Filtering fish tanks.. do you guys have particles floating in your water ?

[candymancan]

Im not sure if this is because of my odd shaped tanks or what... But I sware my Pentagon and Hexagon seem hard to filter.

I have had HOB's on them and those filters with there tiny inlets don't filter very well.. Plus both tanks are in my bedroom so I got internal filters.. They have massive inlets and are so quiet and they seem to filter the tank much better..

However one problem I still have is both tanks seem to always have a lot of floating debris in the water.. I can understand some particles are normal but I can stand 3-4 feet away and see big chunks of stuff still floating in the tank.. Im not sure how to solve this.. I found in my hexagon using a Powerhead to push the water in a circular motion meaning so it spins around the circular shape of the tank actually really helps get those particles in the filter..

But my pentagon... Im not sure I haven't tried that yet but it is basically a kinda circular tank very girthy.. But im trying to keep the noise down in my bedroom.. and also my 44g has discus in it. So I don't want to have massive amounts of waterflow in the tank. The idea of using the powerhead to create a circular flow though is in doing so the particles will get pushed into the filter.. Also these filters use like a spongy material to filter material.. Im not sure if that's best to get the tiny particles. Do you guys know of any kind of filter pads I can add in there as secondary filtration to get the finer particles ?

Does anyone have experience on filtering odd shaped tanks ? Or is this just normal do you guys have floating particles in your tanks ?


This is my pentagon you can see the Internal filter in there it has like 8 inches of slits for debris to get in there and watching it.. it does a good job I can see it suck up debris.. But I have no power heads in the tank. Im using the long black spray bar you see to push the water upward and forward to the front of the tank to give aeration and the same effect a HOB filter would. This works great to keep the top agitated and I can see water flowing in my entire tank.. but the right side and middle and front of the tank is where all the particles just keep swirling around.. They never really get to the side the filter is on to get sucked up. Should I install a power head ? Can discus handle small/medium currents ?

 

[ppo8820]

honestly, it looks beautiful. I wouldnt worry about some particles since you have live plants and particles come with the territory. I know you want crystal clear water, but I think you might be over-analyzing it a bit. It looks healthy and very well kept, so I wouldnt worry so much

 

[Fishfur]

Do you have floss in the filters ? If not, it is very very good at water polishing and catching every particle that comes to it, and very cheap to use too. Need not be changed every time, it can be squeezed out and reused for some time.

Using a small internal pump low down can help circulate particles so they are more likely to be caught and filtered out. It can be quite a small one, and they're usually quite quiet. I have a tiny, pretty cheap fountain pump in a 10G, in my bedroom, as it happens.

The pump is quieter than the filter is. You may have to clear the intake screen periodically, it depends just what gets sucked against it - clogged screens may cause the pump to make a bit of noise but it's very easily resolved simply by wiping off the screen, don't even need to pull the pump out to do that. You will have to clean the impeller, just like a filter, periodically.

As it happens, I run the pump to provide a feeding current for fan shrimp but the side effect is that also keeps the bottom really clean too. Nothing piles up down there, not even behind rocks or clumps of plants, water is very clear.

 

[1998golfer]

I don't have any free-floating particles in my water, but that may be because of my overfilitration.. I have a 27g cube with a 153gph hob and 528gph canister. Canister is stuffed with filter padding (blue bonded filter pads from ebay) and a bag of ceramic bio rings. hob has fluval c-nodes (bio) and a filter pad.

 

[jim532]

I have the same thing going on. It's because I've got plants, driftwood and java moss with a canister filter. I didn't have this problem so much in the past when I had tanks with resin ornaments and plastic or silk plants.
The more often I vacuum the less I see, but never completely disappears. I'm considering adding an HOB filter floss to catch more debris.
If your fish aren't chasing debris thinking its food, then it's probably not too bad.


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[aqua_holic]

Internal filters hold a very limited amount of media, so that's a big part of why you have particulates in the water. If you want better clarity and no noise, go with canister filters.

 

[candymancan]

Well Id have to listen to canisters to see how loud they are.. Because HOB's I don't care what brand fluval or tetra, marine land whatever they are all too noisy for a bedroom..

The internal I have is a Top Fin 40.. I got it because the 2 2.6g betta tanks I have came with the 10g versions and I couldn't believe how quiet they were.. So for my 10g bowfront I got the 20g version and it too is so silent I have to put my ear against the glass to hear it.

I got the top fin 40 for my 44g pentagon and to replace my 27g hexagons HOB and wow.. my bedroom is silent now since I replaced them a month ago ( I have 3 tanks in my room the hex pentagon and 10g bowfront). I know these don't have the media that a canister has but its actually got about as much as a duel HOB filter and much much more then a single HOB filter. I have a Marine Land Penguin 350 on my 55g down stairs and I can only fit 2 filter floss filters in it double sided of course, And this Internal has 2 spongy filters and has a separate chamber for BB media like those pourus rocks and so forth. I don't think its a bad filter.. The only issue is it has slits by the sponge filters to allow water bypass so that was one spot where food and stuff would just flow right through but I fixed that by using blue filter floss.

Im debating on getting another internal filter and putting it on the opposite side of the tank for better filtration but the only issue with this is these discus don't like too much water flow.. I actually pointed the spray bar so it pushed the water at an angle against one of the back glass panels so now water flow is in the circular motion in the tank.. Doing this I was watching all the particles go right into the filter and after a day id say 50% of them seem to be gone now.. however doing this the tank has a lot more water flow and I noticed my discus are now having to swim to catch food they don't seem to like it.


Are you sure canisters have no noise ? For something so large they just seem like they would create a lot of noise.. This is my bedroom remember it has to be pretty much dead silent.. The reason I got these internals was because they are well... dead silent you don't even hear a little humming from them. They just of course take room inside the fish tank but a Hexagon and pentagon tank is very girthy so I don't mind

 

[aqua_holic]

Yes, we are sure.

 

[Brookster123]

Yes, we are sure.

+1 even my cheapo sunsuns are dead silent..

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[PNWaquarist]

Well Id have to listen to canisters to see how loud they are.. Because HOB's I don't care what brand fluval or tetra, marine land whatever they are all too noisy for a bedroom..

My AquaClear is definitely quiet enough for a bedroom. Especially if the tank water level is high enough to minimize splashing.



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[aqua_holic]

I like to use outsiders as the barometer for noise, since it's pretty common for people to not hear such noises as much after being immersed in them for a period of time. When people come over and comment on how quiet the tanks are, it tells me that they are truly quiet and that it's not just me phasing them out.

 

[Ricky 1]

I have a trickle filter in the full length of the tank lid, it keeps my water Chrystal clear, and is very silent, I know a lot don't like these type, but it is a great filter system, and can be worked on and cleaned without going in to my tank, what matters is what you put in the filter that makes the difference, you can't beat floss or pads + ceramics........

 

[dcutl002]

Eheim or Fluval canisters are very good.





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[vacuumlad]

I have a 36 gallon corner tank and it is also hard to filter I and currently using the fluval 204 canister but in 2 days my sunsun HW-302 will be here. I can't have a HOB and I don't like internal filter so I went with a canister and I'm glad I did. the sunsun filter comes with media also and it cost $50 on amazon which is really good for a canister filter. And canisters are superior compared to HOB and internal filters. Hope that helped.


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[candymancan]

Well I put a second Internal in my tank (moved the one in my 27g to the 44g and I replaced those blue spongy things which you can see through if you hold it in front of a light with some fluval water polishing pads.. Yea..... Those pads did it and so did adding the second filter.. Its deff clear now... I found out the other issue is the top fin flakes my mom bought.. they usually are big chunks but these have been shaken around a lot or something they are tiny specs like particles and I think that's where its coming from as well.

The only problem now is the 2 internal filter in my pentagon is taking up room and I don't like looking at two of them. I decided to go to petsmart and get one of those fluval filters the fluval C3... Everyone keeps saying this fluval aquaclear and C3 and C4's are super quiet...

well I mean seriously guys... quiet to you guys must be different to me because this Fluval C3 is noisy... I can hear the impeller in it.. and I have to fill my tank so full of water its against the glass lid in order to keep the water from making a waterfall trickling noise when it comes back in the tank...

I don't think some of you know what quiet is... So im a little skeptical when people say canisters are quiet.. when everyone says the fluval AC and C Series are quiet.. lol

I have 4 Top Fin Internals running in my bedroom in 3 tanks.. and with 4 running... I cant hear them... but I can hear the fluval... that's pretty sad... So ima return this fluval tomorrow... I guess Ill just save my money up for a canister filter.... I really hope they are quiet like you guys are saying...

 

[vacuumlad]

I have an aquaclear and a canister and the canister is way quieter compared to the aquaclear but I have the canister in my stand.


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[RadMax8]

You must have some pretty sensitive ears! I've got two tanks running in my living room, both with AquaClear filters. The tanks are never distracting or loud. My cat's water fountain is the noisiest thing in my living room!

Anyway, that's not really what you're looking for. As you've found out, your particles are related to flow. Basically there's not enough flow to get them to the filter. When you added the second internal filter you increased the flow and sucked up the particles.

You don't like the noise of the Fluval C3, and you don't like taking up tank space with a second internal filter. Your most cost effective option is going to be adding a small power head to increase the flow. You'll probably be able to hide it in your plants, so you won't have to see too much of it. Your plants might also act as a baffle to keep the discus happy.

Good luck!


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[Brookster123]

My fluval c4 was a but noisy for the first month.. maybe fish tanks arnt for you?? Perhaps a ferret?? Chinchilla?? Hedgehogs are pretty quite.

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[candymancan]

You must have some pretty sensitive ears! I've got two tanks running in my living room, both with AquaClear filters. The tanks are never distracting or loud. My cat's water fountain is the noisiest thing in my living room!

Anyway, that's not really what you're looking for. As you've found out, your particles are related to flow. Basically there's not enough flow to get them to the filter. When you added the second internal filter you increased the flow and sucked up the particles.

You don't like the noise of the Fluval C3, and you don't like taking up tank space with a second internal filter. Your most cost effective option is going to be adding a small power head to increase the flow. You'll probably be able to hide it in your plants, so you won't have to see too much of it. Your plants might also act as a baffle to keep the discus happy.

Good luck!


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Yea I have a low flow power head that's adjustable.. dead silent too, But for now the 2 Internals are doing their Jobs nicely.. These Fluval polishing pads are awesome.. within 2 days they are like dark brown lol.. like wow I couldn't believe how dirty the water really was and in my 27g hexagon which has an internal 40 as well the pad is literally black after 2 days..... And in the second chamber after the polishing pads I mixed ceramic rings with seachem matrix and in one of the internal 40's the second chamber I took a few ceramic rings out so I could fit a seachem purigen pad in there.. and within 2 days like I said my tank is crystal clear now and no more particles.. These Fluval pads being black after only 2 days though.. I hope they can be washed in the sink and wont flake apart.

It wasn't just the flow you were right on that because the pentagon is so oddly shaped and so tall its hard to get water flowing in it to filter the entire thing.. But it was also the stock sponges that came with the internals.. they aren't very fine the holes in them are so big like I said if you hold it over a light you can see your hand on the other side.. So it wasn't filtering small particles.

I returned that fluval filter and got my money back.. Since the tank is crystal clear now, and dead silent im happy... The internal 40's have a lot more bio media then the fluval c3 could ever hold anyway.. And my 15 year old tetra whisper 40 was quieter then the fluval c3...

I don't have sensitive ears really.. Im 28 and being around firetrucks and stuff for years and lawn equipment and massive ear infections as a kid.. My hearing is actually bad.. I have the hearing of a 40-50 year old my ENT said.. lol its mostly soft noises I cant hear though.. like pin needles or when in a crowed of people if someone is talking to me I cant understand what there saying.

But all my life little noises.. like the noises HOB motors make.. they annoy me.. a little squeak or a a little tap and ill go crazy lol... And a filter in a living room vs in your bedroom is a little different... My penguin 350 biowheel filter is the noisiest filter I have but it doesn't bother me at all when on the couch watching t.v And my 15 year old Whisper HOB has 0 impeller noise.. but the motor as quiet as it is.. bothers me in my bedroom lol.. I can take the impeller out and turn it on and just the slight hum annoys me lol. So these internals because they are dampend by the tanks water volume I cant hear them at all.

One was a tad rickety the impeller was rattling.. but I took fine sandpaper and sanded the magnet a little and now its super quiet..


I have been doing research on canister filters.. The fluval ones the impellers seem to go bad after 6 months.. Im reading many reviews of people coming back after 6-9 months reporting the thing that holds the impeller cracks and brakes.. or the impellers just wear out.. I also read reviews on marine lands canisters and they tend to break or leak easy..


A lot of these canister filters seem to form leaks after awhile... Even some eheim filters ive read leak.. I dunno.. Im going to stick with the internals and avoid a potentional expensive disaster with a canister leaking 40g of water on my floor.. I covered them up with watersprite so I don't see them anymore.


Im researching on how to make a wet/dry filter or a sump filter.. Maybe put a 10 or 15g tank under my 44g and use it as a filter, and adding another 15g to my 44g tank would also help keep the water parameters better being 60 total gallons

 

[dcutl002]

I have had my Eheim 350 for about 2 years...no leaks (knock on wood).


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