These videos may be helpful as well. How Much Filtration Do You Really Need: th-cam.com/video/aZZoxO6rUOI/w-d-xo.html What Does Water Quality Really Mean: th-cam.com/video/TkPwQGG1LMQ/w-d-xo.html How To Deal With Cloudy Water: th-cam.com/video/s6t-d1kBLHg/w-d-xo.html LRB Aquatics Fish Room Tour: th-cam.com/video/2PLGjz0XQR0/w-d-xo.html What Is The Nitrogen Cycle: th-cam.com/video/dFpN4wXgmfI/w-d-xo.html How to Lower Ammonia: th-cam.com/video/5l-POiCc0dI/w-d-xo.html How to Lower Nitrite: th-cam.com/video/3t8yq-ydOaE/w-d-xo.html How to Lower Nitrate: th-cam.com/video/rTdjjZRBIDU/w-d-xo.html If you would like to support our channel consider becoming a member. Also check out our website for all the latest merch: www.primetimeaquatics.com/merch
Ha amateur, I got my pool filtration system connected to my 4.5 gallon betta tank. You can't tell there's water there, it looks as if the fish are floating in thin air, and I haven't done a water change since 1993.
Y’all remember that guy on TH-cam who excessively over filtered his gold fish tanks? He had like six hob filters and 2 cans on one aquarium with only a 2” fish. He was very passionate about his filters.
I've seen those amazon reviews, and then i see how understocked they are 🤣. Dude had 3 powerful hobs on a 6Ft tank + 2 FF6. $1000+ Filtration, i was low key envious.
I’ve been running a Fluval 205 on a planted 29 for years now. No pre filter, just the internal sponge, carbon and a bag of purigen. 25% water change every 2 weeks. Keep up the great videos!
Intro cracked me up.! A welcome and needed antidote for all the FX6 proponents out there. What to do in a power outage? In the 60s and recently I've run tanks w/out filters and air. They make it easier, especially a humble sponge filter or 2 in every tank.
Hi. Thank you for this, and your other excellent, easy to understand videos on simplifying spong media in the tank and in the HOBs! I'm new to, and trying to add some biological media after one of my 40gl tank with only 2 large Synodontists,a corey catfish, and a tiger barb crashed after fish store told me to use 2 antibacterial meds together for the synodontits. And they didn't have an infection! Their skin was scratched from fighting, and stress. 😢 I had to totally recycle the tank. After weeks of Seachem's Stability, Prime, Streeguard, and adding a sponge filter into the tank, I have anerobic and aerobic bacteria again. And all my fish, and parameters are good, and stable. But then I went overboard buying all the things sponge media wise for both my Hobs. A Penguine 360 for the 40gl, and Penguin 200 for 20gl that only has 1 pleco, and 3 tetras. Parameters are good in 20gl except ph low. Java fern decayed in both tanks. So, currently no plants, and using alkaline buffer. But want to use crushed coral. I did twice use a little Stressguard and fed them 12 high protein food pellets, and now 20gl has constant white foaming on sides along with a slick coating in water now. 😢 I added a foam sponge on the inside of the tank for more surface aggitation and have done many water changes, but the situation isn't getting better. This has never happened before. Sorry, point being with carbon cartridges and bio rollers, there is not much room for all the sponges suggested. What's the most needed for these systems? I bought black course 10ppi, blue 30ppi, and Filterfirst instead of floss 😔. But they're all too thick to go into a "non canister system". I tried to find thinner dimensions and pads, but most were only available at an inch. Thank you in advance for any advice you , or help you can provide!!
I am regretfully admitting I got caught up in filtration and have been slowly reducing it to more simplistic yet effective filtration. The maintenance alone was turning my hobby into a job. Videos like these are a huge help and so valuable. ✌️
Please share what is effective filtration. You are aware of what public aquariums do to keep their super expensive livestock thriving, yes? I like to learn from people that are not pro and under scrutiny of the public-eye AKA a comment on social media.
I have a 75 gal. Stocked with about 15 mbuna (notorious for being crap machines) and a 10"pleco ^. I use an under gravel with power heads and some hang on backs with only some houseplants in them (photos and swiss cheese plant, though many common plants can be used) and enough sponge to hold the plants in place. My water is crystal clear and it has cut down on water changes like crazy. Disclaimer: cichlids will move the gravel around a lot. The plants are doing great and add some aesthetic quality and keep nitrates under control. If you go this route you have to be very cautious to clean all the dirt off the roots because potting soil in loaded with ammonia.
I’m probably classified as an over filterer from an equipment standpoint. I use HOBs on all tanks filled with ceramic media. I use prefilter sponges for mechanical filtration. I just don’t like the sound of a bubbler and don’t like the splashing. That said, I do very infrequent water changes, like 10-15% monthly and top off for evaporation. I don’t gravel vac. Fish and shrimp are fine. I think as long as you’re happy with what you have and aren’t tossing money to solve a problem that more filtration won’t solve, not a problem. Great video. Keep up the great work.
I just started using undergravel again like backin the 80’s. We are testing this with no other filtration and another tank with an additional hob aquaclear. We have 7 tanks and one has a canister filter. I like all of what these guys share too. My tanks are all planted tanks. I should upload some video too but I don’t know how.
a lot of this is driven by the companies wanting to sell filter mediums i think. i just got back into the hobby and my Ciano aquareium has a filter with sponge plus carbon plus 'biopacks'. you are supposed to replace the packs regularly and costly theyare too! i'll just be doing what my dad did with his, rinsing the sponge in tank water, job done.
I think when people watch TV shows like Tanked where they set up and throw fish in the same day without explaining to people to cycle it doesn't help the hobby. Good video - Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much for making this video. Beyond tired of seeing people on social media pushing the idea that you need to spend hundreds on filtration and adding 4-5x what the tank likely actually requires.
Loved the hyper beginning of the video 😂 I used to stress filtration, then I started following Lucas Bretz, LRB Aquatics...really mind blowing and so simple...let mother nature do her thing. 👍💕👍
Awesome intro man, I lol'd. The overfiltration thing seems to track with the fish police in the groups on FB I'm in. Also seems to show up in the places where people think 20ppm of nitrates is the reason their Otocinclus died the week after they got them. smh... Filtration is massively misunderstood. People like to think of creating an ecosystem. Wrong. What we need to create is a highly functional septic system. Processing waste and maintaining good water quality are the aims of septic design, and they're the needs of the animals we keep in glass boxes. All the studies on nitrobacteria? Almost every one is from the septic industry. Funny thing, Fritz starter bacteria? Yep, developed for the septic industry. Once I flipped that switch in my brain the tanks in our house got a lot easier to take care of.
@Dave's Aquariums ; you got it man! The more fish, the more waste, the more bacteria. That’s why you need space, the more space, the more nitrifying bacteria. If you have a bigger fish load and you don’t have enough space to grow the bacteria then there is an issue. You need to find the balance in the fish load for the space you have for the bacteria to grow. Also water movement and aeration very important for the process. Now anaerobic bacteria is another story and needs very minimal water movement and aeration.
Hello everyone. I have been keeping fish for 38years. Started with under gravel filters. Then came aqua clear and whisper. Then came the bio wheel. Not to mention all the protein skimmers and other salt water stuff. I've never liked using a loud air pump for my home tanks. I understand if you have a need for that but in today's world hang on the back is the only way to go. I use 2. One on each side and never had any problem. Other than of course lid trouble thanks to marine land.
Yep. Anything over a 10g and I run 2. If it's a 20g, I run the smallest Aquaclear on each side. I make sure I have enough filtration for double the tank size. Even if I have them turned to the lowest. If one goes, there's a seeded one running to keep the fish alive. I've got a 10g with a betta right now and have an Aquaclear 20. Is it overkill? Probably. But I have it on low with a baffle.
I find foam filter media to be excellent for both mechanical and biological. The dirt holding capacity of foam is tremendous without it getting plugged. I am referring to a system like a sump where the foam pore sizes go from course to fine. I use Poret foam and go up to six months with a heavy fish load without touching the filter. I find the aeration and water flow to be important for heavily stocked cichlid tanks. Pristine water clarity and waste removal to the sump are important to me
Love to hear your opinion….. I have 75 gallon and I’m changing filters over to the tidal filter. I’m thinking the two 55 vs 110. Due to surface agitation? Go… thanks for your content👊
Fighting an algae problem due to lighting, I looked around at what I had. So I had a pad from a pond filter I put along the side of the tank that gets hit by the most sunlight. . I use lift tubes from the old undergravel filter with tiny holes all up and down the tubes, but mostly at the bottom. I used a tiny heated wire nail to make the holes. I use a piece of PVC to hold this up with the lift tubes holding it up along with the rim of the tank.. It was supposed to be a temporary solution to filtering and algae problems, but it looks so good and the water conditions stay so stable. Besides a brittle nose managed to get in that area and seems to farm it for himself. So I have used it on other tanks and have surprised myself the number of fish that can be maintained in great quality water. The fish often pick excess food off the interior side of the filter. Nowadays, I also put the heater behind this filter pad. I have a pad that has lasted a decade with bi-monthly cleanings. I have one round sponge filter with a powerhead that I use on new tank setups, but now all my other filters run using quality air pumps.,
Have 2 sponge filter and 1 HOB...with 2 air stone on each side....is that too much ?....I do water change every 5-7 days each week. Glad you are still doing videos for non members....
Having 20-long with a young Blood Parrot Cichlid and a pair of Tetras, and I worry about ammonia levels & what-not for obvious reasons. A single HOB w/sponge filter on the inlet was enough when the bottom was bare, but when I decided to add gravel & decor, that's when I got creative: I first laid an under-gravel system a pair of lift tubes/risers set away from the corners, and over slots in the plates that had the grating removed for improved flow. I then laid a relatively thin layer of cycled gravel over it, then proceeded to attach the intakes of a pair of HOBs--sized equal to the first one mentioned--filled with coarse sponge to the lift tubes with a couple pieces of vinyl hose. I re-adjusted the height of the sponge on the intake of the first, and began to add the decor... which had been sitting, along with the gravel, in old tank water for a few months prior. The end result is a tank with [probably] more than enough biological filtration that only requires a 50% water change a change of floss and a cleaning of the finer sponge on the one HOB's intake weekly, and looks so marvelous when the glass has been cleaned, even I can't believe how clear the water is! BTW: I should mention that when the water's replaced, I run it directly from the tap through a in-line RV/Marine freshwater filter, to remove chlorinates and fine particles.
Frankly, as a long time hobbyist, I cannot argue with your premise. On the other hand, I am getting away from the round sponge filter and into using one side of the tank for a sponge filter for a pond. A piece of PVC is used along the top to hold the sponge upright. I cut it to fit that side and use some of the old lift tubes from under gravel filters as an airlift with a hole cut in the sponge to allow the airlift to peek through. It is like an upside-down L with small holes drilled into the sides of the tubes mostly down at the bottom. I did this on one tank to hide the side that the sun hits that was always algae filled. The sponge pad hides the algae and gives a wonderful biological filter while also solving the light issue. It becomes my nitrate scrubber.
Love this video Jason, puts my thinking into words perfectly, i actively try to keep the bacteria out of my filters by cleaning the media out weekly. My thinking being that if the bacteria aren't all in the media then if it needs changing you can just do it without worry. The best thing I've found for water clarity is an old fashioned box filter stuffed with white magic (polyfill).
You want to hear something funny? I'm actually doing this to my 40g breeder right now, lol. I had 2 hang on back filters with a sponge filter for a year and a half. My wife just bought me a canister filter for Christmas to set up. I just threw on a canister filter (seeded with the hob media and new), but I have the sponge filter going, and one hob filter just to seed the canister for a week. I know it's overkill, but in a week I can remove the hob. I run a prefilter on the canister, and and just Matrix as media. My canister is for mechanical filtration, and my sponge filter is my biological beneficial bacteria. My hob's go on the smaller tanks, lol. I just sat here laughing at this video, because I thought Jason was calling me out, lmao. Great video Jason, keep them coming. out
@@PrimeTimeAquatics lol, I am, just using the others for seeding for a few days. But... As soon as I finished setting everything up, I sat down and started watching TH-cam. Watching your video was freaking me out, because I thought you were spying on me, lmao. Thanks for the laughs Jason.
Again an amazing topic...thank you so much for relatable and important issues...I have a 75 gallon goldfish tank..I have two sponge filters and one hang on back filter which has media in order of black sponge big holes, black sponge small holes, green scotchbrite type filter thread material (not scotchbrite) and last polyester cotton... My fish are doing great and no issues till now.... I hope I am doing ok... Thank you again for clearing the air on filteration... Cheers👍🏻👍🏻
Absolutely true! Aqueon 54 gallon corner curved tank, heavily planted, 4" deep plant substrate, basic Aquarium Coop daily ferts but zero CO2, 30" Finnex Planted +, two Eheim heaters, open top. Two ATI-AAP sponge filter 4 with longer tubes is all it needs. The sponges sit in the corners and the over-hangs on top of the tank work perfectly to mute the sound! "Life happened" a few years ago, and my three children and I went into "survival-mode". I have not cleaned the tank, sponges, or done any water changes in over a year now. I top off the water daily and test the parameters occasionally and everything is always perfect except nitrate (which is always way too high). The fish behaviors, colors, health, and appetites always seem fine, though. My boys help me feed the fish, so there is way too much food waste. I was running two AquaClear 70's with impellers for the 30 or 50, their purpose was for the mechanical filtration and to create some gentle flow. Those corner tanks need two of anything flow so the current hits each other in the center and then moves through the tank better; otherwise, with single direction there are a lot of "dead-spaces". In June or July we had a power outage while I was at work that smoked one of the motors. The AquaClears have been off the tank since then, although I intend to get them running again. When we set the tank up two years ago, we had 1 baby angel fish, 13 black neon tetras, 1 white cloud minnow the tetras follow around, 6 amano shrimp, 4 nerite snails, and random "pest" cleaner snails. Now, two years later, Angelo is large and in charge, down to 9 of 13 tetras, same 1 fat white cloud, same 4 nerite, the amanos did fine until the HOBs were removed and then disappeared pretty quick (maybe Angel hunted them or they are just hidden that well but I haven't seen any molts either), and we just added 6 little dwarf type cory cats last month. There's a lot going on in a 54 gallon running only two sponges! I just bought a Python and it is amazing! No more buckets means scheduled water changes will begin again soon. Side note... For those with corner tanks curious about sumps... the CPR SYS 900 fits perfectly, I have a system sitting around and test fitted it out of curiousity, but have no intention of running it.
This is ironic as I just started going from only sponges to hang on backs and canisters. However, I only buy them when I can get a really good deal on them. The reason being as that I want water that is more clear. I never have ammonia or nitrites in my water. But, for personal preference I have begun getting the extra filtration only to get the fine particles out of the water. Love the video and completely agree with you!
I have 40 gallons breeder tank for my three fancy goldfish I watched your video tanks when I was going to upgrade my tank. Thank you so much for your help I have two marine land filters hanging on the back 20-50 gallon tank is this okay . Thank you so much for your help 🙏
I like to keep at least two filters on each tank if possible. Especially when just setting it up and getting the everything balanced. After bio-load is added and established, I will generally remove one and see how it goes, normally i dont have to add it back on. Musical filters along with musical fish lol(Granted no disease/parasites are diagnosed) Great videos as always, even tho it was from 2019 its still relevant.
I have a 40 gallon tank. 4 gold fish right now. I am getting between 6-8 white cloud minnows and 4-6 Kuhli loaches as well as a few live low light plants. I am going to put a large sponge filter in my tank. I was curious if I should also get a filter system like the penguin pro as well? Thank you sir. Your videos are superb and I am subscribed.
LOL, that's what one of my 20 gallon high looked like. But only because I'm trying to seed the other filters for future tanks. Now it only have marineland HOT, sunsun 404B, small corner box filter, aquaclear 50 and a diy k1 micro moving media. I took out all hanging bags of bio-rings and used them to speed up the nitrogen cycle in new tanks. Nice video, I hope to run in to you during GCCA swap and tank on!
Id love to get rid of my filters altogether but i worry about how the lack of circulation would affect water temperature overall. I find that fully submersible filters do a great job of circulating the water AND surface agitation, plus pick up quite a bit of debris as well. One filter, one heater.. done!! :D
Glad to hear someone who knows something. For your media in a HOB (or canister), just put in 10/20- ppi foam or pot scrubbies. You are done with both mechanical and biological media. And don't clean the filter for like 4-6 months so as not to wash off all that brown gunk which is your good bacteria.
I think you’re right, the only things I would add, Your gravel and decorations are also growing beneficial bacteria. So if you have a tank with no substrate in it and few or no decorations do you wanna make sure your sponge filters pretty big, are usually go twice the size it’s rated forIf I’m doing something with no substrate like a quarantine tank, and if I’m using meds I’ll use carbon to clean the water between those things and after to get the meds out of the water. Also, with huge fish, especially that are eating a lot of meat and take a lot of food, there’s just so much waste in there I think a decent mechanical filter with some bio rings or something in there is usually needed as well. Especially again if you don’t have a substrate like some people keep a large Arawana or even goldfish. A lot of people remedy that with huge water changes but huge water changes mean huge swings as well, basically they’re letting their nitrates go through the roof and then physically removing them so chemically that’s a constant up-and-down, I’m of the school of multiple small water changes with shrimp I only do 10% and community tanks I never do more than 15%, with huge fish or something Wayover start maybe 20% but that’s when I think chemical filtration and protein skinners and carbon come into play, the big fish (pacu/large cats/big oscars,bass/ sharks/groupers/etc) just have so much waste it’s ridiculous. I also think it’s important to age the water at least a day before putting it in, even with dechlor/prime it still seems to kind of shock the tank a little even if the temperatures close, just letting it sit a day with an air stone in there seems to make a difference, maybe tanners for soft water species, and especially if you are adding salt or whatever to get your parameters where you need them, even after a day there’s a lot of unresolved particles in some mixes. Salt water even more so, a lot of times we depend on crushed coral to get our pH up there but we’re dumping a lot of water in there that hasn’t had coral sitting in it to bring it there so huge water changes can be a problem, but as far as the smaller fish like medium cichlids or smaller yeah sponge filter will usually do the job if you don’t overstock and you have plants sometimes you really don’t need a filter at all. I seen a lot of heavily planted tanks that have nothing in them, not even an air stone and they seem to do just fine, but my OCD would drive me nuts I need to see bubbles in a tank.
I always let water sit for a day even with dechlorinator. I saw people doing it right out of the tap adding the dechlorinator a minute after adding the new water. I once killed my entire 10 gallon this way after having the tank for a year as a teenager and doing the leave it out for a night to sit method and having no issues. 25 years later, I still do this on my tanks, due to that one bad experience even though everyone I see on youtube is adding the water and dechlorinator at the same time. I have considerably larger tanks now but I still won't risk even adding 5% tap water on a 75. I have never had a fish die during or right after a water change using this method so I stick by it.
@PrimeTimeAquatics 😂I loved the beginning of this! I've been looking at the Tidal 35 for my 10 gal tank, but it seems huge! I don't want to underfilter but don't want to overdo it either. The intake seems higher than others too. I'm wondering if I should be looking at other options, especially with the cost of the Tidal. Any thoughts?
In a 29gallon I have two 6" sponges... and a 140gph hang on..with a 4" sponge on it also I tend to always "over filter" tanks I got it...might as well use them
Alright... I ran a 40-gal breeder with four adult Parrot Cichlids and a 14" Iridescent Shark. The system I setup consisted of a reverse-flow undergravel with a large sponge on the intake, and a pair of two differing size canisters in tandem. The first, smaller one handled the mechanical part, while the second was filled with bio and chemical media. Both had power powerheads for larger units, respectively, and the system as a whole was primarily setup to maximize turnover and make weekly service easier... even while doing water changes! But that's for another story.
Love your videos and how pumped you get talking about fish. I miss my cichlid tank so much. We're looking to invest in a 30 to 40 gallon tank and I can't wait. We just bought our first house and a tank would look so awesome by the entrance. I had one about 5 to 6 yrs ago, but I gave the entire tank away with all the attachments, equipment and fish included. Boy do I miss it!
Thanks for sharing this great information with us. I really appreciate your hard work and knowledge! 🐟🐡🦐🐌 Aquatic life is so amazing. I'm a grower here in Florida and I just got into aquaponics. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm getting there slowly. It's a lot different growing plants underwater, especially with fish lol. Have a beautiful day!
Hello Jason, We met at the December 2019 GCCA Swap. Good to meet you! It occurs to me that there is another false assumption that some people make about biological filtration. And that is that if they add more bio-media they will get more beneficial bacteria growing. The amount of beneficial bacteria is a function of the amount of waste that is being produced by your fish. If you keep the same number of fish, and add another bio-media source (another filter or more media in the same filter) you will not increase the amount of bacteria. The amount of bacteria that grows in your aquarium system is determined by how much food is available to it (ammonia). You increase the amount of beneficial bacteria by increasing your bio-load (more fish). This increase needs to be made carefully, so that the growth in beneficial bacteria can gradually follow its food source. A well-balanced tank has only the amount of beneficial bacteria that can consume adequately the waste that the current stock of fish produce. Rapidly increasing a tank's bio-load can lead to spikes in ammonia and nitrite that can prove harmful to all of your fish. Increase your bio-load slowly. D. Beach
FINALLY someone explained that way too common issue. I'm sick of reading I need to put FX6 to 150 gallon or my fish are going to die due to a lack of "proper" filtration. I even red about FX6 connected to 75 gallon, "just to be sure". Seriously, why would anyone do that?
This has been so helpful. I’m about to get a 55gallon and I was so sure it would be better for the fish to have a HOB filter on each end as well as a sponge filter for more oxygen. You’ve cured me of that! Thank you so much. While I’ll only use one HOB, I will have a sponge filter for better aeration and a heater on each end but of lower wattage. And of course, lots of live plants. This will be my 4th tank and I hope I’ve learned over the months from all the mistakes I made, and hopefully won’t make the same ones this time around. I want this to be my best tank yet!
Great video and very informative. A friend of mine has a 7-foot x 3-foot tank and she keeps mbunas and she uses 3 hang on the back filters ! She said It has been working fine for a couple of years and she cleans them on a 2 week period. She keeps dwarf mbunas. Do you think that's good? Any comments will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Perfect timing We're setting up our first Tanganyka this morning. A 75 with a Cascade1000 and a Seachem 75 hob. I've been super undecided about what media to use in the Cascade. Thinking I'll go with pumice sticks sponge and poly. Thanks for the video. All of our planted tanks are golden with very little filtration. The septic system analogy works for this over thinker. Great information from your channel. Thanks
Recommendation put the poly before your pumice. That way only Clea. Water passes the pumice. It's a pain to clean off dirty pumice. I made that mistake once and I'll never do it again. Lol
Good insights and tips. I took out the cover and ripped out the filter media in my hang on back filter and placed lava rocks to hold down my pothos and other plants. Inside my tank is the trusty and dependable sponge filter.
I think you answered my question. I have a small hang on filter and I have a sponge filter. If I am understanding you correctly I may only need to run the sponge filter. Thanks for the information
Well, the intro was smth, loved it😀👌👍😉 I have a canister filter Eheim pro for a 12.5 gallon tank and i have two 5 gallon nano tanks with sponge filter...and i can say that i love how the sponge filter is working. The water is clear enough, the quality is ok, the fish are fine, So i think the sponge are my fav. 👍👌 Thank you for your vid, is very useful as always. Like your tanks, they are so awesome 👌👌👌😍 (wish to you and to your adorable wife a beautiful night. )
I've always used a hang on back for mechanical, left the biological up to the tank itself (gravel, decorations, plants etc.), and have an airstone of some sort in case the hang on back fails. I've always had success with doing things that way. As you said though, you have to have patience and allow the tank to age. Great video, and very informative as usual!
Hi, Im about to remove the sponge filter and put a new hang on back filter. Then I will have 2 hang on back filters. Im doing this to make some space to the plants. I hope my idea will work out well for the fish as well as the plants. 🌹🍭💐
I have been keeping fish for over Forty years always Cichlids and have only ever had one filter with regular water changes there is no need for more and my fish have always been healthy and consistently breeding. Glad you are covering this subject it’s an expensive hobby anyway 😂
Great video. I have a 65 gallon aquarium. Heavily stocked. Community Tank Swordtails Daniel gourmi for filters. I have two on a handback filters. One canister filter. Big sponge filter. In two bio ring filters inside the tank. Do you think it's too much? I do have a high ammonia. But I do my water changes from 30 to 50% every other week and I still have the problem. I think it's heavy to heavily stocked. What do you think or can you help me have any suggestions?
Sounds like the tank might not be cycled yet, so the amount of filtration won’t matter. Usually a single HOB is enough for a 65 gallon. I might try to add Fritz Turbo Start - live nitrifying bacteria.
My 30g has a ziss. A sponge, a diy bottle filter, a breeder box full of media. And a pond guru tube filter. Too much, probably. But it’s redundancy and sort out dead spots You can def overfilter. But each tank is different
I look at it like this: can you over filter lake or large natural pond? It really boils down to the water capacity and the bio load within the water's parameters. This includes everything from the algae growth to the fish's waste to the left over - uneaten food. The more of that, the bigger the filtration capacity needs to be.
Thanks for this! Water has all sorts of microorganisms and biota living in it as well and if you have a high filtration rate you can scrub them from the water column as well, not always good. All my tanks are very heavily planted in addition to which I have very low flow and water turnover rates. Just enough to not be stagnant. Mostly for Betta and Gourami. Deep sand substrate and Holy Trinity of aquaria snails for cleanup crew make for very low maintenance intervals. Not practical dor all fish I know. In the past I have even ganged two tanks together with a pump and a return siphon, one heavily planted sharing water system with a tank of larger fish.
I have a smol 1.5ft nano tank of around 30L (how many freedom fathoms is that? No idea). Anyway, the impeller of the 100L/h Resun HOB I had used kicked the bucket, and getting a new HOB was the quickest and easiest. The only HOB my LFS had on the shelf was a 1100L/h Penn-Plax unit, and while it was fairly expensive and obviously "oversized", I went ahead and bought it having little choice. Funny thing is, I had to turn the flow valve way down or it stirs up so much muck into the water column. Nevertheless, I did a gravel vacuum and kept it on full blast and the water became gin clear within a day. My fish didn't like it much though so it's back to being restricted. Well pleased - rather too much than too little.
I think it’s the abundance of information that cause us to want to keep adding. I’m new to the hobby and recently set up a 55 Gal. I have a Penguin 350 for my mechanical with coarse sponges and thick filter floss for media, a large sponge filter, a coarse sponge pre-filter for the penguin intake along with lava rock as substrate :-/... really re-thinking it now! It’s not heavily stocked either. I have a young Flowerhorn along with a 4” Oscar and a 3” golden saum.
Omg Jason, what away to wake up with this video! I was laughing so hard.! I think all of us have been like that with filtration with our tanks. I got 2 canister filters and a sponge on a 75 with Central America cichlid (5). Water is perfect and no nitrate or ammonia. Great video again! I love my prime time shirt I got from you at aquashella
I use large oversized external filter (Eheim) filled with a gallon of seachem matrix and a bag of purigen, topping this up with filter floss and of course a coarse sponge as a first step. But this does not stop me from 2 x 20% water changes weekly if heavily stocked. And to make the aquarium debree free I often add a old fashioned filter floss air driven internal filter.
I like having one that has just been cleaned , one that needs to be cleaned and one that was cleaned last week. But certainly I still only have enough bacteria for the daily poop load and no more.
This is a topic that seems omnipresent, and one where nagging concerns overpower one's knowledge. That said you mentioned some special situations, high bio-load, fish that disturb the substrate, ... Would either of these qualify too: A) An unplanted tank with high metabolism fish that attack plants and turn over substrate B) Leaving on a short trip and want safety margin (with or without chemical sequestration) Thanks again for the video, Jm PS: If there is ever a need for for s depiction of "mania," I believe you have a lock on the role. :)
My parents are going to buy me one or two hang on the back filters for chrismas and I wanted to know if I should get filter sponges and ceramic media for my two tanks
I think you changed my mind on the layering of my hob, I have bio bags, three coarse pads and a zip bag of floss on top. I have one coarse lg. sponge on my intake and a fine lg. sponge filter on the other side with an internal air stone. Now I'm thinking of removing the bio and a coarse pad and filling a full bag of floss for better fine particles. So I'll have some fun messing with that. Thanks for the down to the basics information. (55 bow front)
Too many newer hobbyists think that the filter cleans the water. It does NOT, although it may make it look clearer. The trouble is that detritus trapped in the filter continues to decompose and pollute the water. A bigger filter or more filters won't change that. The only way to keep water quality high is with routine partial water changes of sufficient volume - The solution to pollution is dilution.
I agree partially with this. I think it depends on as you stated surface area yes but also, and maybe even more importantly is what kind of species and how many you have.As you also stated. But I believe it's really an individual basis. I keep a 125g containing 3 Oscars and a fahaka puffer, a common pleco and a galaxy pleco, and 2 spotted silver dollars. Heavily stocked tank per gallons here when considering what is in there. I do run 3 canister filters, each rated at 525 gph, which after media is added cuts it down to about 300gph each. Of these 3 canisters 2 are strictly bio filters and 1 is a chem, mechanical filter. So maintaining is really easy since the bio's only get rinsed every 6 months alternately in recycled water from the water change. The chem and mechanical one gets maintained every 3 months. When I initially had just the 1 canister filter I had to maintain it monthly and it never really reached the particles in the colums due to the surface area and size of the aquarium. However as you also stated, once the aquarium finished cycling I never had and ammonia or nitrates either. I got all fish together when they were tiny and they have grown as did the bio filtration. So in the end I believe there is no right or wrong with to many filters, it becomes personal preference and how much work and money you want to lay out as long as the water quality is maintained and your aquarium is nice and clear is what counts. Thank you for this video. Although I have some agrees and disagrees it was still very educational and really made me think on it.
Canister shmanister - I built a fluidised bed filter. After watching this video I now feel silly... but also smug. I chose Alfra Grog for decor to accommodate bacteria in the tank. I mostly worry about damaging bacteria colonies when I do a water change. I got loads of plants too. The fish like the plants.
I have 6 filters on my 500L tank, love it. If one breaks down I will go and get another. Here is what I have.. all also have pre-filters 2 x fx6 1 x Eheim pro 4 1 x Rena xp3 1 X Rena xp4 1 x eheim wet/dry Works great, tank in balance for years, almost zero algae, very good plant-growth.. I also do waterchange once a week; about 40%. This is how I roll :)
Just set up a 20 long tank with a seeded sponge filter was thinking about adding a hob for 10 gallon tank just to pull any particulates out of water for clarity what are your thoughts on that
Very informative thanks. I keep Discus with lots of driftwood, planted plants and floating plants. The water clarity isn't crystal clear but neither is the water in their natural habitat. As long as I keep regular weekly water changes everything is copacetic.
I have one hang on filter for my 55 gallon and about 2 inches of gravel. The bacteria in that tank is about 15 years established. Between that and the plants it dosen't really matter what I do to it, it will balance and even terrestrial plants take well to submerged life
I have not run an aquarium in years and didn't understand or consider the cycling of nitrogen. I had a 29 long and had a hang on and under gravel system. My water was crystal clear, except for when I replaced the 20% and cleaned the substrate. Then it cleared in a day. I had an idea the under gravel was doing a great job as a filter didn't understand the bio part of it. I am surprised under gravel filters aren't used more often because they are so unobtrusive compared to the foam filters.
These videos may be helpful as well.
How Much Filtration Do You Really Need: th-cam.com/video/aZZoxO6rUOI/w-d-xo.html
What Does Water Quality Really Mean: th-cam.com/video/TkPwQGG1LMQ/w-d-xo.html
How To Deal With Cloudy Water: th-cam.com/video/s6t-d1kBLHg/w-d-xo.html
LRB Aquatics Fish Room Tour: th-cam.com/video/2PLGjz0XQR0/w-d-xo.html
What Is The Nitrogen Cycle: th-cam.com/video/dFpN4wXgmfI/w-d-xo.html
How to Lower Ammonia: th-cam.com/video/5l-POiCc0dI/w-d-xo.html
How to Lower Nitrite: th-cam.com/video/3t8yq-ydOaE/w-d-xo.html
How to Lower Nitrate: th-cam.com/video/rTdjjZRBIDU/w-d-xo.html
If you would like to support our channel consider becoming a member. Also check out our website for all the latest merch: www.primetimeaquatics.com/merch
If I have lava rock in my tank, do I still need the bio fil in my filter media?
Possibly not, but it depends on stocking levels and bio-load.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics right now its a 20 gallon tank with 3 peacocks and 2 plecos, but I am about to add four 1.5 in peacocks to the group. all males
Can you have too much pothos growing out of your aquarium? ;)
Ha amateur, I got my pool filtration system connected to my 4.5 gallon betta tank. You can't tell there's water there, it looks as if the fish are floating in thin air, and I haven't done a water change since 1993.
Henry Chavez that’s awesome!
@Henry Chavez ; that’s hilarious man!😂
JaHaHa, nice 1... but this is a good video
They have their stomachs in the air for real!
Your betta is swimming in human fecal matter as we speak😳
Those acara were like "Well, he finally lost it, boys".
Brian Smith I think you’re right!
Y’all remember that guy on TH-cam who excessively over filtered his gold fish tanks? He had like six hob filters and 2 cans on one aquarium with only a 2” fish. He was very passionate about his filters.
I've seen those amazon reviews, and then i see how understocked they are 🤣. Dude had 3 powerful hobs on a 6Ft tank + 2 FF6. $1000+ Filtration, i was low key envious.
I’ve been running a Fluval 205 on a planted 29 for years now. No pre filter, just the internal sponge, carbon and a bag of purigen. 25% water change every 2 weeks. Keep up the great videos!
Intro cracked me up.! A welcome and needed antidote for all the FX6 proponents out there. What to do in a power outage? In the 60s and recently I've run tanks w/out filters and air. They make it easier, especially a humble sponge filter or 2 in every tank.
A back up, battery-powered air pump really helps!
Hi. Thank you for this, and your other excellent, easy to understand videos on simplifying spong media in the tank and in the HOBs! I'm new to, and trying to add some biological media after one of my 40gl tank with only 2 large Synodontists,a corey catfish, and a tiger barb crashed after fish store told me to use 2 antibacterial meds together for the synodontits. And they didn't have an infection! Their skin was scratched from fighting, and stress. 😢 I had to totally recycle the tank. After weeks of Seachem's Stability, Prime, Streeguard, and adding a sponge filter into the tank, I have anerobic and aerobic bacteria again. And all my fish, and parameters are good, and stable. But then I went overboard buying all the things sponge media wise for both my Hobs. A Penguine 360 for the 40gl, and Penguin 200 for 20gl that only has 1 pleco, and 3 tetras. Parameters are good in 20gl except ph low. Java fern decayed in both tanks. So, currently no plants, and using alkaline buffer. But want to use crushed coral. I did twice use a little Stressguard and fed them 12 high protein food pellets, and now 20gl has constant white foaming on sides along with a slick coating in water now. 😢 I added a foam sponge on the inside of the tank for more surface aggitation and have done many water changes, but the situation isn't getting better. This has never happened before. Sorry, point being with carbon cartridges and bio rollers, there is not much room for all the sponges suggested. What's the most needed for these systems? I bought black course 10ppi, blue 30ppi, and Filterfirst instead of floss 😔. But they're all too thick to go into a "non canister system". I tried to find thinner dimensions and pads, but most were only available at an inch. Thank you in advance for any advice you , or help you can provide!!
I am regretfully admitting I got caught up in filtration and have been slowly reducing it to more simplistic yet effective filtration. The maintenance alone was turning my hobby into a job. Videos like these are a huge help and so valuable. ✌️
Hicky Spiky appreciate you watching!
Please share what is effective filtration. You are aware of what public aquariums do to keep their super expensive livestock thriving, yes? I like to learn from people that are not pro and under scrutiny of the public-eye AKA a comment on social media.
I have a 75 gal. Stocked with about 15 mbuna (notorious for being crap machines) and a 10"pleco ^. I use an under gravel with power heads and some hang on backs with only some houseplants in them (photos and swiss cheese plant, though many common plants can be used) and enough sponge to hold the plants in place. My water is crystal clear and it has cut down on water changes like crazy. Disclaimer: cichlids will move the gravel around a lot. The plants are doing great and add some aesthetic quality and keep nitrates under control. If you go this route you have to be very cautious to clean all the dirt off the roots because potting soil in loaded with ammonia.
@johnjohanson643 I have 13 mbuna just in my 36 gallon. With your 75g you could probably have 30-50 in there.
@@brianmizway9324 I would have bought more but they keep reproducing. And I hate water changes.
47 seconds in. Is everything ok at home?
Mickey Pius hahaha. That’s too funny.
LOLOLO
Omg :DDd lol
I’m probably classified as an over filterer from an equipment standpoint. I use HOBs on all tanks filled with ceramic media. I use prefilter sponges for mechanical filtration. I just don’t like the sound of a bubbler and don’t like the splashing. That said, I do very infrequent water changes, like 10-15% monthly and top off for evaporation. I don’t gravel vac. Fish and shrimp are fine. I think as long as you’re happy with what you have and aren’t tossing money to solve a problem that more filtration won’t solve, not a problem. Great video. Keep up the great work.
I just started using undergravel again like backin the 80’s. We are testing this with no other filtration and another tank with an additional hob aquaclear. We have 7 tanks and one has a canister filter. I like all of what these guys share too. My tanks are all planted tanks. I should upload some video too but I don’t know how.
Personally I love the undergravel.
Big seventies history lesson
Under gravel is fantastic but unfortunately its not great for growing plants
Very good explanation. Glad to hear someone else say we normally over filter our eco-systems
a lot of this is driven by the companies wanting to sell filter mediums i think. i just got back into the hobby and my Ciano aquareium has a filter with sponge plus carbon plus 'biopacks'. you are supposed to replace the packs regularly and costly theyare too! i'll just be doing what my dad did with his, rinsing the sponge in tank water, job done.
I think when people watch TV shows like Tanked where they set up and throw fish in the same day without explaining to people to cycle it doesn't help the hobby. Good video - Keep up the good work.
There is a show like that? Must be satanic.
I agree 💯
All good with atm colony.
Thank you so much for making this video. Beyond tired of seeing people on social media pushing the idea that you need to spend hundreds on filtration and adding 4-5x what the tank likely actually requires.
Alex Wilson it can frustrating.
Loved the hyper beginning of the video 😂
I used to stress filtration, then I started following Lucas Bretz, LRB Aquatics...really mind blowing and so simple...let mother nature do her thing.
👍💕👍
ShelbyRae Lane I agree.
I agree, but new hobbyist wants everything done "yesterday". One of the most important aspect of the hobby I learned is "PATIENCE".
Awesome intro man, I lol'd. The overfiltration thing seems to track with the fish police in the groups on FB I'm in. Also seems to show up in the places where people think 20ppm of nitrates is the reason their Otocinclus died the week after they got them. smh...
Filtration is massively misunderstood. People like to think of creating an ecosystem. Wrong. What we need to create is a highly functional septic system. Processing waste and maintaining good water quality are the aims of septic design, and they're the needs of the animals we keep in glass boxes. All the studies on nitrobacteria? Almost every one is from the septic industry.
Funny thing, Fritz starter bacteria? Yep, developed for the septic industry. Once I flipped that switch in my brain the tanks in our house got a lot easier to take care of.
Dave's Aquariums nice summary!
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks man!
@Dave's Aquariums ; you got it man! The more fish, the more waste, the more bacteria.
That’s why you need space, the more space, the more nitrifying bacteria.
If you have a bigger fish load and you don’t have enough space to grow the bacteria then there is an issue. You need to find the balance in the fish load for the space you have for the bacteria to grow.
Also water movement and aeration very important for the process. Now anaerobic bacteria is another story and needs very minimal water movement and aeration.
Hello everyone. I have been keeping fish for 38years. Started with under gravel filters. Then came aqua clear and whisper. Then came the bio wheel. Not to mention all the protein skimmers and other salt water stuff. I've never liked using a loud air pump for my home tanks. I understand if you have a need for that but in today's world hang on the back is the only way to go. I use 2. One on each side and never had any problem. Other than of course lid trouble thanks to marine land.
Yep. Anything over a 10g and I run 2.
If it's a 20g, I run the smallest Aquaclear on each side.
I make sure I have enough filtration for double the tank size.
Even if I have them turned to the lowest. If one goes, there's a seeded one running to keep the fish alive.
I've got a 10g with a betta right now and have an Aquaclear 20. Is it overkill? Probably. But I have it on low with a baffle.
Outstanding video, especially when you said something along the lines of healthy water is more important than clear water. Brilliant.
Doubled my filtration capacity and this solved my Nitrite issue
I find foam filter media to be excellent for both mechanical and biological. The dirt holding capacity of foam is tremendous without it getting plugged. I am referring to a system like a sump where the foam pore sizes go from course to fine. I use Poret foam and go up to six months with a heavy fish load without touching the filter. I find the aeration and water flow to be important for heavily stocked cichlid tanks. Pristine water clarity and waste removal to the sump are important to me
Love to hear your opinion….. I have 75 gallon and I’m changing filters over to the tidal filter. I’m thinking the two 55 vs 110. Due to surface agitation? Go… thanks for your content👊
I agree!
I totally agree with you, Jason, most ppl overkill it when it comes to filtration.
Fighting an algae problem due to lighting, I looked around at what I had. So I had a pad from a pond filter I put along the side of the tank that gets hit by the most sunlight. . I use lift tubes from the old undergravel filter with tiny holes all up and down the tubes, but mostly at the bottom. I used a tiny heated wire nail to make the holes. I use a piece of PVC to hold this up with the lift tubes holding it up along with the rim of the tank.. It was supposed to be a temporary solution to filtering and algae problems, but it looks so good and the water conditions stay so stable. Besides a brittle nose managed to get in that area and seems to farm it for himself. So I have used it on other tanks and have surprised myself the number of fish that can be maintained in great quality water. The fish often pick excess food off the interior side of the filter. Nowadays, I also put the heater behind this filter pad. I have a pad that has lasted a decade with bi-monthly cleanings. I have one round sponge filter with a powerhead that I use on new tank setups, but now all my other filters run using quality air pumps.,
awesome video. loved the beginning you had me cracking up lol. thanks for the good information. cheers.
This is a very good video. One of my favorite to show my friends that have 3 types of filtration system. Explain really well
Thank you!
Have 2 sponge filter and 1 HOB...with 2 air stone on each side....is that too much ?....I do water change every 5-7 days each week. Glad you are still doing videos for non members....
Always will. : -) What size tank? I have that same set-up on some of my heavily-stocked 75s and greater.
Having 20-long with a young Blood Parrot Cichlid and a pair of Tetras, and I worry about ammonia levels & what-not for obvious reasons. A single HOB w/sponge filter on the inlet was enough when the bottom was bare, but when I decided to add gravel & decor, that's when I got creative:
I first laid an under-gravel system a pair of lift tubes/risers set away from the corners, and over slots in the plates that had the grating removed for improved flow. I then laid a relatively thin layer of cycled gravel over it, then proceeded to attach the intakes of a pair of HOBs--sized equal to the first one mentioned--filled with coarse sponge to the lift tubes with a couple pieces of vinyl hose. I re-adjusted the height of the sponge on the intake of the first, and began to add the decor... which had been sitting, along with the gravel, in old tank water for a few months prior.
The end result is a tank with [probably] more than enough biological filtration that only requires a 50% water change a change of floss and a cleaning of the finer sponge on the one HOB's intake weekly, and looks so marvelous when the glass has been cleaned, even I can't believe how clear the water is!
BTW: I should mention that when the water's replaced, I run it directly from the tap through a in-line RV/Marine freshwater filter, to remove chlorinates and fine particles.
Frankly, as a long time hobbyist, I cannot argue with your premise. On the other hand, I am getting away from the round sponge filter and into using one side of the tank for a sponge filter for a pond. A piece of PVC is used along the top to hold the sponge upright. I cut it to fit that side and use some of the old lift tubes from under gravel filters as an airlift with a hole cut in the sponge to allow the airlift to peek through. It is like an upside-down L with small holes drilled into the sides of the tubes mostly down at the bottom. I did this on one tank to hide the side that the sun hits that was always algae filled. The sponge pad hides the algae and gives a wonderful biological filter while also solving the light issue. It becomes my nitrate scrubber.
Almost sounds like a matten filter?
@@PrimeTimeAquatics I had to look that up. Yes, the appearance and functionality looks pretty close.
Love this video Jason, puts my thinking into words perfectly, i actively try to keep the bacteria out of my filters by cleaning the media out weekly. My thinking being that if the bacteria aren't all in the media then if it needs changing you can just do it without worry. The best thing I've found for water clarity is an old fashioned box filter stuffed with white magic (polyfill).
I have been in aquariums for years but your videos are still great information on most any problems or questions that people have ... keep it up
Super info !!! My in fish tanks are almost completely cycled . I have 8. 1 filterless. I can now see the cycle :)
You want to hear something funny? I'm actually doing this to my 40g breeder right now, lol. I had 2 hang on back filters with a sponge filter for a year and a half. My wife just bought me a canister filter for Christmas to set up. I just threw on a canister filter (seeded with the hob media and new), but I have the sponge filter going, and one hob filter just to seed the canister for a week. I know it's overkill, but in a week I can remove the hob. I run a prefilter on the canister, and and just Matrix as media. My canister is for mechanical filtration, and my sponge filter is my biological beneficial bacteria. My hob's go on the smaller tanks, lol. I just sat here laughing at this video, because I thought Jason was calling me out, lmao. Great video Jason, keep them coming. out
Ya, but you can use all those extra filters for more tanks! : -)
@@PrimeTimeAquatics lol, I am, just using the others for seeding for a few days. But... As soon as I finished setting everything up, I sat down and started watching TH-cam. Watching your video was freaking me out, because I thought you were spying on me, lmao. Thanks for the laughs Jason.
Again an amazing topic...thank you so much for relatable and important issues...I have a 75 gallon goldfish tank..I have two sponge filters and one hang on back filter which has media in order of black sponge big holes,
black sponge small holes, green scotchbrite type filter thread material (not scotchbrite)
and last polyester cotton...
My fish are doing great and no issues till now....
I hope I am doing ok...
Thank you again for clearing the air on filteration...
Cheers👍🏻👍🏻
This might just have helped me. A lot. I may actually be over filtering. A serious thank you for this.
Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!
Absolutely true! Aqueon 54 gallon corner curved tank, heavily planted, 4" deep plant substrate, basic Aquarium Coop daily ferts but zero CO2, 30" Finnex Planted +, two Eheim heaters, open top. Two ATI-AAP sponge filter 4 with longer tubes is all it needs. The sponges sit in the corners and the over-hangs on top of the tank work perfectly to mute the sound! "Life happened" a few years ago, and my three children and I went into "survival-mode". I have not cleaned the tank, sponges, or done any water changes in over a year now. I top off the water daily and test the parameters occasionally and everything is always perfect except nitrate (which is always way too high). The fish behaviors, colors, health, and appetites always seem fine, though. My boys help me feed the fish, so there is way too much food waste. I was running two AquaClear 70's with impellers for the 30 or 50, their purpose was for the mechanical filtration and to create some gentle flow. Those corner tanks need two of anything flow so the current hits each other in the center and then moves through the tank better; otherwise, with single direction there are a lot of "dead-spaces". In June or July we had a power outage while I was at work that smoked one of the motors. The AquaClears have been off the tank since then, although I intend to get them running again. When we set the tank up two years ago, we had 1 baby angel fish, 13 black neon tetras, 1 white cloud minnow the tetras follow around, 6 amano shrimp, 4 nerite snails, and random "pest" cleaner snails. Now, two years later, Angelo is large and in charge, down to 9 of 13 tetras, same 1 fat white cloud, same 4 nerite, the amanos did fine until the HOBs were removed and then disappeared pretty quick (maybe Angel hunted them or they are just hidden that well but I haven't seen any molts either), and we just added 6 little dwarf type cory cats last month. There's a lot going on in a 54 gallon running only two sponges! I just bought a Python and it is amazing! No more buckets means scheduled water changes will begin again soon. Side note... For those with corner tanks curious about sumps... the CPR SYS 900 fits perfectly, I have a system sitting around and test fitted it out of curiousity, but have no intention of running it.
This is ironic as I just started going from only sponges to hang on backs and canisters. However, I only buy them when I can get a really good deal on them. The reason being as that I want water that is more clear. I never have ammonia or nitrites in my water. But, for personal preference I have begun getting the extra filtration only to get the fine particles out of the water. Love the video and completely agree with you!
I have 40 gallons breeder tank for my three fancy goldfish I watched your video tanks when I was going to upgrade my tank. Thank you so much for your help I have two marine land filters hanging on the back 20-50 gallon tank is this okay . Thank you so much for your help 🙏
Glad you are here!
I like to keep at least two filters on each tank if possible. Especially when just setting it up and getting the everything balanced. After bio-load is added and established, I will generally remove one and see how it goes, normally i dont have to add it back on. Musical filters along with musical fish lol(Granted no disease/parasites are diagnosed) Great videos as always, even tho it was from 2019 its still relevant.
I have a 40 gallon tank. 4 gold fish right now. I am getting between 6-8 white cloud minnows and 4-6 Kuhli loaches as well as a few live low light plants. I am going to put a large sponge filter in my tank. I was curious if I should also get a filter system like the penguin pro as well? Thank you sir. Your videos are superb and I am subscribed.
LOL, that's what one of my 20 gallon high looked like. But only because I'm trying to seed the other filters for future tanks. Now it only have marineland HOT, sunsun 404B, small corner box filter, aquaclear 50 and a diy k1 micro moving media. I took out all hanging bags of bio-rings and used them to speed up the nitrogen cycle in new tanks. Nice video, I hope to run in to you during GCCA swap and tank on!
You at the beginning of video is me 100%. I guess I worry way to much. Ty for this video☺
JEANNIE B too funny! 😀
Id love to get rid of my filters altogether but i worry about how the lack of circulation would affect water temperature overall. I find that fully submersible filters do a great job of circulating the water AND surface agitation, plus pick up quite a bit of debris as well. One filter, one heater.. done!! :D
Glad to hear someone who knows something. For your media in a HOB (or canister), just put in 10/20- ppi foam or pot scrubbies. You are done with both mechanical and biological media. And don't clean the filter for like 4-6 months so as not to wash off all that brown gunk which is your good bacteria.
I think you’re right, the only things I would add, Your gravel and decorations are also growing beneficial bacteria. So if you have a tank with no substrate in it and few or no decorations do you wanna make sure your sponge filters pretty big, are usually go twice the size it’s rated forIf I’m doing something with no substrate like a quarantine tank, and if I’m using meds I’ll use carbon to clean the water between those things and after to get the meds out of the water. Also, with huge fish, especially that are eating a lot of meat and take a lot of food, there’s just so much waste in there I think a decent mechanical filter with some bio rings or something in there is usually needed as well. Especially again if you don’t have a substrate like some people keep a large Arawana or even goldfish. A lot of people remedy that with huge water changes but huge water changes mean huge swings as well, basically they’re letting their nitrates go through the roof and then physically removing them so chemically that’s a constant up-and-down, I’m of the school of multiple small water changes with shrimp I only do 10% and community tanks I never do more than 15%, with huge fish or something Wayover start maybe 20% but that’s when I think chemical filtration and protein skinners and carbon come into play, the big fish (pacu/large cats/big oscars,bass/ sharks/groupers/etc) just have so much waste it’s ridiculous. I also think it’s important to age the water at least a day before putting it in, even with dechlor/prime it still seems to kind of shock the tank a little even if the temperatures close, just letting it sit a day with an air stone in there seems to make a difference, maybe tanners for soft water species, and especially if you are adding salt or whatever to get your parameters where you need them, even after a day there’s a lot of unresolved particles in some mixes. Salt water even more so, a lot of times we depend on crushed coral to get our pH up there but we’re dumping a lot of water in there that hasn’t had coral sitting in it to bring it there so huge water changes can be a problem, but as far as the smaller fish like medium cichlids or smaller yeah sponge filter will usually do the job if you don’t overstock and you have plants sometimes you really don’t need a filter at all. I seen a lot of heavily planted tanks that have nothing in them, not even an air stone and they seem to do just fine, but my OCD would drive me nuts I need to see bubbles in a tank.
I always let water sit for a day even with dechlorinator. I saw people doing it right out of the tap adding the dechlorinator a minute after adding the new water. I once killed my entire 10 gallon this way after having the tank for a year as a teenager and doing the leave it out for a night to sit method and having no issues.
25 years later, I still do this on my tanks, due to that one bad experience even though everyone I see on youtube is adding the water and dechlorinator at the same time. I have considerably larger tanks now but I still won't risk even adding 5% tap water on a 75.
I have never had a fish die during or right after a water change using this method so I stick by it.
@PrimeTimeAquatics 😂I loved the beginning of this! I've been looking at the Tidal 35 for my 10 gal tank, but it seems huge! I don't want to underfilter but don't want to overdo it either. The intake seems higher than others too. I'm wondering if I should be looking at other options, especially with the cost of the Tidal. Any thoughts?
That’s a solid option because you can turn the flow down.
In a 29gallon
I have two 6" sponges... and a 140gph hang on..with a 4" sponge on it also
I tend to always "over filter" tanks
I got it...might as well use them
Alright...
I ran a 40-gal breeder with four adult Parrot Cichlids and a 14" Iridescent Shark. The system I setup consisted of a reverse-flow undergravel with a large sponge on the intake, and a pair of two differing size canisters in tandem. The first, smaller one handled the mechanical part, while the second was filled with bio and chemical media. Both had power powerheads for larger units, respectively, and the system as a whole was primarily setup to maximize turnover and make weekly service easier... even while doing water changes! But that's for another story.
Personally I feel if you have a filter for each fish, that should cover everything! 😄
Now you're talking. Haha
But you could have a 50 gph filter per 1 Oscar or a 400 gph per beta fish measuring like that. 😂
@Blake King hah I'll get 29 for my community aquarium ez
That’s funny
Or turtles lol
LOL the intro, drip acclimating into Dustin's Fish Tanks territory 😆
Brent Katowitz haha. Nice!
When I was new, we only used under gravel filters, and they worked perfectly, so I agree 100%
@AL Janecko ; under gravel filter‘s and the old inside the aquarium box filter. Which is what we all used back in the 50s and 60s.👍
YES! : -)
The beginning of the video is " HARLARIOUS."KUDOS to your EXCELLENT ADVISORY VIDEO SERIES !👌🎓🗽
Thank you!
Love your videos and how pumped you get talking about fish. I miss my cichlid tank so much. We're looking to invest in a 30 to 40 gallon tank and I can't wait. We just bought our first house and a tank would look so awesome by the entrance. I had one about 5 to 6 yrs ago, but I gave the entire tank away with all the attachments, equipment and fish included. Boy do I miss it!
Thanks for sharing this great information with us. I really appreciate your hard work and knowledge! 🐟🐡🦐🐌 Aquatic life is so amazing. I'm a grower here in Florida and I just got into aquaponics. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm getting there slowly. It's a lot different growing plants underwater, especially with fish lol. Have a beautiful day!
That's awesome - it's a natural transition. :-)
Hello Jason, We met at the December 2019 GCCA Swap. Good to meet you! It occurs to me that there is another false assumption that some people make about biological filtration. And that is that if they add more bio-media they will get more beneficial bacteria growing. The amount of beneficial bacteria is a function of the amount of waste that is being produced by your fish. If you keep the same number of fish, and add another bio-media source (another filter or more media in the same filter) you will not increase the amount of bacteria. The amount of bacteria that grows in your aquarium system is determined by how much food is available to it (ammonia). You increase the amount of beneficial bacteria by increasing your bio-load (more fish). This increase needs to be made carefully, so that the growth in beneficial bacteria can gradually follow its food source. A well-balanced tank has only the amount of beneficial bacteria that can consume adequately the waste that the current stock of fish produce. Rapidly increasing a tank's bio-load can lead to spikes in ammonia and nitrite that can prove harmful to all of your fish. Increase your bio-load slowly. D. Beach
That is absolutely correct!
FINALLY someone explained that way too common issue. I'm sick of reading I need to put FX6 to 150 gallon or my fish are going to die due to a lack of "proper" filtration. I even red about FX6 connected to 75 gallon, "just to be sure". Seriously, why would anyone do that?
This has been so helpful. I’m about to get a 55gallon and I was so sure it would be better for the fish to have a HOB filter on each end as well as a sponge filter for more oxygen. You’ve cured me of that! Thank you so much. While I’ll only use one HOB, I will have a sponge filter for better aeration and a heater on each end but of lower wattage. And of course, lots of live plants. This will be my 4th tank and I hope I’ve learned over the months from all the mistakes I made, and hopefully won’t make the same ones this time around. I want this to be my best tank yet!
Deborah Jeanne glad it helped. 😀
Great video and very informative. A friend of mine has a 7-foot x 3-foot tank and she keeps mbunas and she uses 3 hang on the back filters ! She said It has been working fine for a couple of years and she cleans them on a 2 week period. She keeps dwarf mbunas. Do you think that's good? Any comments will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Yep! Glad it’s working
Perfect timing
We're setting up our first Tanganyka this morning. A 75 with a Cascade1000 and a Seachem 75 hob. I've been super undecided about what media to use in the Cascade. Thinking I'll go with pumice sticks sponge and poly. Thanks for the video. All of our planted tanks are golden with very little filtration. The septic system analogy works for this over thinker. Great information from your channel. Thanks
Recommendation put the poly before your pumice. That way only Clea. Water passes the pumice. It's a pain to clean off dirty pumice. I made that mistake once and I'll never do it again. Lol
Love your channel will watch all vids i have a dilema what size aquaclear should i get for a 55 gallon aquarium? 70 or 110?
I like using two AC 50s if they will fit over the rim of your tank.
I shared this on my band group buddy! Love the information..
Thank you!
Good insights and tips. I took out the cover and ripped out the filter media in my hang on back filter and placed lava rocks to hold down my pothos and other plants. Inside my tank is the trusty and dependable sponge filter.
I think you answered my question. I have a small hang on filter and I have a sponge filter. If I am understanding you correctly I may only need to run the sponge filter. Thanks for the information
Well, the intro was smth, loved it😀👌👍😉
I have a canister filter Eheim pro for a 12.5 gallon tank and i have two 5 gallon nano tanks with sponge filter...and i can say that i love how the sponge filter is working. The water is clear enough, the quality is ok, the fish are fine, So i think the sponge are my fav. 👍👌
Thank you for your vid, is very useful as always. Like your tanks, they are so awesome 👌👌👌😍 (wish to you and to your adorable wife a beautiful night. )
MONA ANGELA thank you!
I've always used a hang on back for mechanical, left the biological up to the tank itself (gravel, decorations, plants etc.), and have an airstone of some sort in case the hang on back fails. I've always had success with doing things that way. As you said though, you have to have patience and allow the tank to age. Great video, and very informative as usual!
Very cool!
Hi, Im about to remove the sponge filter and put a new hang on back filter. Then I will have 2 hang on back filters. Im doing this to make some space to the plants. I hope my idea will work out well for the fish as well as the plants. 🌹🍭💐
It should work just fine!
I have been keeping fish for over Forty years always Cichlids and have only ever had one filter with regular water changes there is no need for more and my fish have always been healthy and consistently breeding. Glad you are covering this subject it’s an expensive hobby anyway 😂
Wendy Hood thank you!
Really like the videos you put out. Always good information and yes would like the shirts.! Thanks. Keep up the good work
Thank you!
I love Aquaclears. So much room for media. I run 2 sponges in them plus 1 bag of biomax.
Great video. Looks like those sponge filters in the videos need to be squeezed out. Thats alot of junk on it. Suprised they still bubble well. Lol
We clean them weekly.
Great video. I have a 65 gallon aquarium. Heavily stocked. Community Tank Swordtails Daniel gourmi for filters. I have two on a handback filters. One canister filter. Big sponge filter. In two bio ring filters inside the tank. Do you think it's too much? I do have a high ammonia. But I do my water changes from 30 to 50% every other week and I still have the problem. I think it's heavy to heavily stocked. What do you think or can you help me have any suggestions?
Sounds like the tank might not be cycled yet, so the amount of filtration won’t matter. Usually a single HOB is enough for a 65 gallon. I might try to add Fritz Turbo Start - live nitrifying bacteria.
My 30g has a ziss. A sponge, a diy bottle filter, a breeder box full of media. And a pond guru tube filter.
Too much, probably. But it’s redundancy and sort out dead spots
You can def overfilter. But each tank is different
I look at it like this: can you over filter lake or large natural pond?
It really boils down to the water capacity and the bio load within the water's parameters. This includes everything from the algae growth to the fish's waste to the left over - uneaten food. The more of that, the bigger the filtration capacity needs to be.
I like your videos very much! You and other You Tubers have taught me a lot, thank you!!!
Thank you!
Thanks for this! Water has all sorts of microorganisms and biota living in it as well and if you have a high filtration rate you can scrub them from the water column as well, not always good. All my tanks are very heavily planted in addition to which I have very low flow and water turnover rates. Just enough to not be stagnant. Mostly for Betta and Gourami. Deep sand substrate and Holy Trinity of aquaria snails for cleanup crew make for very low maintenance intervals. Not practical dor all fish I know. In the past I have even ganged two tanks together with a pump and a return siphon, one heavily planted sharing water system with a tank of larger fish.
I have a smol 1.5ft nano tank of around 30L (how many freedom fathoms is that? No idea). Anyway, the impeller of the 100L/h Resun HOB I had used kicked the bucket, and getting a new HOB was the quickest and easiest. The only HOB my LFS had on the shelf was a 1100L/h Penn-Plax unit, and while it was fairly expensive and obviously "oversized", I went ahead and bought it having little choice. Funny thing is, I had to turn the flow valve way down or it stirs up so much muck into the water column. Nevertheless, I did a gravel vacuum and kept it on full blast and the water became gin clear within a day. My fish didn't like it much though so it's back to being restricted. Well pleased - rather too much than too little.
Appreciate all the time you guys put in these videos. Helping a lot of people, and their fish.
Thank you!
I think it’s the abundance of information that cause us to want to keep adding. I’m new to the hobby and recently set up a 55 Gal. I have a Penguin 350 for my mechanical with coarse sponges and thick filter floss for media, a large sponge filter, a coarse sponge pre-filter for the penguin intake along with lava rock as substrate :-/... really re-thinking it now! It’s not heavily stocked either. I have a young Flowerhorn along with a 4” Oscar and a 3” golden saum.
O Macias they can make a mess. Haha
@Kenneth Farley Not yet it isn't. They are all small. Im aware it isn't a permanent tank for them.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Yes they can, haha. That is why Im regretting the lava rock the most. The leftover food really hides between the porous rocks.
Very helpful and informative i have a question on the seeding method.
Omg Jason, what away to wake up with this video! I was laughing so hard.! I think all of us have been like that with filtration with our tanks. I got 2 canister filters and a sponge on a 75 with Central America cichlid (5). Water is perfect and no nitrate or ammonia. Great video again! I love my prime time shirt I got from you at aquashella
Mark Hill Hey Mark - nice seeing you!
I use large oversized external filter (Eheim) filled with a gallon of seachem matrix and a bag of purigen, topping this up with filter floss and of course a coarse sponge as a first step. But this does not stop me from 2 x 20% water changes weekly if heavily stocked. And to make the aquarium debree free I often add a old fashioned filter floss air driven internal filter.
I like having one that has just been cleaned , one that needs to be cleaned and one that was cleaned last week. But certainly I still only have enough bacteria for the daily poop load and no more.
😂😂😂😂 I LOVED the opening!!
This is a topic that seems omnipresent, and one where nagging concerns overpower one's knowledge.
That said you mentioned some special situations, high bio-load, fish that disturb the substrate, ... Would either of these qualify too:
A) An unplanted tank with high metabolism fish that attack plants and turn over substrate
B) Leaving on a short trip and want safety margin (with or without chemical sequestration)
Thanks again for the video,
Jm
PS: If there is ever a need for for s depiction of "mania," I believe you have a lock on the role. :)
James Green for sure. Nice points!
I use canister filters for bio filtration then I use HOB for mechanical if I run purigen I put it in fx4
This video helped me remove some of my doubts regarding filtration 👌👍 thanks 🙂
Raushan Lal Das glad it helped.
My parents are going to buy me one or two hang on the back filters for chrismas and I wanted to know if I should get filter sponges and ceramic media for my two tanks
Snipesniper 12 you can do both.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks
Great information. Very helpful👍
Thank you!
I think you changed my mind on the layering of my hob, I have bio bags, three coarse pads and a zip bag of floss on top. I have one coarse lg. sponge on my intake and a fine lg. sponge filter on the other side with an internal air stone. Now I'm thinking of removing the bio and a coarse pad and filling a full bag of floss for better fine particles.
So I'll have some fun messing with that. Thanks for the down to the basics information. (55 bow front)
Mark Brown I like to roll with sponge and floss. Helps trap the debris better.
Awesome video. Thank you!!! Great job explaining cycling the tank and how filters actually work.
Too many newer hobbyists think that the filter cleans the water. It does NOT, although it may make it look clearer. The trouble is that detritus trapped in the filter continues to decompose and pollute the water. A bigger filter or more filters won't change that.
The only way to keep water quality high is with routine partial water changes of sufficient volume - The solution to pollution is dilution.
I agree partially with this. I think it depends on as you stated surface area yes but also, and maybe even more importantly is what kind of species and how many you have.As you also stated. But I believe it's really an individual basis. I keep a 125g containing 3 Oscars and a fahaka puffer, a common pleco and a galaxy pleco, and 2 spotted silver dollars. Heavily stocked tank per gallons here when considering what is in there. I do run 3 canister filters, each rated at 525 gph, which after media is added cuts it down to about 300gph each. Of these 3 canisters 2 are strictly bio filters and 1 is a chem, mechanical filter. So maintaining is really easy since the bio's only get rinsed every 6 months alternately in recycled water from the water change. The chem and mechanical one gets maintained every 3 months. When I initially had just the 1 canister filter I had to maintain it monthly and it never really reached the particles in the colums due to the surface area and size of the aquarium. However as you also stated, once the aquarium finished cycling I never had and ammonia or nitrates either. I got all fish together when they were tiny and they have grown as did the bio filtration. So in the end I believe there is no right or wrong with to many filters, it becomes personal preference and how much work and money you want to lay out as long as the water quality is maintained and your aquarium is nice and clear is what counts. Thank you for this video. Although I have some agrees and disagrees it was still very educational and really made me think on it.
Canister shmanister - I built a fluidised bed filter. After watching this video I now feel silly... but also smug. I chose Alfra Grog for decor to accommodate bacteria in the tank. I mostly worry about damaging bacteria colonies when I do a water change. I got loads of plants too. The fish like the plants.
I have 6 filters on my 500L tank, love it. If one breaks down I will go and get another.
Here is what I have.. all also have pre-filters
2 x fx6
1 x Eheim pro 4
1 x Rena xp3
1 X Rena xp4
1 x eheim wet/dry
Works great, tank in balance for years, almost zero algae, very good plant-growth.. I also do waterchange once a week; about 40%. This is how I roll :)
That sure is a lot of filters.
Just set up a 20 long tank with a seeded sponge filter was thinking about adding a hob for 10 gallon tank just to pull any particulates out of water for clarity what are your thoughts on that
You can certainly do that. It might be worth just seeing how the sponge filter does first. In many cases that is all I use in my tanks.
Very informative thanks. I keep Discus with lots of driftwood, planted plants and floating plants. The water clarity isn't crystal clear but neither is the water in their natural habitat. As long as I keep regular weekly water changes everything is copacetic.
Great channel brother, one of the best on the tube
Brian Hahn appreciate you being here!
Great video with spot on info! That intro tho 😄😆
I have one hang on filter for my 55 gallon and about 2 inches of gravel. The bacteria in that tank is about 15 years established. Between that and the plants it dosen't really matter what I do to it, it will balance and even terrestrial plants take well to submerged life
When do you clean the sponge filter? Every week on a 50% water change? Do I squeeze it on a running water to wash off the dirt?
Here you go! th-cam.com/video/jp49hdba0eY/w-d-xo.html
Should I add a 20 gallon hang on the back filter for my know tank that does not have any live plants?
I would if there is no filtration in it right now.
I have not run an aquarium in years and didn't understand or consider the cycling of nitrogen. I had a 29 long and had a hang on and under gravel system. My water was crystal clear, except for when I replaced the 20% and cleaned the substrate. Then it cleared in a day. I had an idea the under gravel was doing a great job as a filter didn't understand the bio part of it. I am surprised under gravel filters aren't used more often because they are so unobtrusive compared to the foam filters.