Want advice: how to set up a 75 gal tank's filtration system for Panaqolus

[bekateen]

Thanks for the link, Shane. As to history, I see that thread is nine years old. I doubt people are any "smarter" today, but I know that at least in my area, grape wood is sold in a number of aquarium stores, for aquarium use; so I'm hoping this means that history has proven the long-term safety of grape wood.

Since this is a new aquarium and it's still in the cycling phase, I don't mind the slime developing now. But before I introduce my new fish, I will remove the vine, scrub it with a stiff bristle brush and hose it down well before returning it to the tank. Hopefully the new Panaqolus will keep it clean after that.

...the most immediate danger is the stuff clogging and fouling your filter and media.

I agree. I've already suffered, once before, the devastating effects of a debris-clogged filter and the subsequent hypoxia that killed off most of the fish in the tank. In that tank, the clog was created by dead Elodea leaves rather than by slime like this. But I see the slime as an equivalent threat. I will be monitoring this closely.

Cheers, Eric

[littletoot2016]

Hi, I set up a 75 gallon with 2 SunSun 304b canisters, with sponge filters on the intakes. The tank stays crystal clear and my TDS stays around 200. You can pick the filters up for around $80 each. I ran a fish store for almost 30 years, and have sold several thousand canister filters. For the money this is the best designed, easiest to reload filter I've ever seen! I run 18 of them, and I love them. If you want info on where to buy them cheap PM me. Harry

[bekateen]

Hi littletoot2016,

Thanks for the advice. If I have any trouble with my Aqueon HOBs, I'll look in to canisters.

Cheers, Eric

[bekateen]

Today I did a water change and removed the grapevine, then scrubbed it, washed it, and returned it to the tank. I also broke the vine in half so that I could arrange it better in the tank.

How is the grape vine working? I have had terrible experiences with it growing a coating of thick slime.

Shane, you didn't mention the horrible smell that the grapevine produces along with the slime.

[lovefishtank]

I'm planning for the best filter for 75 gallon fish tank. I think one Fluval 306 external filter from Hagen will be better than 2 Aqueon QuietFlow power filter, do you think so?
https://portlandaquarium.net/aquarium-filter/

[bekateen]

Hi lovefishtank,

When I setup my tank, I was not experienced with, and therefore not comfortable with, canister tanks. I've heard they are very good, but they can be messy to clean. The issue with Panaqolus is that they produce so much woody poop (since they are wood eaters) quickly, that they are going to clog just about any filter faster than other fish. And since I've learned how to clear the HOB filters easily, the dual Aqueon setup has worked for me. The other issue for me was, if one filter clogs, I have the backup of the other filter, so water flow doesn't stop entirely.

If you do use a canister with a lot of Panaqolus (so far, I have 13 adults in mine), please tell us later how it goes.

For your information, here's a video of my tank as it is now. This video is posted elsewhere in these forums, but it's relevant here too:

Cheers, Eric
https://youtu.be/85Ivr8VXMSU

[b.reder]

Eric- Now that time has passed, what is your feeling about the slime growing on the grape vine? How does the Panaqolus interact with the slime? Thanks! -Barry

[bekateen]

Eric- Now that time has passed, what is your feeling about the slime growing on the grape vine? How does the Panaqolus interact with the slime? Thanks! -Barry

Hi Barry,

I threw away the grape vine shortly before adding the fish.

The slime was foul smelling and it continued to build up. I wondered if it would slow in its development over time, so on several occasions I removed the grapevine and washed the slime off, then returned the vine to the tank. But the slime would return soon after.

Given how much effort I went to in order to obtain the fish, and given that I couldn't replace the fish, I removed the grapevine before adding fish to the tank and I never put it back.

Cheers, Eric

[b.reder]

Thank you Eric.

[N0body Of The Goat]

Even though this thread is getting old and this particular tank's filtration has long been sorted, I thought I would add my 2p's worth...

I'm a big fan of Fluval U4 internal filters, I five of them in use between four tanks, due to their potentially decent flow rate of ~1000lph in modes A and C (or much reduced in mode B, not that I use that); very little noise or vibrations under normal conditions; the venturi supplement in mode A (where you can use some airline instead of the provided mini-cup to increase aeration and have the option of placing the top output deeper into the water).

Plus they are very easy to clean, open the lid, pull out at least one sponge holder and give the sponges a good squeeze every water change or so with some removed tank water. Every few months or so, I will disconnect a U4 from the electricity supply and give it a clean and separating the modular parts (including using a cotton bud to remove the build up in the impeller cavity and then putting that "gunk" back into the tank as I believe it contains beneficial bacteria).

I did have an Eheim Biopower 240 running until very recently, but it developed an intense low frequency hum that would not shift after a big clean, shame as up until then I considered it very comparable in quality and ease of use to the U4s.