Hobby Resurrection

[Phred]

Old, newbie here.  Dusting off and setting up my 50 gallon, corner aquarium for a freshwater community tank after a twenty-year hiatus!  I am a one-tank hobbyist, not looking to intentionally breed fish, and might have a couple of live plants.  Seems like most of the comments in this forum are from folks with much more sophisticated objectives and experience.  🙂 

Spent the last week researching equipment and watching Cory's videos.  Bought a Fluval 307 for my primary filtration - I had success with a Fluval canister in the past.  Some questions:

>> Secondary Filtration / Water Flow / Aeration:  I'm under the impression that my Fluval 307 should be "enough" filtration.  I plan on adding one of Aquarium Co-op's Pre-Filters.  I am contemplating buying the Fluval Spray Bar Kit to help with dispersion of the outflow.  Any suggestions on whether I should be complementing the canister filter with something else?  (Sponge Filter / Air Stone / Air Pump.  Nano Circulation Pump.  Redundant Internal Filter (Ziss, Shark ADV)).  Tank will be in my living room, so I would appreciate any recommendations for specific equipment that is quiet.  (Over-the-back filters don't work with my corner tank.)    

>> LED Lighting:  I'm intrigued by LED lighting that can be programmed / controlled by an iPhone app.  The couple of threads that I've read on this topic seem to be oriented toward growing plants - versus just illuminating and not stressing the fish.  My tank to has room for a ~28x4" or ~20x8" footprint.  It is two feet deep, so would one lighting fixture be enough??  I would spend $150 on the Fluval Plant 3.0 if the technology & app features are much better than the $60 Fluval AquaSky 2.0.  I also wouldn't shy away from the $30 Hygger or NICREW if they are excellent lighting with basic controlling / scheduling app features.  Recommendations?

Thanks, Bill

 

Edited September 16, 2020 by Phred

[Brian K]

I am by no means an expert, but I would definitely recommend a sponge filter and place it in the back corner of the tank. This will help with circulation as due to the odd shape it has a high chance of having dead spots for water movement. As far as the spray bar I think you will be good by just placing your output in one of the front corners (not directly in the corner) to create current across the front/middle. If you aren't sure on plants don't waste your money on a fluval 3.0. I personally would just get a 6500 kelvin light that fits across the top or nicrew like you mentioned and buy yourself one of the wifi plugs aquarium coop will have for sale soon #salesplug and use that to program the light schedule. That's what I use on all my tanks that don't have a fluval 3.0. Also the wifi plugs are just great for anything you would like to control from your phone. Got that one lamp you always leave on in the house at night and no clapper to turn it off, bam wifi plug for the win. 

Edited September 16, 2020 by Brian K

[Andy's Fish Den]

Welcome back to the fishkeeping hobby! The Fluval filter you are planning on would be "enough" filtration for your tank, and I like the idea of using a spray bar to help aerate and disperse the water being returned to the tank. However, I would get a hold of one of the USB air pumps that the coop sells along with a Ziss never clog airstone to help with some aeration and circulation. The pumps are quiet and small so they can be easily hidden. As for lighting, if you aren't going to do live plants, you don't need the Fluval 3.0. You can get the Aquasky or even one of the cheap beamsworks or nicrew ones off Amazon or eBay, I believe there are some that are wifi compatible for control, if not, use on of the smart plugs that are readily available. 

[Bill Smith]

That fish is too big for that tank. Just sayin'.

😉

[shkote]

I am really starting to like these corner tanks! 

[ChefConfit]

I would get a sponge filter and the coop nano USB air pump as a backup. Being able to plug it into a power bank to keep a filter going during a power outage is awesome.

I have a hygger light on my 29hex and it's got a built in timer with sunrise sunset and moonlight but it doesn't connect to your phone. I really like the light it gives off and it also grows all my plants great including reds which I find impressive on such a tall tank for such a cheap light. The nicrew I inherited with the tank did not keep my reds red on the hex, but does a great job on my 5g

[Phred]

Thanks all for the recommendations!  I put a 30-item order in with Aquarium Co-op this afternoon for USB air pumps, various sizes of sponge filters and pre-filters, etc., etc.  Received a shipping confirmation 80 minutes later… amazing!!

I read that the USB Nano air pump would only run the smaller sponge filter / air stone.  I veered away from the Aquatop air pump because several reviews indicated it was noisy.  Any recommendations for another, quieter air pump to run the largest-sized sponge filter that I bought?  I think I know the answer, but would it be stressful for the fish / tank if I was to periodically “turn off” the secondary sponge filter / air pump (via a smart plug) for hours at a time when we are watching TV?

I really like the suggestions to use a smart plug to program/control a less-expensive LED light.  Also, thanks for the complements on my current pet fish and the looks of the corner tank!

[Bill Smith]

I run the USB nano pump through the large-size sponge filter with no problems. It's definitely enough air.

I also worked an airstone in there and used the uplift tube, which boosted performance.

In my opinion, no other single-tank pump comes close in silence for the volume of air you get.

Edited September 17, 2020 by Bill Smith

[Brian K]

11 minutes ago, Phred said:

Thanks all for the recommendations!  I put a 30-item order in with Aquarium Co-op this afternoon for USB air pumps, various sizes of sponge filters and pre-filters, etc., etc.  Received a shipping confirmation 80 minutes later… amazing!!

I read that the USB Nano air pump would only run the smaller sponge filter / air stone.  I veered away from the Aquatop air pump because several reviews indicated it was noisy.  Any recommendations for another, quieter air pump to run the largest-sized sponge filter that I bought?  I think I know the answer, but would it be stressful for the fish / tank if I was to periodically “turn off” the secondary sponge filter / air pump (via a smart plug) for hours at a time when we are watching TV?

I really like the suggestions to use a smart plug to program/control a less-expensive LED light.  Also, thanks for the complements on my current pet fish and the looks of the corner tank!

You will have no problem running the large sponge filter with the usb air pump. I actually have my usb air pump to power multiple sponge filter with air stones in the filter and they are all running fine. Honestly watch the most recent co-op video on the sponge filters if you are worried about it being under performing, because Cory shows you what to look for. 

[ChefConfit]

Iirc we are now on the second generation of the USB nano air pumps and performance running the larger sponge filters was one of the things they improved for the new ones. But my memory is horrible and I could be making that up

[Bill Smith]

 

19 minutes ago, ChefConfit said:

Iirc we are now on the second generation of the USB nano air pumps and performance running the larger sponge filters was one of the things they improved for the new ones. But my memory is horrible and I could be making that up

The second generation definitely has a more robust power adapter; I think the first generation were just a tiny bit underpowered. I compensated with these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0771HWYH9

My first generation pumps are just as powerful as the second with the new power adapters.

I'm not a big fan of the new Aquarium Co-Op ones, because they take up too much space on a power strip. The ones from Amazon are equally powerful and take up minimal space!