Jump to content
Watch our video on the rules of this forum.

Collin

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    19

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Feedback

    0%

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Collin

    I need some help unpacking the wide world of pond filtration

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    10 minutes ago, Cory said:

    In general I feel like pond filters are very overpriced. A DIY solution is a good option. Any filter you have will need lots of cleaning because lots of stuff falls into a pond. Lots of water changes help. Usually pond filtration is disproportionally sized to not have to clean it all the time. So you might need filtration that takes up the size of 1/3-1/2 the pond underground/away from the pond, back flushing and water changes to keep what we think of as clean in an aquarium. Or if you got more natural, all you really need is some air in the pond, and water changes. Anything you add to that will help make it a bit visually cleaner, but unlikely to be needed to keep it chemically safe for the fish.

    Can you recommend any resources for building a DIY system?

    I need some help unpacking the wide world of pond filtration

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hi everyone,

    I'm currently in the process of constructing a new pond in my backyard and I need some guidance for choosing a pond filter. I've seen people do "bog filters" as well as build what can best be described as giant sumps. Here's the thing: I don't have that kind of space and I don't want a giant filter setup to take away from the look of the pond.

    The pond is going to be 2 feet above ground and the footprint is going to be 6'x8'. I have a much smaller pond which this new one will be replacing so that my 4 koi and 1 comet can have MUCH more space. In the current pond, we're using a box filter which is... fine I guess? It keeps the water clear and has space for bacteria, but holy cow does it need to be cleaned extremely often.

    I've seen internal filters, pressurized filters, and so many other things. There doesn't seem to be the kind of community around ponds as there is for indoor aquariums, so finding consistent advice has been a challenge.

    I saw in one of Cory's videos that he had what looked like an external pressurized filter for his pond inside of a hidden compartment of sorts which looked really cool.

    What sort of questions should I be asking myself in order to figure out what kind of filter I should get? I'm honestly really lost.

    Red Algae Discussion

    in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers

    Posted

    Hi everyone,

    In recent weeks I have noticed something odd in two of my aquariums: Red algae.

    I have been keeping fish for almost 10 years now and this is the first time I have ever seen it. I have been on the same water source during my whole duration as a fishkeeper as well, so I wasn't sure what to make of it. From my research, certain red algae exists in freshwater, but these algae's all seem so... 3D I guess is an appropriate term. Multicellular? The red algae I have noticed has the flat appearance of brown diatom algae, but it isn't dusty like diatom algae and takes some effort to clean off the glass. Perhaps this is actually cyanobacteria or some variation thereof? I have some theories as to why it has developed. I have recently begun using easy carbon prior to this red algae appearing and I think it could be a factor. Maybe the easy carbon doesn't inhibit this red algae, but the fact that the green and diatom algae is gone means that the red algae now has the room and nutrients to compete.

    I'd love to hear everyone's ideas on this and what they think this stuff is.

    8642d638-cb4c-40a7-ae44-7abf9b1bf0fc.jpg

    Detritus worms constructing their casings

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hi everyone,

    I've recently become very fascinated wuth detritus worms and want to learn more about them and their life cycle.

    Yesterday I put a manzanita branch into my betta tank. Today I noticed a couple of detritus worms on it and thought nothing of it, because why would I? But then I realized... these have to be new detritus worms and thus must have just built their casings... or maybe they are still building them! I looked, and sure enough they were wiggling around, appearing to grab...detritus... and it looked like they were pulling it back or maybe eating it.

    I took a short timelapse that just shows a couple of them wiggling around on the branch and uploaded it here if you'd like to watch it.

    Hiding Places for Raphael Catfish

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hi everyone,

    I've had my striped raphael catfish for almost 10 years now and he has always picked a really cramped hiding place in the aquarium. Its one of those artificial bell decorations, and he has to curl up inside just to fit his body in there. I'd like to get him a better spot to hide where he doesn't have to contort his body so much. I removed the decoration and put the fish into my 20 gallon quarantine tank for the meantime, since without a place to hide, he gets bullied by my synodontis eupterus, whom he's been tankmates with for 9 years. What recommendations for hiding spots, or even just scapes for that matter, do y'all have? (Thumbnail is the fish in the quarantine tank)

    First-time DSLR user - Can I get some tips on how to get good aquarium shots?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Chris said:

    Thank you! I've wanted to invest in a DSLR for a long time, but have never really had the chance. Phone pictures always come out kind of "meh" for me, and a big part of the hobby (for me, anyway) is sharing my tanks. It's nice to have the ability to do that, now!

     

    I do have a question about this lens. I assume it's supposed to be an all-rounder, since it's the one that came with the camera. At 105 mm, the aperture narrows to around 7, and at 25 mm, the aperture widens to 4. Is that a relatively common spec? I know there are "fast" lenses that are designed for action shots, so maybe that should be a future investment. Not that this isn't satisfying for now, but just curious!

    I don't have much experience with using different lenses unfortunately. Maybe someone else on tbe forum will have more insight. When it comes to aquarium photography, I think a good lense upgrade would be some kind of macro lens. I don't have one myself but it's something I've been looking for for a while.

    Mbuna food

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I recently picked up some yellow labs that are quite small, some smaller than an inch. I've got them in quarantine right now to not only prevent any diseases from spreading, but also to ket them grow out a bit before adding them to my display tank. Is the co-op's easy fry food a good idea to feed these guys?

    Here are the ingredients:

    1614875223710413748798489385630.jpg

    • Like 1

    An Introduction

    in Introductions & Greetings

    Posted

    1 minute ago, Fish Folk said:

    A guy i our fish club is a master at backyard pond digging. He measured out his ponds to lay down a layer of thick cushioning material beneath and on the sides before laying in his liner so that stones wouldn't cut through.

    Oh wow! That's something I never even considered until now. I've mostly been concerned with filtration so far. Today I learned that pressurized filters, which look an awful lot like canister filters, don't have pumps, and you need to buy one separate. Unfortunately companies I'd normally associate with aquarium filters (Fluval, Marineland, etc.) don't make dedicated outdoor filters, or at least I haven't found them yet, so It's been interesting trying to navigate through all the different pond specific brands.

    An Introduction

    in Introductions & Greetings

    Posted

    10 minutes ago, Fish Folk said:

    Cool! Ponds are really awesome. Wish we could dig up our backyard . . . 

    Digging is the part I'm going to lament the most. Our soil here has so many big rocks. The design I'm thinking of is mostly going to be above ground so I don't think I'll have to dig very far. Thankfully it almost never freezes here so digging into the ground won't matter so much... however mother nature has already proven to be unpredictable this year so who knows.

    An Introduction

    in Introductions & Greetings

    Posted

    Hi everyone,

    My name is Collin and I've been keeping fish for about 9 years. I'm currently a business major and I split my free time between woodworking and fish keeping. I'm currently on an African cichlid kick and have really been enjoying them. Other than cichlids, I keep my betta, Todd, pictured above, as well as koi and a single goldfish who was a friend's that had it in a small tank. My next big project in fish keeping will be building a larger pond in my backyard to give my koi enough room to live out the rest of their long years.

    Oh, and I also have really the photography aspect of fish keeping ever since I figured out how to work a DSLR.

    koi wallpaper.JPG

    • Like 2
×
×
  • Create New...