TonyVideo

I am doing testing on my 75 gallon aquarium now with an under gravel filter with landscaping cloth over that followed by a sand substrate. I also have basket to one side of kitty litter in a mesh bag in my Fluval filter. Oil dry from TSC seemed to work best for me. I am skeptical but like to experiment. I also have a layer above the cloth of oil dry with the sand over that. Getting ready to slow down the flow of the under gravel filter on May 1st. I wanted to make sure nitrifying bacteria was present first. I started this setup end of Feb.

That is why you would use a filter. If you pay for city water this would save you some money. Dehumidified water is zero everything, if anything is left it would be filtered out. It comes from the air and from your tanks anyway.

I have used the Fritz brand successfully. Just check the date. If no fish yet you have to keep feeding the bacteria with ammonia to keep it active in the tank.

Save and filter the dehumidified water and use it to top off your tanks. Get a rain barrel to store the water and put a filter in it. Put the dehumidifier above the barrel so it can drain into it on a shelf.

What are the water parameters that you are putting in? Adjust that first. This will allow slower changes to occur in the tank with 25% daily water changes.

I go by the manufactures manual as there are different types. I prefer bottom horizontal for convection current flow however my Fluval says vertical only. I am amazed that more incidents of shocked people don’t happen which shows the safety of the heaters. When I was a kid xx years ago there were metal rimmed tanks and when people started putting submersible heaters in them it was not uncommon to get a mild shock. May be why metal frame aquariums are a thing of the past. They sure did look nice however. My first heater was an under gravel heater. Worked good until it didn’t. 😀