nabokovfan87

Sounds good. I think it can handle it. How is the fish behavior in relation to the water surface and added surface agitation?

I will take a video of my panda tank to try to show the flow / setup. I don't have a ziss in there now, but the way to equate it is that the ziss isn't small bubbles. The bubbles are out of a plastic diffuser and pretty chunky. I wouldn't say it's "more or less" flow for the fish, but it's a bit more surface agitation because the bubbles are pretty chunky. As long as you're running 2 air devices, you're using a metal gang valve, you can pretty finely tune it. Say you have a 20G tank and a 20G airpump. It might not be enough pressure just because of the way the ziss diffuses air and how it gets clogged up at times. Same tank, 40G airpump, you're probably fine to run the ziss + Sponge. So it all just depends on what you're running and how it'll be setup. This pump had enough capacity to run the ziss, the sponges, and it's a "deep water" pond style air pump with slightly more pressure than normal. complete overkill. But.... I removed the ziss and hopefully you can see with the same setup, just removing the ziss the surface agitation is there the air is there, but it's not "too much" for the fish. I wouldn't put a betta in this tank, so I totally understand the concern. I am wording it this way because I don't know the specific care requirements you're looking at. If you need a video of the ziss I have a few pumps and what not and I can easily simulate whatever need be for you. 🙂 (Sidenote, I guess the skimmer was jammed, I fixed it, bubbles are gone now)

I used a literal algae scraper on mine. (Video in my journal for the enjoyment 😂 ) I wish you luck. When it blooms, you might run into issues. I sure did.

I do this method. Hopefully this helps!

Frustratingly.... they have a spraybar for this thing already made. 😞 Seems like an amazing little pump. Hopefully it works well and worst case if I can't get the CO2 stuff resolved, I can NOW install in-line CO2. If you have a fluval flex or something like that (in terms of filtration) be sure to check out Sicce MI Mouse pumps. I don't know if they are readily available, but it looks like a drop in replacement.

There is a new vs. old one (diffuser) I would try to get the new one if you're buying directly. What specifically are the concerns with the kit?

Just let the eggs do what they're gonna do then. It's easier on the fry, when they hatch, to be in the big tank with many surfaces to graze on. Mine would hide in moss or cracks in rocks. You might get some new corydoras out of it.

I use the ziss as a secondary "bonus" filter, not really main for anything. On my 75G I ran 2-3 of them. In my 29, I'd run one. This was literally just to increase flow on one side of the tank and/or to have a means to "polish" the tank by filtering the water column itself a bit more directly. It does a pretty decent job at that. As far as use / replacing X and Y with a ziss.... you can totally replace a sponge with a ziss. They typically require a bit more flow than a sponge in order to work effectively. They can be more noisy, but it's not a bad thing. It's like having a fountain on in the office or something. You get used to it. You have to have the flow high enough to knock the lazy bacteria off, but low enough that the media isn't just getting tossed around and filled with junk. What you'll find is that the sponge is relatively thin. On my current setups, whenever I do use them I run 1/2 fine sponge and 1/2 the normal sponge. Yep, it totally sucks to cut out a circle. Alright so.... the big question, are there any issues? Yep. The biggest one I had was media getting stuck in the intake or the intake clogging over time, about 30-45 days. It would lower the flow, then you'd see the little media slow down and know it's time to clean it out. This requires taking it apart, which is a massive pain because the suction cups are military grade or something. They will likely shatter an aquarium if you rip too hard. I use a thin blade to pry them off. Just be careful. get it out, then disassemble and clean it out. Make sure there isn't a little bit of media stuck between the input tube and the air diffuser (it happens) and make sure the lid of the filter isn't gunked up with muck or plants. It's a great little add-on. Totally not required. But I really enjoy them.

I can barely, barely see ich on the tail in the second photo. The photos are very small and I can't really zoom in too much. Keep in mind that you have barbs, typically this is a lower temp tank and the fish can be pretty sensitive to temp in general. My barbs got ich and it took me a little bit in order to get the temp up, then to get the ich to cycle. I was treating for 3-4 weeks instead of the typical 1-2. I used salt, temp, and ich-X to treat mine. How are you treating ich? I assume only ich-X because of the plants, no salt? What is the temp at normally, did you raise it to treat the disease and increase the cycle time so the ich can be killed? You'd want to push it up to 78 as a minimum to try to treat it. After you "don't see spots" for 24-48 hours, then you'd follow up with treatment for 3 days.

What does the tank look like? Do the females have cover to escape the male?

When I did the project, 4th grade I think, I was so confused at what on earth was going one. We filled up a cup with sand and then we stuck shells into it. Then we poured this gunk into the cup to fill it up and let it dry. I appreciate it so much every time I see it, and how meaningful it is to me. (think of it as a paper weight or just a decor item) but it's so aesthetically nice for some random crap a kid put together.

Looks like they are. Don't do anything. They will hatch as long as the tank is "mature" and typically will do ok with mulm and so forth. If you are trying to get a 100% hatch rate, I would head to the shop and try to find the fluval / marina hang on breeder box or something similar and use that. Honestly, I just see eggs and would keep an eye out for fry in a few days / weeks. I let the fish do their thing and it's been fine for my personal, home use.

I think you have 2-3 different algaes shown. Green Brush, Black Brush, and potentially hair algaes as well.

Very awesome. Random question.... Do you have any plaster around? Your project reminded me of one I did a long time ago. I still have it and still cherish it.

I think I have your tank issues now! 😂 Had another random spike of nitrites today. 😞 Please show off your tank again!!!!! I'm excited to see it now that you're having a better time with everything.

There is also the "over top" i.e. trickle style filters used (think sump, but on the top of the tank) and this points more towards aquaponic style setups as well, which is very common in the hobby for people who want to use pathos or other plants above the tank. This is also extremely common when it comes to ponds. I quoted Mr. Lung because of the "moving bed biofilters" and I wanted to just mention that there is also the static version of the exact same filter. It doesn't require anything different, but change the media inside the container of choice. The construction is the same, but the method, ratings, advantages, and disadvantages might be very different. In terms of the sheet, I think there's a great start and a useful tool. There's been a TON of videos by Prime Time aquatics I would reference here as well that might be useful as a series if someone is trying to visually see or decide between two types. I can't, or I won't I should say, speak to "what is best" or what works the best simply because I think the use case, size, hobbyist themselves are so critical to the equation. Even tank size is a pretty big parameter for how and what filtration I will want to use. If I have a tank in one spot, I might filter it very differently than if I have it somewhere else. If a tank is very easy to hook up to a python, it might be a lot easier to talk yourself into a sump, for instance. There's a lot that goes into it. Experience aside, there's a ton to digest and mull over. Pong Guru's video series here, is really fun to watch as well. He made a massive pond filter over a series, setup a ton of different types of media and filtration methods. He also went back and updated that system, spoke about issues, and how it didn't work for his application. All amazingly interesting topics.

I have made them a few times. I also broke just about every one or was just annoyed by them. I would paint them black (something I saw simply betta do) and I would glue the plastic to the bottom glass. I MUCH prefer Dean's lids and how he did his. Why they don't just have this stuff available ready to go.... ( @Aqueon ) or why marineland lids don't exist anywhere now, or why top fin decided to make their tanks a different size, or why the literal most common tank lid size doesn't fit! I just don't understand. (20L needs to be addressed and have a stinking lid!) I have the rear trim piece, I need to buy the glass and then have it cut. (I have a cutter, but I want to have a glass shop bevel the edges and stuff. I am done trying to make it "work" and I want the lid to be a feature. I also plan to hang my light above the tank from the ceiling / wall so I don't have to mess with the light and lid anymore. Long term, it'll be done, but right now I just need to be able to use a pump, preferably with a spraybar. As a sidenote, I highly recommend making your own lids as opposed to buying one. Not using the plastic trim all over is so nice. For tanks running on air alone, even with a small HoB you can get the lid very tight. Just have a plan for the light if you run a HoB. I've flooded the top of the lid a few times, fine for sliding, but for hinge it's a bit of a hassle. I took the strainer off the intake (it's basically the ACO powerhead) and I have the intake sponge that fits that inlet. It's the "large size" which is just very large given the tank is very small. It also is unfortunate because it is taking up a ton of space and only there to run for 8 hours per day. I found this one and I am going to give it a shot. Looks perfect for my need. I ordered a spraybar kit and will go from there. https://www.amazon.com/Sicce-Syncra-Nano-Circulation-Pump/dp/B00NCPJG2I/ref=sr_1_2?crid=17DUHFQZ7IYX4&keywords=sicce+sicra+nano&qid=1661460908&sprefix=sicce+sicra+nano%2Caps%2C241&sr=8-2

when I tried to buffer mine.... the HoB was about 75% of what I "needed" to buffer mine 1 degree. Meaning, to go up 1 drop, it was .75 lb of CC to the HoB. You can see it adds up pretty quickly and there is a point of limited returns. I even tried to use a ziss bubble bio to hold another lb of CC and that didn't work well enough. To be clear, the filter I had was the Tidal, which has bypass issues. That being said.... I would only recommend CC in a canister because you can actually get enough in there, as a chemical filter media, to cause enough of a difference. You're best chance to use CC is to add it to the substrate or add it as a base layer and cap it. I use Seachem Alkaline buffer on my tanks.

I totally meant to clean up some mess this week. It totally didn't happen! Maybe tomorrow. I love that I have 5G buckets with lids because... A. I can stack buckets and keep internal stuff dry. B. I can use them when need be to keep things clean / stacked. It's like a little shelf 😂

Agreed. A lot of actual hobbyists want to give good deals to fellow hobbyists when they are in a situation where they have to get rid of stuff. we all know used equipment, especially glass tanks aren't worth what we paid for! 1000%

Definitely so. I use 1 bin to store pretty much anything that's annoying. Other stuff goes in the stand, behind, or next to the tank. Barring that, it's literally kept inside the WC bucket for stuff I use during a WC (WC bin is also useful) because I don't have a real place to keep / store python or siphons and keep them clean.

title: Adding crushed coral post: Adding peat moss and aragonite (and more aragonite aka crushed coral) I'm really confused at what your goal is. A. What species do you plan to keep in the tank? B. What is your actual tap water and off-gas tap water results for PH, KH, GH, Ammonia, Nitrates. With Aragonite, you're basically a full salt water tank at 8.5 PH. You definitely don't need Aragonite in this tank. I would recommend using normal sand or keeping African Cichlids (or other high PH fish) Stability in the tank is likely going to only happen by removing the peat moss and letting the tank balance to normal parameters. Your KH is likely going to go from ~100 ppm up to 200-250 with the substrate. Your PH will likely go from 7.5 up quite a bit. You GH doesn't really matter, but it'll go up as well. I would test your water for off-gassing, meaning, test it from the tap, aerate that sample for 24 hours, report any changes in the above mentioned tests. Then, compare that to what your tank is actually going to be sustained at. You have a week where the moss stops working and you're looking at a devastating PH hike which will kill a lot of fish.

Very tragic. One of my biggest concerns when moving fish is exactly this. They do sell lids for the buckets. Something dean has mentioned is that he bags the fish and it makes it slightly easier for the store. Just something that might help given the travel situation. I 1000% understand not wanting to bag them. I hope that you, the car, everything is ok. And a huge thank you to the store employee that helped out.

I know.... 😞 They hate the camera. To give you an idea. Normally you'll see 0 when I try to record them doing stuff. They bolt. They didn't, just cause they were like.... "nope, my food spot"

I do think they are a Legion of Pandas (mass effect reference?)! Essentially they are definitely a hivemind at this point. They weren't happy with the camera today but I am further away from the tank and I can see them going to town right now, little tails wiggling everywhere. Shutter and the white sand is all blown out. *sips coffee* Next time I'll have a better one. I just looked over, filter is back on from feeding. They are going bonkers again because it got all stirred up. I highly recommend a Horde of Corydoras and I'm excited for TeeJay when he has his in full force!!!