Improving inherited nightmare tank - Ongoing

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Adding new cories is no problem with the older ones

Thank you hon! Excited to see how the older ones react when they get some buddies

 

[Retired Viking]

Yes, I remember the "dark ages". Monthly water changes (sometimes longer) the smell of rotten eggs, the old filters carbon/floss filters, aging water to get rid of chlorine. My son actually thinks those were the great days because it was easier and I didn't change water every week. He does not keep fish which in good.

 

[vanalisa]

@seangee "Your tanks are an orgy of evidence to the contrary"

Right, I get it now!
Like a pod of whales
A gaggle of geese
A pack of wolves
Etc...

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I once came across a book at my parents' house containing tips for various things around the house. Once section was on aquariums. This book was written in the 1960s. They had drawings rather than images and one was of a filter. This was a box containing carbon with a layer of filter wool on top, and powered by an air pump. Apart from the motor, this sounds similar to what was in your father's tank.

Some things I have read over the years about fish keeping decades ago include:
- if you really must do a water change, leave the new water standing for days to get rid of the chlorine (no dechlorinators back then, and no chloramine either so this did work)
- bacteria? why do I want bacteria in my tank?
- the water goes yellow between water changes so filters should contain carbon to remove the yellow (water does go yellow if water changes are only done weeks or months apart)
- salt is good for fish (we now know it protected the fish against nitrite poisoning)
- water changes are bad for fish (well, they would be if only done once every few weeks/months as the tanks suffered from old tank syndrome)
- don't do a water change for at least a week before going on holiday as some fish will die after a water change (as a result of old tank syndrome)

Does any of this sound familiar?

I just started browsing through the 1978 book, and I'm surprised at how good the information is so far! It even goes into detail about GH, KH etc, and mentioned how water changes and maintaining a clean tank is important.

Did make me smile when reading through the bit about how to set up an aquarium, it said;
"Before laying the bed the aquarist must consider if he is going to install one of the modern under gravel filters or heaters"

And it also talks about constructing backgrounds using sheets of asbestos...

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I just started browsing through the 1978 book, and I'm surprised at how good the information is so far! It even goes into detail about GH, KH etc, and mentioned how water changes and maintaining a clean tank is important.

Did make me smile when reading through the bit about how to set up an aquarium, it said;
"Before laying the bed the aquarist must consider if he is going to install one of the modern under gravel filters or heaters"

And it also talks about constructing backgrounds using sheets of asbestos...

Those were the old days...

 

[Retired Viking]

The under gravel filters were great if you maintain them, I had one in my 55 gallon before switching from gravel to sand and still have one in my 30gallon tank. The filter manufacturers did their best to get rid of UGF so they could sell expensive filters.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

The under gravel filters were great if you maintain them, I had one in my 55 gallon before switching from gravel to sand and still have one in my 30gallon tank. The filter manufacturers did their best to get rid of UGF so they could sell expensive filters.

You know, I have heard that they were good! Cory from Aquarium co op I think said he trialled one in one of his tanks, and he was impressed with it.

It's just that they're seen as old fashioned now and rarely used, but they were still modern when this book was written.

 

[Retired Viking]

When I bought my 55 gallon tank around 25 years ago it came with stand, hood and UGF and many tanks were sold that way back then. My LFS still uses UGF in all his fresh water tanks and swears by them privately but tries and sell everyone the new expensive filters. Penn Plex still makes them but I have not seen any others.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

The under gravel filters were great if you maintain them, I had one in my 55 gallon before switching from gravel to sand and still have one in my 30gallon tank. The filter manufacturers did their best to get rid of UGF so they could sell expensive filters.

I always thought they could cause problems.

(Or maybe I’m thinking of if you have a UGF and you have sand it will clog...)

 

[Retired Viking]

I always thought they could cause problems.

(Or maybe I’m thinking of if you have a UGF and you have sand it will clog...)

Sand will not work with a UGF, the secret was to do a good vacuuming of the gravel every week or two.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Sand will not work with a UGF, the secret was to do a good vacuuming of the gravel every week or two.

Oh, ok.

I guess I don't really have any experience with them, because they are so old, lol.

 

[Essjay]

They were very efficient because the gravel was the biological medium and the surface area of each piece of gravel added together is huge so lots of space for bacteria to grow. I have never used one but from comments I have read the main problem was with debris collecting under the plate.

Reading the last few posts about UG filters has reminded me about those library books I used when I first started keeping fish. Some of them said that a tank had to be torn down and rebuilt every year. After we got broadband and I started reading I realised they were talking about tanks with UG filters and as I had internal filters, I didn't need to have emptied the tank completely every year.
I did read later than UG filters work best with a reverse flow pump - traditional UGs pull the water down through the gravel, under the plate and up the uplift tube then back into the tank. The early ones were powered by air pumps. Reverse flow UGs used an electric pump to pump water down the tube, under the plate and up through the gravel. The pump also had a prefilter sponge to collect debris.
@Retired Viking Does your LFS use the traditional UGF or a reverse flow?

 

[ClownLurch]

Last time around I had an UGF. No big ugly box on back of tank was good.
Bi Orbs work on a similar principle from what I can see looking at the boxes in MA though the whole of tank bottom doesn’t seem to be utilised just the ring in the centre.
Is it just the Biorb tank shapes and base area that irritate dedicated fishkeepers? Or is there something else on top of that?

 

[Essjay]

Biorbs have 2 parts to the filter. The round box in the bottom contains filter wool and a carbon zeolite mix. The biomedia is the rocks that come with the tank. So yes, they do use a UG filter, just a slightly different design from the original type.

The spherical biorbs come in for criticism as spheres don't have much swimming room for the volume, and they have a small surface area both water surface and tank bottom. The rectangular biorbs aren't as bad though they do tend to be tall and narrow which again isn't the best shape. The main criticism is that the rocks are rough which limits the fish which can be kept - no bottom dwellers, but the lack of floor space is also an issue for bottom dwellers. Some people have replaced the rocks with normal gravel, and others have removed all the filter and used an internal (somehow) or an external/canister.

 

[ClownLurch]

Biorbs have 2 parts to the filter. The round box in the bottom contains filter wool and a carbon zeolite mix. The biomedia is the rocks that come with the tank. So yes, they do use a UG filter, just a slightly different design from the original type.

The spherical biorbs come in for criticism as spheres don't have much swimming room for the volume, and they have a small surface area both water surface and tank bottom. The rectangular biorbs aren't as bad though they do tend to be tall and narrow which again isn't the best shape. The main criticism is that the rocks are rough which limits the fish which can be kept - no bottom dwellers, but the lack of floor space is also an issue for bottom dwellers. Some people have replaced the rocks with normal gravel, and others have removed all the filter and used an internal (somehow) or an external/canister.

Aaaah. I hadn’t seen the sponge n carbon.
Mrs Lurch fancies getting a round one just for plants. Biosphere type set up that she’s always looking at on YT. She knows it’s not good for fish.
There’s a similar “style is as important as substance“ ala biorb
in MA that is rectangular with a white or black plastic base that extends up the ends and across the top that includes lights. The top plastic “ bridge” is hinged to lift up and allow access that she’s considering for a betta of half dozen endlers in her home office. They look pretty cool and cost a lot less than biorbs I think. She worked from home anyway prior to Lockdown so it’s been a long term idea.
My plan for a big tank may be working!