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Dragisha

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Everything posted by Dragisha

  1. Yes, I agree with you that my issue is due to heavy stocking and I am building a fish room so that I can resolve that issue. The ammonia, nitrite and nitrates were all at acceptable levels, so that was the thing that was throwing me off. I am not convinced that mechanical filtration is mostly aesthetic, because when I replaced the coarse sponges with the dense sponges, the situation in my tanks improved. It seems like the people who are responding to my post might be misunderstanding the information I am sharing. Once again, I am not bashing on co-op sponges. I am sharing the data that I collected in my over populated tanks. First, it seems that water quality is not just ph, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Second, it appears that biological filtration is not enough to keep good water quality in extreme conditions. Thirdly, dense sponges seem to filter better, as long as they are cleaned regularly. The fourth thing I found is that when I lift the dense sponges out of the water, they hold all of the stuff they captured better than the coarse sponges.
  2. Yes, I believe most of us, if not all, prefer low maintenance tanks. I like the co-op sponge filters as well. They worked great when my fish population was smaller. I do recognize that I need to decrease the number of fish in my tanks. I am currently building a fish room where I will add more tanks and distribute the population across multiple tanks. When I had less fish, I didn't feel that I had to service my sponge filters often. Once again, I am not creating a debate on what type of sponge filters are better. I am simply bringing some facts up to all of you, co-op sponge filter users, co-op sponge filter sellers and designers, in case the information I have can be useful to any of you. Feedback is usually what helps people make a better product. From my experience, having around 150 to 200 xiphophorus helleri in 75 gallon tanks with three large sponges, the filters were not keeping the water quality where it needed to be, even though I cleaned one filter every week. When I replaced the sponge filters with a dense sponge filters, the water quality improved and my fish stayed healthy. The other difference I noticed is that when I would pick up the co-op sponge filter to take it out of the water, stuff started floating out of it. Yes, I did watch Corey's video on how to properly clean the filter by using a bag to put under the filter as you lift it up. However, in a heavily planted tank that is a bit difficult. The dense sponge filters hold that stuff in much better, but it does take a bit more effort to clean the dense sponges.
  3. Yes. As I mentioned in my post, I have three filters in each tank and I clean one filter once a week. After I replaced the filters I kept the same cleaning schedule.
  4. The PH was not fluctuating. I am pointing to the sponge filters because in the entire equation, the only thing I changed were the sponge filters. Thank you for your input.
  5. Hello everyone, my name is Dragisha and I have been a customer Aquarium Co-Op since this last spring. That is when I got back into the hobby. I purchased many things from Aquarium Co-Op, including sponge filters. As my fish started breeding successfully and the number of fish increased in my fish tanks, I started noticing that on occasion my fish would get certain type of illnesses, which appeared fungal, possibly. I tried various water changing frequencies and regularly tested my water for ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, and ph fluctuations, because I knew it had something to do with the water quality. Finally, I figured out it was the sponge filters that I purchased at Aquarium Co-Op. First, let me just say that I am not complaining about the filters nor am I trying to tell anyone that these filters are not a good option. I am simply sharing my experience in case it can help anyone else on these forums and in case it's useful to the Aquarium Co-Op team. As I tested different options, it appears to me that the sponge filters are pretty good at biological filtration, but they are too coarse for mechanical filtration. I purchased some dense sponge filters from Jehmco, which are about the same size and I replaced the coarse sponge filters. I cleaned the filters on the same weekly schedule. I had three sponge filters that I alternate the weekly cleaning on. Since I made the sponge filter change, I haven't had any diseases in my tanks. It's been almost two months.
  6. Are the filters you have mediums?
  7. I am getting ready to setup a 75 gallon tank (48"). The main fish that I will have are Xiphophorus Montezumae and then some supportive algae eaters, like catfish, shrimp, and snails. I am planning on going with the Co-op coarse sponge filter. Can someone give me some input on how many I should get? I am planning on at least two. Also, if I put in the "never clog airstones", do I need to put anything else in the tank to create current or motion in the water? Lastly, what air pumps should I get to power the filters? Thank you in advance!
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