About filtration

Post pictures of your beloved catfish aquaria here. Also good for pictures of your (cat)fish rooms or equipment discussions. If you are posting pictures of identified catfish, please do so in the appropriate husbandry and reproduction forum above.
Post Reply
dw1305
Posts: 1076
Joined: 22 Oct 2009, 11:57
Location 1: Corsham, UK
Location 2: Bath, UK
Interests: Natural History, Ecology, Plants, Biotopes, Taxonomy, Nitrification, Cricket & Northern Soul

Re: About filtration

Post by dw1305 »

Hi all,
bekateen wrote: 28 Apr 2021, 15:34 After experience with my "toilet flush" tank [the 40-gallon breeder about 1/2 - 2/3 with water and powered by an 800gph pond pump, which contains partially submerged potted Pothos and Crypt plants]
I think a large tank, only 1/2 filled with water, is the easiest option, but you have the added expense and weight of the spare glass etc.
I remember that thread, it is an interesting one, and I definitely think you are on to something there.
bekateen wrote: 28 Apr 2021, 15:34My challenges are trivial but significant in that most of my lighting fixtures rest too close to the tank, leaving little space for plants, and my hoods are full glass hoods. I need to buy or build overhanging lamps, rather than the conventional tank lights I use now. I also need to adapt or build alternative tank hoods which only partially cover the tanks, leaving room for emergent plant growth. Both easily fixed; I just have to do it.
I've bought loads of LED flood lights etc and dimmers with the intention of building all sort of "better" lighting rigs for the tanks, but mainly I've adapted them for other uses or they still sit in their packaging.

cheers Darrel
User avatar
bekateen
Posts: 8931
Joined: 09 Sep 2014, 17:50
I've donated: $40.00!
My articles: 4
My images: 130
My cats species list: 140 (i:102, k:37)
My aquaria list: 36 (i:13)
My BLogs: 44 (i:149, p:2653)
My Wishlist: 38
Spotted: 175
Location 1: USA, California, Stockton
Location 2: USA, California, Stockton
Contact:

Re: About filtration

Post by bekateen »

Hi All,
Pothos and Java moss growing on floating wood
Pothos and Java moss growing on floating wood
dw1305 wrote: 28 Apr 2021, 16:00I think a large tank, only 1/2 filled with water, is the easiest option, but you have the added expense and weight of the spare glass etc.
In the USA, when Petco has their dollar per gallon sale, even after they recently stopped including 40 gal breeders in this promotion, they charge only 50% of normal price for 40 gal breeders - you're spending about $50 USD for a 40 gallon tank (36"x24" footprint). That's still a bargain and worth the spare glass.
dw1305 wrote: 28 Apr 2021, 16:00I've bought loads of LED flood lights etc and dimmers with the intention of building all sort of "better" lighting rigs for the tanks, but mainly I've adapted them for other uses or they still sit in their packaging.
:)) I have a few of those too! ;-)

The simplest lighting solutions I envision are overhanging lighting, suspended either from the ceiling or the fish tank shelf above the tank in question (which requires more vertical separation between tank shelves), or extension stands attached to the tank stand or extending to the floor (i.e., tall floor lamps).

As for the hood, rather than using a traditional glass hood that runs the length of the tank and has its hinged glass pane also running the length, I imagine a better solution is a custom cut piece of glass or acrylic that is as deep as the tank (front-to-back) and only extends over about 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank length, leaving the remaining span open for the kinon to grow above the tank rim. The partial coverage by glass will reduce evaporative water loss and reduce the losses of jumping fish, but obviously it won't reduce either entirely.

Also, this tank plan requires good aeration from below the kinon (either airstones or powerheads), since so much of the water surface (nearly half) may be covered by kinon and will not contribute as much to air-water surface oxygenation. In one of my two current bumblebee tanks, I use both an airstone and a powerhead with venturi, the powerhead blasting through the upward stream of the airstone to push water current and air bubbles horizontally through the tangle of twigs and roots.

Cheers,
Eric
Image
Find me on YouTube and Facebook: http://youtube.com/user/Bekateen1; https://www.facebook.com/Bekateen
Buying caves from https://plecocaves.com? Plecocaves sponsor Bekateen's Fishroom. Use coupon code "bekateen" (no quotes) for 15% off your order.
Post Reply

Return to “Tank Talk”