[Need recommendations for filter for 20 long]

I have a 20 gallon long that sits on my kitchen counter underneath the cabinets. I use both a Marina S15 and a Marina S20 for filtration (Amazon). I bought them because they are slim in design and don't stick up very tall. I used to have two tanks but now I'm down to just the 20 long so that's why I'm running both of them. I'm not happy with the power of the motors though. I'm also unclear on the efficiency based on the design. Four separate chambers and I can't figure out if the water actually flows through all of them efficiently.
 Does anyone have a recommendation on a relatively slim design HOB that is powerful? Money isn't an issue. I have 5 inches of clearance between the back of the tank and the wall. TY!

https://a.co/d/d1rpZWA

[Fine sponge for Aquarium Co-Op sponge filter?]

I've searched the website and I can't find such a beast so I'm assuming they don't sell them but is it possible to change out the coarse sponge on Aquarium Co-Op sponge filters?

[I contacted my water company regarding chlorine and this was their response]

On 5/7/2024 at 9:53 AM, dasaltemelosguy said:

0.3-1.2 mg/l (or 0.3-1.2 PPM) is actually on the low side by municipal water supply chlorination standards. Here in Los Angeles, it's not uncommon to see 4PPM straight out of the tap.

When municipalities "shock" the system, it can be temporarily as high as 200PPM. Shocks tend to be performed with gas-only as 200PPM of chloramine would stay toxic for too long a period. I believe @Guppysnail has encountered problems with her water supplier shocking the system unknowingly. 

This crude chart below shows comparative off-gassing times of chloramine and chlorine with some variables introduced.

The introduction of an external energy source accelerates this. Heat, electricity and UV light all remove chlorine if enough time is allowed.

Very powerful UV light is used to dechlorinate without chemicals in real time. They are very powerful lights known as medium pressure UVC but notice below, even a 13-watt aquarium UV light greatly accelerated the dissociation of chlorine and even chloramine from 180 hours to 6-8 hours: 

 

Wow. What a lot of great information. Thank you so much. They did tell me that they don't ever shock the system so fingers crossed that's the truth. I always test the water before I use it though just to be sure. Again, lots of great info. Thank you.

[I contacted my water company regarding chlorine and this was their response]

On 5/7/2024 at 9:20 AM, Odd Duck said:

You do need to leave the jugs open for the chlorine gas to escape and likely a few days would be needed if the jugs are filled to the top with a small surface area.  Or you could do a bucket with a wide surface area and use an air pump and airstone to aerate it for 24 hours and it would be ready to use.  This is always what we did “back in the day” before dechlorinators became popular and before chloramine was used.

I never leave lids on them and I use a mixture of half-and-half tapwater and RO water. They usually sit for at least five days. Thanks for your input.

[A floating plant that's not messy?]

On 5/6/2024 at 3:56 PM, doktor zhivago said:

I've had good luck floating pearlweed it sends roots out all over its stem. Not sure what you mean by messy tho? I've never had any issues with hornwort other than having to take out a couple handfuls every water change

I ordered some from Amazon once. It must've just been a horrible batch. I had the biggest mess in my tank for weeks trying to retrieve all of the little stems that would fall off. I finally gave up and just threw it all away. My first mistake was probably ordering from Amazon!

[I contacted my water company regarding chlorine and this was their response]

On 5/6/2024 at 2:19 PM, Lonkley said:

I know you CAN gas off the chlorine. But why not just use tap water conditioner.  A bottle is like less than 10 dollars and im still on my bottle from 2 years ago.  I mean the dose is so tiny and it may take care of other things. Im not even talking prime, just plain api tap conditioner.  I mean I guess some people dont want to use chemicals but its like literally a few ml on water than has already been chemically treated.

 

I fill up the jugs each time I do a water change. I've been doing this for almost 2 years without any issues so I see no reason to add additives.

[I contacted my water company regarding chlorine and this was their response]

On 5/6/2024 at 1:32 PM, T. Payne said:

Well the good news is they don't use chloramines, which is a chemical that must be treated for. Chlorine can be gassed off through aging and aeration.

Thank you for this response. I do put my tapwater in gallon milk jugs and let them sit for a few days before I use them so I guess I'll just keep doing the same thing. Again, thanks for the insight. 😀

[I contacted my water company regarding chlorine and this was their response]

I wrote to my local water department asking if they periodically flush with chlorine as I have heard some cities do. I have never registered any chlorine in my tapwater. This was, in part, their response. I'm not a scientist so I'm wondering if this is a super low amount of chlorine and that's why I never have to treat my water?
"We received your inquiry. We don't use chloramines but we do chlorinate the water.  Chlorine residuals in the distribution system range from 0.3 - 1.2 mg/L.  The system isn't periodically flushed with chlorine, there is a chlorine residual in the system."

[A floating plant that's not messy?]

I bought two or three different types of floating plants but ended up throwing them in the trash because they were just simply messy. Hornwort comes to mind. Can anyone recommend a floating plant that doesn't grow too much and become a nuisance but provide a little bit of surface coverage? 

[Your thoughts on the Fluval Flex tanks]

I must be in the minority but my very first tank was a 15 gallon flex. As a beginner, I appreciated the department in the back and didn't find it a pain at all. I eventually did swap it out for a 20 gallon long which I have to admit I am enjoying more. I think for beginners the flex is not a bad way to go at all. 

[Strange oblong growth on glass in tank]

I also believe this is from a mystery snail. The first time mine laid them I didn't know what to think but I soon realized after doing some research that's what laid them.

[Do mystery snails poop an incredible amount?]

On 2/28/2024 at 4:29 PM, Lennie said:

I'm curious, why move your fish to another tank when you cycle a bigger tank? Just transfer all old cycled tank material, especially the filter to a new tank, and it is basically an instant cycle, unless there is a huge difference is size and stuff?

I actually misspoke. I didn't move all of my fish to a different tank. I just moved the current tank that they were in to a different spot to set up the larger tank. I had this little 2 1/2 gallon tank that I had not used so I decided to put my mystery snail in it just to highlight him more temporarily. I don't feed him every day so I don't think I overfeed. I was just surprised that now that he's by himself in a small tank I noticed how much he poops, lol.

[Do mystery snails poop an incredible amount?]

On 2/28/2024 at 1:32 AM, Cinnebuns said:

Yes they poop A LOT. That is why it's suggested to have a 5 gallon for just 1 mystery snail. It's not about the space but the bioload. I used to breed mystery snails. Even as babies they pooped so much that at one point I was having to water change and gravel vac 1-2x a day. It's also why they are often suggested to use for cycling a tank. 

Since putting him in the 2 1/2 gallon while I cycled the 20 gallon that I was planning to put him in, I've changed my mind. I'm going to move him into a 5 gallon tank and leave him there alone. It's kind of amazing how much they poop!

[Do mystery snails poop an incredible amount?]

I moved my mystery snail into a small 2 1/2 gallon tank and my fish into a different tank while I am cycling a larger tank. I did that about 10 days ago. I just went to clean that tank that he is in and I was absolutely floored with the amount of what I believe to be poop that stirred up from the substrate. It was like a snowstorm. When I have seen him poop I know it is really long and stringy but now I'm wondering if they are worth keeping if they are putting out more than they are taking in? 

[What spray paint to paint the back of an aquarium?]

Back from Home Depot. I ended up going with a Rustoleum black matte. My husband taped off the new Aquarium and is out there spray painting it now. He said it's working quite well. Thank you to whomever recommended putting a light on it to see if there are any spots that need an extra dose.  Prior to this I used some of that stick on backing. It didn't take long before there were little holes in it. Not sure how that could happen since the back of the tank didn't get touched. I hope this works better. Thanks for all the responses.

[What spray paint to paint the back of an aquarium?]

I'm planning to spray paint the back of a new Aquarium. I've not had great luck with that stick on paper. It's not going to be submerged so does it really matter what brand I use on the back? I am close to Home Depot but it doesn't look like they carry Krylon but they do carry rustoleum. Thanks for any advice.

[Do I need to plant my dwarf Sagittaria in the substrate?]

I purchased a dwarf Sagittaria from Cory. I also ordered one of those little fake rocks to hold it. Is it OK to leave it in there indefinitely or should I plant it in the substrate at some point?

[How thick should the gravel be in a tank?]

I'm in the process of replacing my Aquarium with a larger one. While preparing to make the change, it occurred to me that I think I have way too much gravel in my tank. It's probably 2 to 3 inches. I'm planning to not use nearly as much in the new tank. Just enough to cover the roots for the plants. Is this a mistake? Even though I gravel vac regularly, it was shocking how much junk was down in that substrate. The tank is only six months old. 

[5 gallon kit?]

I bought this tank on Amazon for my Betta. It has been going strong for over a year now. It doesn't come with a heater but the lid has a built-in LED light and the filter is not too strong for my betta. I don't buy the replacement filters like they want you to. I buy sheets of filter media from Cory's website and cut them to fit. Much cheaper. You can adjust the flow which is a big bonus considering it's a relatively inexpensive tank. 

[Under Cabinet Lighting]

I installed some undercabinet lighting above my aquarium and even though I only had them on for a few hours a day, it really increased the amount of algae in my tank. Of course this would not be applicable if it weren't directly over the top of an aquarium. Just my experience.

[I'm thinking of ordering some poly filter]

On 2/6/2024 at 11:44 AM, TMartins said:

Sorry I used the ACO poly pad.

I actually have a bag of this that I got from Cory. I've been cutting it into the appropriate sizes to fit the filters. I also bought some really thick coarse black sponge like material that fits in one of the slots in my bigger aquarium. I think maybe I should just stick with what I've been doing. Thank you!

On 2/6/2024 at 2:32 PM, Creedmoor Aquatics said:

For biological filtration coarse sponge material seems to strike the best balance of providing surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow without being so dense it becomes completely clogged.

 

In a well balanced aquarium biological filtration is often the only filtration you really need.

 

Chemical filtration would only be needed for removing unwanted contaminants, or possibly meds if you accidentally overdosed. As evidenced by the number of people using fertilizers we often want more chemicals in the water not less.

 

Fine filter floss is the superior mechanical filter if you really want to 'polish' your water to get it crystal clear, but it has the major drawback of needing to be replaced often as it is easily clogged. 

If you go back to old videos of Cory setting up his 800 gallon tank he discusses filter floss in some detail, but as I recall he echoed it being an amazing filter material but the maintenance offsets the usefulness in the long run. 

 

I did purchase some pillow batting from a local Bed, Bath and Beyond. I agree that it got plugged up way too fast for my liking.

[I'm thinking of ordering some poly filter]

On 2/6/2024 at 1:31 PM, Creedmoor Aquatics said:

Per the manufacturer, when asked about Easy Green

 
Poly-Filter (R) would adsorb the chelated heavy metals, phosphate and 30% of the nitrate being added to the aquarium. 

So you can expect Poly-Fil to absorb Easy Green / Easy Iron.

 

 

My question to you is what do you hope to accomplish by using Poly-Fil? 
 

 

Thanks for your response. I'm pretty new in the Aquarium hobby. I've only had my tanks for one year. I don't want to spend the money to keep replacing the filters that manufactures want you to use in their particular filters. I thought maybe I could cut these to fit but if they are going to remove some of the additives I'm putting in the water I think I will just go with plain filter material and cut it to size.  😀

[I'm thinking of ordering some poly filter]

On 2/6/2024 at 11:08 AM, TMartins said:

The white poly pad (filter floss) is inert and will not take any of the fertilizer from the water column.  I’ve used this in my HOB and works great and I would highly recommend it.

Just so we're on the same page, I'm referring to the actual product name called Poly Filter.

[I'm thinking of ordering some poly filter]

The reviews seem very high for this product. I understand it changes colors depending on what impurities it is absorbing. I use Cory's Easy Green, Easy Iron and Easy Carbon. Would these pads just absorb the iron and carbon and in effect make my adding them pointless?

[I need a quiet airstone]

On 2/5/2024 at 9:22 AM, MattyM said:

I don't think I've ever cleaned mine and it's right next to my desk (also a betta tank) - can you post a video of the sound? 

I'm not very tech savvy so I don't know if the attachment will come through. I have the adjustment down as tight as I can get it and I still can't quiet it or lessen the amount of bubbles. It's powered by a little Hygger pump meant for small tanks.  (Edit: I don't know how to convert the video I took on my iPhone that is accepted here so that's why there's no video.)