm deep so I can remove these food deposits? The siphon I have is not long enough to reach and due to the treatment in the water it would be too hazardous for my skin to go in the water.

 

[663]

is there a large siphon on the market that reaches 60cm deep so I can remove these food deposits? The siphon I have is not long enough to reach and due to the treatment in the water it would be too hazardous for my skin to go in the water.

You mean for vacuuming up food/detritus? If so, and you're trying not to be fancy, there are dedicated, battery-powered spot cleaners. Eheim makes one, or they did. Otherwise, Python makes a good variety of siphon equipment for bigger jobs..

BTW, my oldest filter, a 5-year old Fluval 406, malfunctioned horribly this evening after a cleaning. I'm going to replace it Wednesday with an FX4 v2, the one I suggested to you. I'll post any down-sides to the puchase in case you change your mind.

 

[mark4785]

You mean for vacuuming up food/detritus? If so, and you're trying not to be fancy, there are dedicated, battery-powered spot cleaners. Eheim makes one, or they did. Otherwise, Python makes a good variety of siphon equipment for bigger jobs..

BTW, my oldest filter, a 5-year old Fluval 406, malfunctioned horribly this evening after a cleaning. I'm going to replace it Wednesday with an FX4 v2, the one I suggested to you. I'll post any down-sides to the puchase in case you change your mind.

Yes for vacuuming food and dirt.

Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve been aware of the Eheim one for a while and used it many years ago. For the aquarium I have now it is not long enough to reach the base.

I am basically looking for something battery-powered like the Eheim but which will reach 65cm to the base of the tank. I cannot seem to find anything.

In regards the filter, I’ve actually gone ahead and ordered a Betta 2000 External Canister Filter after finding large pieces of fish faeces around a piece of bog wood. Thats not really acceptable and I think the filtration system should be taking care of that. By all means let me know about the FX4 v2 as I will upgrade/switch until I find something that keeps the tank base very clean.

 

[Colin_T]

What treatment have you put in the tank?

Don't buy battery gravel cleaners, they are not useful. When you gravel clean the substrate you want to remove the gunk and dirty water from the tank to get it out of the system. Just use a normal gravel cleaner.

For big tanks you can make a gravel cleaner out of a 1, 1.5 or 2 litre plastic drink bottle and a garden hose.
Cut the bottom off the bottle and throw the bottom bit away.
Remove the cap and plastic ring from the top of the bottle and throw those 2 bits away.
Stick a garden hose in the top of the bottle and run the other end of the hose out the door onto the lawn.
Use the bottle to gravel clean the tank.

 

[mark4785]

What treatment have you put in the tank?

Don't buy battery gravel cleaners, they are not useful. When you gravel clean the substrate you want to remove the gunk and dirty water from the tank to get it out of the system. Just use a normal gravel cleaner.

For big tanks you can make a gravel cleaner out of a 1, 1.5 or 2 litre plastic drink bottle and a garden hose.
Cut the bottom off the bottle and throw the bottom bit away.
Remove the cap and plastic ring from the top of the bottle and throw those 2 bits away.
Stick a garden hose in the top of the bottle and run the other end of the hose out the door onto the lawn.
Use the bottle to gravel clean the tank.

I am treating with Sterazin (the carcinogenic treatment) so I’m completely avoiding putting hands/arms in the water.

The bottle idea is good - thanks! I will get a separate hose and bottle for this job. The waste water will probably go down the drain given what treatment I am using.

 

[Mick85]

How about a clean up crew? A group of corys would make sure no bits of food are sitting around rotting.

 

[Colin_T]

Don't drain aquarium water down the drain because fish diseases can get into the natural waterways and infect natives fishes. Drain it onto the lawn instead.

If a garden hose takes too long to drain the tank, you can buy a clear plastic hose that fits over the top of the bottle and it will drain the tank much quicker. Just try a normal garden hose first and see how it goes, it might be suitable. If not, take the bottle to a hardware store and find some clear hose to fit where the lid normally goes.

 

[663]

How about a clean up crew? A group of corys would make sure no bits of food are sitting around rotting.

Simple and effective! I have to lean more towards solutions that don't require electricity. Good thinking, Mick.

 

[663]

Yes for vacuuming food and dirt.

Your tank has dirt as substrate?

Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve been aware of the Eheim one for a while and used it many years ago. For the aquarium I have now it is not long enough to reach the base.

Same here, I ended up tossing mine because all it seemed to do was toss up loads of detritus into the water for no gain. That's why we jumped to the Python. It's great for water changes, or gravel cleaning/water changes. While venting the Python outside worked, it wasn't a year-round option where we are. Blasting it right into the tube drain worked much better.

In regards the filter, I’ve actually gone ahead and ordered a Betta 2000 External Canister Filter after finding large pieces of fish faeces around a piece of bog wood. Thats not really acceptable and I think the filtration system should be taking care of that. By all means let me know about the FX4 v2 as I will upgrade/switch until I find something that keeps the tank base very clean.

You mentioned having discus? Do they poop differently from other aquarium fish? I saw some content from another poster that seemed to indicate that that there's a population of tiny creature's in the substrate that consume stuff that falls to the bottom of the tank, and that they need to be protected to the point of not cleaning the substrate. This doesn't sound right. Is anyone else aware of this approach?

Regardless, I hope it all works out the way want, Mark

 

[mark4785]

How about a clean up crew? A group of corys would make sure no bits of food are sitting around rotting.

Unfortunately because the tank is bare-bottom there is no sand for them to sift through. Their barbels often disintegrate from rubbing on the glass and then you add in the bits of food that they scurry past and its just a recipe for disaster where rotting food gets in the rubbed down barbels.

It could be that once the bits of poo and dirt is pulled in more efficiently by the upgraded filter (it hasn’t arrived yet) then I can get some Corys along with a dusting of sand for them.

 

[mark4785]

@663 Yes I have Discus. They poo exactly like a goldfish when at adult stage.

Typically you would have a substrate in a tank, and every previous tank I’ve maintained did have sand as substrate. But with Discus there seems to be a thinking that substrate can make them sick as if they disturb it, toxins can be released that causes sickness. I’ve seen it be the case where I’ve vacuumed sand in a tank containing sensitive fish (German blue rams) and they have responded by flicking so I think there is an argument for substrate being a problem for some fish.

If I did have a substrate I’m sure the dirt I see in my bare-bottom tank would disappear into it and be processed by nitro after/nitrosomonas colonies but as I don’t have any substrate I need it to be dispatched to the filter system which is not happening very well at the moment.