[Sponge filter with hob questions]

On 7/27/2021 at 6:38 AM, Guppysnail said:

Java fern and Anubis will grow in any lighting low light need no fertz no soil etc And can be relatively inexpensive at any pet big box store in a tube grown emerged so no disease parasite pest risk. Plants remove stuff average hobbiests can’t test for and add oxygen and fish love to have them. 

But this great information and now I'm starting to research adding live plants 

[Sponge filter with hob questions]

I also feel like my question went from nothing about plants to every response is about plants to be honest I'm happy that nothing has died yet it's just another worry for me to add more living things at the moment it is my first fish tank ever and its only been 3 months 

[Sponge filter with hob questions]

So I guess my real question is why have an air pump to just an air stone or bubble wand ? When you could get the same thing (adding oxygen to the water column) plus extra filtration and bonus beneficial bacteria. Is a sponge filter doing the exact same thing but bonus for dirt cheap?

[Sponge filter with hob questions]

On 7/27/2021 at 1:49 AM, Colu said:

Best filtration you can get for a tank is live plants  you could put two medium sponge filter in one at each end of your tank

Yeah I dont have the set up for a planted tank. lights, nutrients, proper gravel. And all that is quite expensive including the plants themselves. I appreciate the size and placement ideas for the affordable sponge filter that basically uses what I already own minus the actual filter which probably cost less than a single plant. the tank and about 1/2 the fish in it where given to me. and happens to be my first tank ever so let's not try to over complicate things by giving me more living things to research and care for.

[1930s historically accurate planted aquarium]

On 7/27/2021 at 2:54 AM, Daniel said:

There aquarium stays a room temperature (no heater), maybe a little above room temperature because the aquarium is set before a south facing window so somewhere between 70°F and 74°F. I wouldn't put discus in there, but angelfish and everything else seems to do fine.

 

But you also said you live somewhere where it freezes, how the tank originally broke. And also you mentioned no central heating in the 30s it just spurred some thought of how did they do it ? And the pic of the expanding food that you cant apparently over feed was super interesting. I'm just in love with your idea/ challenge. And picking the great depression era just makes it even more interesting I'm following for updates to see how this turns out. 😃

[1930s historically accurate planted aquarium]

On 7/27/2020 at 1:12 PM, Daniel said:

That is a great question!

Aquarium keeping in the 1930s seems pretty similar to what we do now, with pretty similar results. I won't do anything that isn't good for the fish. I might have to work harder though if I am trying to find live foods for example. And it's possible I won't have to work as hard as there will be fewer gadgets to maintain. From my initial reading of the literature, 1930s aquariums do not seem like they were worse for the fish/plants than now, just managed differently, certainly fewer fish per gallon than we tend to keep now. The living conditions of many economically important animals generally haven't improved since the 1930s. Ask yourself, if you were a chicken or a pig or a cow, for the short time you were alive on the Earth, would you have preferred to have been on a 1930s farm or in a 2020 Industrial production facility? I know it is not that good of an analogy but the point I would like to make is that while many, many things have improved in the last 100 years, some things are remarkably similar, and few things were possibly better a 100 years ago.

I am prepared to end the experiment if I have to make compromises that would cause the fish to suffer, but let's find out together what it was like to keep a planted tropical fish tank in the early years of the Great Depression.

And this vintage magazine just came in the mail today. Here is the cover for the August 1934 issue of Home and Gardens magazine. I think this will give me something to shoot for as I set up the tank.

 

I'm just curious about your heating methods. Shoots that's just one of many things I'm curious about this beautiful idea you came up with. And I'd choose livestock from the old days over the methods today lol good point 

[Sponge filter with hob questions]

So I have a 55g with a fruval 70 hob filter and a two port air filter hooked up to one air stone in a decoration and a bubble wand. I was thinking of making one if not both hoses hook up to your brand sponge filters instead. (Btw nice product) so I could get some more good bacteria and still aerate the water column. So that's the setup right now and the idea. But now for the questions, what size sponge filters? And does it matter what side or locations for the hob/ sponge? Should I do two or one sponge filter? The tank is a little full have -2 plattys- 1 full size gourami- 1 blue dwarf gourami- 2 giant danios- 6 tiger barb's- 3 cori catfish- 1 pitcus catfish- 3 black racer snails- 1 black kuli loach- and down to 5 neon tetras (I think the pitcus ate the others but just a guess). So In conclusion I probably overstocked and think the adding of the sponge filter/s would help. just wanted some opinions on size and placement of additional filters. And waters clear no problems with water test or anything and not too much agression in tank just thought the added sponge filter/ would help. Thanks, any and all constructive criticism or advice is welcome and appreciated.