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Antipofish
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How frequently are you doing water changes and how much ?
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Calzone's new 120x60x45 optiwhite tank build
- Thread starter Calzone
- Start date
You have some lovely pieces of kit there mate. 
What a shame about the filter being so tall that the pipes are now restricted!
The only way out of that would be to cut out the cabinet base, I wouldn't bat an eyelid about doing such things but I realise I might not be normal LOL.
What a shame about the filter being so tall that the pipes are now restricted!
The only way out of that would be to cut out the cabinet base, I wouldn't bat an eyelid about doing such things but I realise I might not be normal LOL.
Actually, the inlet pipes aren't actually touching the ceiling, it's mor like they have a decent horizontal distance to travel, and I may have pulled them too snug. I may be able to address this with a bit of jiggling, or find some way of changing the curve they go through...
On water changes, am currently changing about 50% once a week - no lights, no algae and a cycling filter. 4 ppm seems the right nh3 level to cycle the filter, but obviously this will take more than 3 weeks, and it's not mature enough yet to remove all the ammonia. The question is whether I need it to be able to suck out all the AS ammonia spike, or whether slightly more PWC would be better and still cycle the filter fine.
On water changes, am currently changing about 50% once a week - no lights, no algae and a cycling filter. 4 ppm seems the right nh3 level to cycle the filter, but obviously this will take more than 3 weeks, and it's not mature enough yet to remove all the ammonia. The question is whether I need it to be able to suck out all the AS ammonia spike, or whether slightly more PWC would be better and still cycle the filter fine.
A
Antipofish
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Calzone said:
I was thinking the same thing as you re the ammonia. And yeah its a case of adjusting the curve as I see you have space to do that. There looks like a definite constriction though at the moment so I would be inclined to adjust that. Are you not keen to cut the base of the cabinet?
I think its probably an understatement to say I am not keen!! My DIY skills are distinctly average, and my patience less so. Plus getting this filter out over a 4 inch lip would be a nightmare - it weighs roughly 30kg full. Anyway, I may have screwed up by cutting the hoses a bit to short, but then if I hadn't i'd probably not have had enough to fit the whole lot in. If I can't jiggle things around better I'll probably end up getting 4m of clear hose, the green being unnecessarily vivid. And its already coated inside with brown deposits (bits of fungus? algae? aquasoil bits? dust from the filter media? who knows? its even in the outlet pipe which doesn't imply good things about the prefilter and polishing wool efficacity), so clear hose could hardly be much worse.
Another question: does anyone use the Eheim double tap connectors? I'm thinking of a way to make maintenance etc easier, especially for eg hose cleaning, and particularly around the AM1000 reactor. Currently there's no escaping the bad ergonomics and extensive use of buckets and towels. Mayhap the double taps would help. That said, they are heinously expensive at twenty odd quid. If I could be confident about hoselock fittings and sizes, they would obviously be cheaper though in my experience they're not too reliable or watertight, and fairly sure they'd restrict flow too.
Another question: does anyone use the Eheim double tap connectors? I'm thinking of a way to make maintenance etc easier, especially for eg hose cleaning, and particularly around the AM1000 reactor. Currently there's no escaping the bad ergonomics and extensive use of buckets and towels. Mayhap the double taps would help. That said, they are heinously expensive at twenty odd quid. If I could be confident about hoselock fittings and sizes, they would obviously be cheaper though in my experience they're not too reliable or watertight, and fairly sure they'd restrict flow too.
A
Antipofish
Guest
Have you considered using 45degree pvc bends. You would have a little bit of flexipipe coming out of the top filter attachment then going to a 45degree pvc bend and then back on to the flexi hose (with a little aquarium silicant as sealant) That would keep the shape and the 45degree bend would not be too much to reduce flow as significantly as the constriction you currently have.
Making a hole in the cabinet is as simple as drilling four holes in each corner of the piece you want to take out then use a jigsaw around the sides of the square you are cutting out (or if there is not enough space then use a handheld padsaw). If you are not confident doing it then fair enough. Don't want to ruin the tank. If you were nearer I would come and do it for you if you wanted. I don't see how getting the filter out would be made more difficult by doing this though, or do you mean just lifting it vertically to get it up to the normal floor level of the cabinet ? Hmm, yes I see your point on that, it is a hefty bit of kit. Flog it and get a G6 mate, hahah.
Making a hole in the cabinet is as simple as drilling four holes in each corner of the piece you want to take out then use a jigsaw around the sides of the square you are cutting out (or if there is not enough space then use a handheld padsaw). If you are not confident doing it then fair enough. Don't want to ruin the tank. If you were nearer I would come and do it for you if you wanted. I don't see how getting the filter out would be made more difficult by doing this though, or do you mean just lifting it vertically to get it up to the normal floor level of the cabinet ? Hmm, yes I see your point on that, it is a hefty bit of kit. Flog it and get a G6 mate, hahah.
Rubbish flow on the G6...
on these 45deg bends - do you have in mind filter attachment--> short 16mm hose-->pvc bend-->rest of hose ? With the pipe bends glued to the hose?
I always struggle to fin 16mm id pvc pipe round my way. I suppose this is about 5/8".
Thinking about it, given the hose isn't touching the ceiling, not obvious there's any need to lower the filter. I think I probably just need a bit more slack.
on these 45deg bends - do you have in mind filter attachment--> short 16mm hose-->pvc bend-->rest of hose ? With the pipe bends glued to the hose?
I always struggle to fin 16mm id pvc pipe round my way. I suppose this is about 5/8".
Thinking about it, given the hose isn't touching the ceiling, not obvious there's any need to lower the filter. I think I probably just need a bit more slack.
I didn't really think you would be keen on cutting up your cabinet mate - it is me who is the daft one :?
Anyhow the next best thing I can think of would be to buy some ribbed suction pipe, this type of flexible pipe has a ridged spiral that prevents flattening of the pipe when trying to attempt sharp corners.
Anyhow the next best thing I can think of would be to buy some ribbed suction pipe, this type of flexible pipe has a ridged spiral that prevents flattening of the pipe when trying to attempt sharp corners.
Could work, but I wouldn't want ribbed going all the way to the tank as not a fan of the look. Could join the two using eg eheim tap I suppose.
Let me jiggle to see if I can improve it. I fear I may have not enough slack to make much difference....
Let me jiggle to see if I can improve it. I fear I may have not enough slack to make much difference....
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Antipofish
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Calzone said:
Yup that was what I was thinking. The pvc would give more rigidity to the bend and keep the bend open
A
Antipofish
Guest
Calzone said:
If you have cut your pipe too short and not left enough slack, Im gonna be rude and suggest you buy more pipe ! LOL.. Compared to the overall spend its daft not to do that IMVHO
You were talking about changing to clear piping anyway weren't you ? If you have a Maidenhead Aquatics near you, they have it for a couple of quid a metre I think.
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Antipofish
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Calzone said:
right decision and shove the 45o bend in at the same time Tell you what, if you ask a saltwater aquarium keeper they will put you right on where to go for every imaginable pvc tank fitting needed. They have it down to a fine art I think we planties are a little behind on that score (though some are definitely using hard piping I see from some threads)Question regarding water changes:
Am currently using a hose running into the kitchen sink (10m?)' attached to a 1000 LPG submersible pump to drain, and am filling by simply turning the pump off and attaching the hose to the tap (hose lock tap attachment). Works well hydraulically. My problem is this: my house has a mans water softener, essentially ion exchange swapping sodium for calcium. Apparently the kitchen cold water tap is excluded for health reasons, but I suspec the hot water is all softened. So if I try to temp match I'm running maybe 30% hot water which is not salty as such, but certainly high sodium given my tap water is very hard (working on the basis all those calcium ions are swapped for sodium). This may partially account for the significant pH reduction which I thought was all due to the Aquasoil.
My question is am I better to carry on temp matching the new water even with this high sodium content or should I use the hard but v cold tap water. To give you an idea, my tank was at 24.5 deg C before water change, and I put about 30% PWC using only cold tap water tonight and the temp dropped to 20.2 deg C. What kind of a shock will this give the fish? The 500W heater in the filter has already increased the temp to 20.4 in the last 5 mins, so we' re taking at least 2-3 hours to get back to 24+ degrees.
Am currently using a hose running into the kitchen sink (10m?)' attached to a 1000 LPG submersible pump to drain, and am filling by simply turning the pump off and attaching the hose to the tap (hose lock tap attachment). Works well hydraulically. My problem is this: my house has a mans water softener, essentially ion exchange swapping sodium for calcium. Apparently the kitchen cold water tap is excluded for health reasons, but I suspec the hot water is all softened. So if I try to temp match I'm running maybe 30% hot water which is not salty as such, but certainly high sodium given my tap water is very hard (working on the basis all those calcium ions are swapped for sodium). This may partially account for the significant pH reduction which I thought was all due to the Aquasoil.
My question is am I better to carry on temp matching the new water even with this high sodium content or should I use the hard but v cold tap water. To give you an idea, my tank was at 24.5 deg C before water change, and I put about 30% PWC using only cold tap water tonight and the temp dropped to 20.2 deg C. What kind of a shock will this give the fish? The 500W heater in the filter has already increased the temp to 20.4 in the last 5 mins, so we' re taking at least 2-3 hours to get back to 24+ degrees.
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Antipofish
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Calzone said:
That boils down to how fussy your fish are. Some wont give a damn. Some might and that depends on where they are from and how stable their environment usually is (and then of course factor in a lot of fish are tank bred now so it possibly wont have as much affect). When it rains in south america the temp drops significantly. This temp variation along with change in water levels stimulates breeding in many fish species. Not really that helpful but its a factor to consider. If it was a tank full of Discus they would probably kark it , but a bunch of Corydoras would be whooping for joy and "making whoopy" !
Right: plants.
This is a rough list of the plants I'm thinking of, either because I like them In other tanks, or because I have some in my existing small tank. I'm not saying I intend to use all these, and in fact it would probably look messy if I tried!
Carpets:
eleocharis parvula (like the grassy effect)
HC
glosso? (probably not both they look v similar to me)
Staurogyne repens (kept short)
Pogostemon helferi ( for the textural difference)
Wood:
narrow java fern plus a few small standard java ferns from existing tank
anubia barteri versions
weeping moss
pelia or fissidens
Stems etc
Vallis. ( from existing tank)
Pogostemon erectus
Backups monnieri. ( existing)
crypt wendtii - various eg tropica
echinodorus vesuvius ??
echinodorus ozelot or red diamond As a feature plant
Heteranthera zosterifolia. From existing tank - doesn't look great in there but that's low tech no co2...
hygrophila pinnatifida
hyg polysperma rosanervig Love the colour and leaf patterns
limnophila sessiflora
ludwigia glandulosa (arcuata?) purple
ludiwgia repens rubin red
myriophyllum mezianum (like pogostemon?)
nesea crassicaulis red
apogenoton crispus red. Another feature plants taking advantage of the aquarium height
rotala wallichi
Looking at the hardscape there's not really that much room for stems as the sand and wood take up a fair amount of space. I probably won't be able to use that many different types without it looking over fussy. Also, while I'm after variation in textures and colours, I do think too much red can be overdone so might be limited to one or two max areas on each side of the tank, with the main variation being shades of green and leaf shapes.
I've spent a lot of time browsing inspirational tanks, a lot of them on this site, but haven't really been paying enough attention to plant types and good plant combinations. If anyone with a good sense for the aesthetic has the willingness to comment I'd certainly be grateful.
This is a rough list of the plants I'm thinking of, either because I like them In other tanks, or because I have some in my existing small tank. I'm not saying I intend to use all these, and in fact it would probably look messy if I tried!
Carpets:
eleocharis parvula (like the grassy effect)
HC
glosso? (probably not both they look v similar to me)
Staurogyne repens (kept short)
Pogostemon helferi ( for the textural difference)
Wood:
narrow java fern plus a few small standard java ferns from existing tank
anubia barteri versions
weeping moss
pelia or fissidens
Stems etc
Vallis. ( from existing tank)
Pogostemon erectus
Backups monnieri. ( existing)
crypt wendtii - various eg tropica
echinodorus vesuvius ??
echinodorus ozelot or red diamond As a feature plant
Heteranthera zosterifolia. From existing tank - doesn't look great in there but that's low tech no co2...
hygrophila pinnatifida
hyg polysperma rosanervig Love the colour and leaf patterns
limnophila sessiflora
ludwigia glandulosa (arcuata?) purple
ludiwgia repens rubin red
myriophyllum mezianum (like pogostemon?)
nesea crassicaulis red
apogenoton crispus red. Another feature plants taking advantage of the aquarium height
rotala wallichi
Looking at the hardscape there's not really that much room for stems as the sand and wood take up a fair amount of space. I probably won't be able to use that many different types without it looking over fussy. Also, while I'm after variation in textures and colours, I do think too much red can be overdone so might be limited to one or two max areas on each side of the tank, with the main variation being shades of green and leaf shapes.
I've spent a lot of time browsing inspirational tanks, a lot of them on this site, but haven't really been paying enough attention to plant types and good plant combinations. If anyone with a good sense for the aesthetic has the willingness to comment I'd certainly be grateful.
Hmmm.
Not too many solutions to this problem, other than getting a big storage tank. No idea where I'd put a 150 litre tank though. How much sodium is bad for fish (other than the more brackish fish eg mollies)? How much temp drop is harmful (1 deg? 3 deg? ).
I suppose in winter I may have to change water more like 3 times a week using just cold unsoftened tap with only a 1-2 deg temp drop rather than once at 50%. How would this work with EI dosing? Presumably broadly the same.
Not too many solutions to this problem, other than getting a big storage tank. No idea where I'd put a 150 litre tank though. How much sodium is bad for fish (other than the more brackish fish eg mollies)? How much temp drop is harmful (1 deg? 3 deg? ).
I suppose in winter I may have to change water more like 3 times a week using just cold unsoftened tap with only a 1-2 deg temp drop rather than once at 50%. How would this work with EI dosing? Presumably broadly the same.
