MJV Aquatics

There is a misconception passed on from fishkeeper to fishkeeper that beneficial biology only lives, or primarily lives in the filter and you need specialized bio-media to support it. Although BB may initially develop in the filter (after all food is regularly delivered) once the tank begins to establish, BB will populate any hard surface in the tank, especially in the substrate where there is far more surface area than in any filter. We've also been conditioned and peer pressured into believing that we must have specialized bio-media in our filters. But here again, we really don't. I've found that bio-sponge is the very best platform for BB, better than ceramics, plastics, and rocks. 🙂 As to cartridge filters, they are a cash cow for manufacturers giving the advice that they should be replaced every month or more. You've got to wonder how many newer hobbyists fell for that? So either cut the activated carbon out of the cartridge and clean it regularly and use it until it nearly falls apart, OR replace it with foam...and I would NOT bother to add ceramics, plastic, or rocks as the sponge is both mechanical and biological (consider all the large fishrooms out there that rely solely on air driven sponge filters!) 🙂

Also, with all the surface area of gravel, you don't want or need bio-rings or anything under the UGF plates.

The substrate is a great place for beneficial bacteria and an undergravel filter can be great. Trouble happens when too much flow is created to pull uneaten food and waste too deep into the substrate...and without routine gravel vacuuming, it becomes a foul nitrate factory!!! So it can be great, or god awful as the case may be! So back off on the air flow so water is only pulled gently down through the gravel and vacuum as required to get and keep the crud out. 🙂

Sponge filters are great and I use them in a couple of grow out tanks. However, although they are great at bio-filtration, they fall short on mechanical filtration. And they're not well suited to a display tank. Now, and this is just me, I wouldn't even consider a canister filter on anything less than 100g. If it's a display tank, and anywhere from a 20g to 100g, I'd consider an Aquaclear or a Tidal HOB. My HOB's are totally filled with sponge material, so they are effectively HOB sponge filters, with mechanical filtration capability.

No but I have taken a pond plant basket and attached foam backer rod with zip ties to create a fry saver.

If it was me I think I'd go with a Seachem Tidal 75 HOB instead of a canister, filled with sponge material and after a week or two, I'd lose the sponge filters.

If it was me I'd carefully measure the inside of the entire panel and get a piece of window glass cut at Lowes. Carefully remove all of the sealing silicone and clean well with acetone or isopropyl alcohol. After a dry fit, Apply a bead of silicone around the inside perimeter, press the glass in and then seal around the new glass pane. allow to cure 24-48 hours...good as new.

Keeping the bio-balls in bags will make cleaning MUCH easier....and they will need periodic cleaning.

You are over filtering. There is this huge myth that more (filtration) is better. I've lost track of the times that I've seen "there's no such thing as too much filtration"... but there is! Good filtration is about how well we filter water, not how much or how fast we push water through media. The dirty truth about filters is that they help with water clarity, but NOT water purity. Detritus trapped in the filter decomposes and pollutes the water. For a 75g, a single AC110 should be plenty, even set for low flow/max re-filtration. Btw, the quoted statement above might better be "there's no such thing as too much fresh, clean water!" 🙂

Then it would seem the problem is likely water and tannins.

I don't trust that there may not be pathogens in the water, so I pour through a net and only add the fish. As far as temperature, it's really only an issue if there's a significant difference which most often is not the case with the possible exception of shipped fish. Still floating the bag to equalize the temperature doesn't hurt.

As mentioned, RO water lacks minerals that plants and fish need. Even with very hard 'liquid rock' water, often a 50/50 mix with RO is all that's required. With that much wood, you'll have excessive tannin's for quite some time. If I was you, I wouldn't use RO water and would do 50% weekly water change followed by a cap or two of flourish comprehensive. You didn't mention your lighting...which can be an issue in a 24" deep tank, especially with brown water. You may need more intensity or a longer duration. I have a 48" Finnex Planted + 24/7 on my 60g in 24/7 mode on a timer from 7am-1am and plants grow well (but no tannins).

I've come to think that this 'rule' of 4x to 10x filtration water flow relative to tank size pure nonsense. First of all good filtration is about how well we filter the water, not how much or how fast we push water through media. Second (and I have an article on the dirty truth about filters) is that filters make water look clearer, but certainly not any purer as trapped detritus decomposes and pollutes the water. I have a 40g sump on my 110g stock tank with a 165gph pump.

It takes fish several days or even weeks to acclimate to different water chemistry so any drip acclimation is fairly pointless. And for shipped fish it can be a killer! For shipped fish the water becomes slightly acidic and ammonia is converted to relatively harmless ammonium. But if drip acclimation is used, the ammonium can convert back to ammonia and kill the fish. I acclimate for temperature only, then plop 'n drop right into the quarantine tank.

yep - sealed well and in the freezer.

Sorry, but that's absolutely wrong. Snails are a valuable asset in natural tank management as they process organic waste so bacteria can more easily finish the job. Like beneficial bacteria, their numbers are relative to the available resources. If there are too many, it's most often due to over feeding.

I actually have a couple of AC70 filters (w/ac50 impellers) on my 60g planted display tank. With a 3-4" layer of pool filter sand (nothing gets down under) that with a couple of cories and Malaysian Trumpet snails, I haven't touched in 8-10 years. for weekly partial water changes, I just drop a submersible pump in, take out about 50%, and then refill.

Each to his/her own but I wouldn't put sponge filter in a 60g, especially if it was a display tank. Jut my $.02, but I think I'd go with an Aquaclear 70 or a Tidal 75.

Some of the flake food is very large flakes so over a large bowl I'll squeeze a handful of quality flake food yo get a more palatable size flake. For fry food I'll do this more aggressively for smaller bits, add a tsp of spirulina powder, and then when feeding a thumb and forefinger pinch may be squeezed to make it even smaller as/if necessary.

@gardenmanis correct AND also you might also want to test your source water. It is not uncommon these days to have nitrates in your water supply! So if you had nitrates in your source water and BB had not established, you'd have ammonia and nitrates.

We somehow muddled through (Mid 60's for me).

The Kaldnes K1/K3 media has gotten a lot of good press. In the aquarium it's likely as good or better than a large sponge filter. But call me an old fashioned naturalist, but I think deep sand and fast growing plants can't be beat in providing superior water quality between routine periodic partial water changes. 🙂

I feel that you are best served with a coarse pre-filter sponge that slides on over the tip of the inlet tube.

I'm on a well so my water does not have any chlorine/chloramine so I only have safe on hand for potential ammonia spikes (that may occur for example if/when a dead fish goes unnoticed). In those cases I use a 1/8 and 1/4 measuring spoons and add the amount appropriate for the size of the tank. I mix with water in a deli cup before pouring into the tank. It works because slight overkill to neutralize ammonia has never seemed to be a problem. Maybe you simply need small measuring spoons and make a simple chart?

Unless you have really soft water (seems not to be the case) you really don't need to add minerals as long as you do routine periodic partial water changes. All plants and fish use minerals, so in addition to removing pollutants with dilution, partial water changes replenish necessary minerals in the water. Speaking of replenish, for those with softer water, Seachem Replenish may be a good choice. Also, crushed coral would help with really soft water. (I'll confess that I've never used wondershell, but my water is neither hard nor soft).