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Box 7589 USA $14.97 Red Oak, IA 51591 Canada $19.97 (U.S. Funds) 800-666-0016 Editorial Office 6600 Abercorn St. Suite 208 Savannah, GA 31405 912-351-0855 912-351-0890 Fax *********************************************************** --- GEcho 1.20/Pro * Origin: (1:142/91) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA300000 Date: 06/02/96 From: JOHN O'BECK Time: 11:46am \/To: TERRY JACKSON (Read 2 times) Subj: Fliters TJ> TJ>What is water fining? Have a good one. Take care TJ> JO> It is the process of using an ultra fine filter to remove... TJ>I take it this is a special insert you use or is the whole filter a TJ>special type? Is it available a most pet supply stores and pet TJ>shops? Yes. It is just a filter insert. I use a Marineland H.O.T. Magnum with the 5 micron cartridge insert. Other canister filters have similar options. Similar products are widely available at aquarium stores. TJ>Is this the only time you run a canister and for how long do TJ>you run it at a time? Is there any other media in like charcoal or TJ>such? After I do my water change, I set up the filter on the front of the tank and run it overnight (about 20 hours total). This is the only time I run a canister. There are umpteen thousand different types of filter media available for canister filters. I don't use charcoal because I do not require the chemical filtration, my trickle filter does a great job. I use the canister strictly for mechanical filtration. TJ> JO> Probably a better alternative to this would be to use a protein TJ> JO> skimmer, but I haven't got around to building one yet. TJ>What exactly is that. Protein skimmers are essentially a tube in which water enters from the top and air (or ozone) is bubbled through air stones from the bottom. As the fine bubbles rise, proteins and other organics tend to collect at the bubble/water boundry and get carried to the top. At the top, foam forms and is allowed to overflow into a container thus removing the organics. Protein skimmers are very efficient and also serve to maximally aerate the water. TJ>Thanks for the replies? Have a good one. Take care Take care yourself. BTW, what kind of tank do you have and what kind of fish do you keep? TJ>... My secret fantasy is having two women: one cooking; one TJ>cleaning. ___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR] TJ>--- DB 1.58/004759 TJ> * Origin: SkipRidge CompuNet System * Green Valley, Ont (1:248/203) J. T. O'Beck --- * CmpQwk #UNREG* UNREGISTERED EVALUATION COPY * Origin: The Diplomat BBS : 971-2-659913 (5:7411/1) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA300001 Date: 06/02/96 From: JOHN O'BECK Time: 12:29pm \/To: TERRY JACKSON (Read 2 times) Subj: Trickle filter TJ> JO> No. Trickle filters recycle the existing water...(description of trickle filter)... TJ>Ok so it is a siphon and gravity driven filter with only the return TJ>powered. Right. Although you could use a power head for the water draw but this would be kind of a waste of energy and equipment. TJ>What exactly is a weir, if that isn't a stupid question, the term is TJ>unfamiliar to me? A weir is simply a plate with slots in it. The height of the weir is adjusted so that the normal water level comes about 1/2 way up the slots. This allows water to be skimmed only from the surface. Same principle as a pool skimmer. ____ ______ ______ _____ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |<--Normal Water Level | |___| |___| |___| | | | TJ>I don't think I'd like to drill a hole in my tank. Where are sponge TJ>filters placed and how is the siphon set up? No. I would not recommend drilling a hole in your tank yourself. However, many aquarium stores are set up to drill the tank and set up the flow box internals. The system is nice, especially if you want to set the tank up to be viewable from both sides. But technically, the external flow boxes work just as well. The setup is like this: __________________ | J-Tube | | __________ | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | || | | | |Flow Box | | || | | | | | | || |-|---|---| | | || | | |__________| || |_________| Weir Box || | | || To Trickle Tank Filter Wall The flow box is split in two, one side holds water so as not to lose the syphon. Water overflows out of this into the drain section: J-Tube __________________ | | | | | | | | | J Tube Here | | Sponge_ | | | | | | | | | | | |----------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sponge Filter | | |_____| | | |________________| |---------|--------| | | To Trickle Filter TJ>Sounds like a large system to use. It is a rather large system and most useful for larger tanks, say 50 Gal and above. I run a 200 Gal tank with a 20 Gal trickle filter. The one advantage is that the system sits below the aquarium in the cabinet and is completely out of sight. Even more so if the tank is drilled and set up with an internal weir. TJ>What is used as a media? (in a trickle filter) There are several options. I use bioballs in mine because they are convenient. Some people use crushed coral or pooka shell. A friend of mine used plastic bottle tops that he has drilled out. The biggest criteria for the media is to get as mush surface area per cubic foot as possible. The more surface area, the more nitrifying bacteria. TJ>bacteria can grow. TJ>Ok I follow that. Is there not a way that you could adapt this to TJ>have a certain amount of fresh water added to the mix and the excess TJ>overflow drained away to allow a constant refreshing of the water? TJ>You know sort of a slow water change as opposed to the 10-20% a week TJ>method. You could, but it would be expensive. You would need level switches, power supplies, solenoid valves etc. You would also probably want to be dual redundant on everything so that if one piece of equipment fails (e.g., a valve sticking open) there would be a backup to keep the system working. Probably not worth the effort and it would be even more complicated with salt water. TJ>I can see where that might be an asset. Does that mean with this TJ>setup an undergravel is not needed? What about a canister, is it TJ>ever useful in this type of arrangement? No. You do not need a UGF or for that matter any gravel at all. However, crushed coral or pooka shell is not only decorative, but also acts as a natural pH buffer. TJ>I sure enjoyed our chat,TJ>lets do it again real soon. Take care Me too. CYA TJ> Terry TJ>... Press now to access the pirate software. TJ>___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR] TJ>--- DB 1.58/004759 TJ> * Origin: SkipRidge CompuNet System * Green Valley, Ont (1:248/203) J. T. O'Beck --- * CmpQwk #UNREG* UNREGISTERED EVALUATION COPY * Origin: The Diplomat BBS : 971-2-659913 (5:7411/1) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA300002 Date: 06/02/96 From: JOHN O'BECK Time: 01:58pm \/To: ROBERT MCCARTHY (Read 2 times) Subj: Hazy Glass RM>Hope someone can help me. I have a 17 yr old 55 Gal tank that has a RM>lot of mineral deposits on the inside of the glass. Does anyone know RM>something of that will clean it up? I think I remember someone RM>something saying about muriatic acid but am not sure. If anyone has RM>any suggestions I sure would appreciate it. Thanks. RM>Bob Try using straight white vinegar first. If the scale is not too bad, this will work. If not... Muriatic acid (HCl) will work fine. Since you say this is an old tank, I assume that it is probably the "chromed frame" type of construction. If so, be careful not to get the acid on the metal. You should dillute the acid about 5:1. Better to use weaker acid and a little more elbow grease than to use the acid straight. Be careful with the HCl, it can cause SEVERE burns. Use eye protection! Also, when diluting, add the acid to the water (not visa versa) slowly. Alot of heat is given off when they mix. J. T. O'Beck --- * CmpQwk #UNREG* UNREGISTERED EVALUATION COPY * Origin: The Diplomat BBS : 971-2-659913 (5:7411/1) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA300003 Date: 06/01/96 From: JAMES MULLINIKS Time: 06:30pm \/To: ROBERT MCCARTHY (Read 2 times) Subj: Hazy Glass RM>Hope someone can help me. I have a 17 yr old 55 Gal tank that has a RM>lot of mineral deposits on the inside of the glass. Does anyone know RM>something of that will clean it up? Bob, I believe hard water deposits will come off with vinegar and alot of elbow grease. RM>--- PCBoard (R) v15.22/M 2 RM> * Origin: 1:361/204 (1:361/204) --- * CMPQwk #1.42-R2* UNREGISTERED EVALUATION COPY --- InterEcho 1.15 * Origin: The Lucky Troll/2 BBS (901)-757-2076 (1:123/315) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA300004 Date: 06/01/96 From: ANGELO FELIX Time: 01:56pm \/To: JOHN-PETER VAN ZELM (Read 2 times) Subj: Marine Fishkeeping JVZ> AF> Did he have a lot of fish? and what kind of fish were they? You > AF> could probably keep a few fish in a U/G system for > AF> a long time, but not > AF> a lot. JVZ> There were a fair number of fish in there. 6 or 7 at least. one was a hu >batfish too. Never was one problem. Sorry here but I had some problems with my board, and had to pack the message base to 1 day old mail ... I can't find the original subject. Angelo --- PCBoard (R) v15.3/M 10 (05-20-96 15 * Origin: RaMeY CyBeR BBS*PUERTO RICO*809-890-1769 (1:367/65)