Ok loads of info things to take in......the fish shop said that filter was suitable as it goes up to 180l and mine is only 165l. I have been given aqua one marisys 240 but I haven't had time to set it up and give it all a good clean and sterilize it somehow. Perhaps that would be a lot better?? Fish seem good today, water isn't as cloudy either.
Help please!!!
- Thread starter Lea82
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Rak9378
Aquarium Advice Activist
long thread. I have to keep re-reading it myself. To answer your other question it would be .088. Definitely more problematic and would warrant action. But I'm still not sure that would cause gasping. And OP indicated highest was 2. I guess the bottom line is there shouldn't be any ammonia present in any form and improving filtration should hopefully correct that.
Caliban07
Aquarium Advice Addict
To answer your other question it would be .088. Definitely more problematic and would warrant action. But I'm still not sure that would cause gasping. And OP indicated highest was 2. I guess the bottom line is there shouldn't be any ammonia present in any form and improving filtration should hopefully correct that.
Although i think that if 0.05 is the point at which fish start to suffer gill damage which would definitely result in gasping.
Anyway since I didn't see nitrites it's safe to assume it was that that was the cause.
Rak9378
Aquarium Advice Activist
Sorry Lea somehow I missed this yesterday. Generally speaking the more filtration (i.e liters/gallons per hour) the better. Of course that has to be within reason...you don't want to have so much current that the fish have difficulty swimming. But the flow rate parameters that OS laid out in a previous post is a good guideline. Can you provide the specs for your new filter? For some reason I am having difficulty finding the info. Pay special attention to the flow rate capacity and see if it mentions whether or not the rate indicated includes when the media is installed.
venymae
Aquarium Advice Addict
Wow, I'm learning tons from your thread. Hope you don't mind me following.
Rak9378
Aquarium Advice Activist
I'm no expert when it comes to filters so hopefully someone else can chime in. But I believe the flow rate of 960l/hr is sufficient since that is well over 4x for your sized tank and it says the rate is with media inside. As for whether it is suitable for freshwater that I'm not 100% sure. I would think so...I have a Fluval 406 and it is suitable for fresh or salt water. But I also noticed your filter comes with an overflow box and a protein skimmer. These are things you typically don't see for freshwater set-ups. If you paid more because of that it would obviously be a waste. But hopefully somebody else can offer up some more certain advice.
Here's the info on tap water parameters you asked about too Rak 
In 2 minds about what to do with filter atm. There is no guarantees the filter I have even works and I have to buy all the media etc for it that lfs has to order in. So perhaps I should just buy another one, I dunno...... What's everyone's opinions on good quality filters?
In 2 minds about what to do with filter atm. There is no guarantees the filter I have even works and I have to buy all the media etc for it that lfs has to order in. So perhaps I should just buy another one, I dunno...... What's everyone's opinions on good quality filters?
Caliban07
Aquarium Advice Addict
I would just get a good quality hang on back filter such as the aqua clear. Just make sure that the output is over 4x the volume of your tank in one hour.
So if you have a 10 gallon tank it needs to provide at least 40 gallons and hour turnover. I would over shoot slightly and get one that provides 60 gallons in this example.
Paul1792
Aquarium Advice Freak
Fluval C4 is the best, most advanced HOB filter
If you want water that looks like this right out of the box:
Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - Paul1792's Album: Paul1792's 38 gallon - Picture
I recommend a Fluval C4 for your 40 gallon tank. The Fluval C series is the most advanced HOB filter ..... and is essentially a hybrid canister HOB. It is made by Hagen, the same company that owns AquaClear. They even share the exact same motor with the same part number.
The Fluval C adds a polishing pad to remove micron particles and a trickle chamber to the typical HOB setup for additional biological filtration. The Fluval C4 only costs a few $USD more than a comparable AC70. The C series is very easy to do custom media so you don't have to buy expensive factory inserts.
If you decide to get an AquaClear, be aware of the bypass issue and you will need to pack it with floss to get crystal clear water. Whether you get an AC or a Fluval C, use Seachem Purigen in lieu of carbon.
(Had I known how good Fluval C's were a year ago ....... I would have saved well over $!00 on two sub-standard filters, expensive replacement cartridges, and water conditioners.)
I've posted elsewhere about this to try and help others from avoiding the same mistakes I made::
Post #7 here:
Hang on back (HOB) Filters
Post #3 here:
Fluval C4 vs bio wheel HOBs
Posts #11and 13 here:
What is the best HOB filter?
Posts #2 & 7 here:
Optimal Filtration
And no, I don't work for Fluval/Hagen.
If you want water that looks like this right out of the box:
Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - Paul1792's Album: Paul1792's 38 gallon - Picture
I recommend a Fluval C4 for your 40 gallon tank. The Fluval C series is the most advanced HOB filter ..... and is essentially a hybrid canister HOB. It is made by Hagen, the same company that owns AquaClear. They even share the exact same motor with the same part number.
The Fluval C adds a polishing pad to remove micron particles and a trickle chamber to the typical HOB setup for additional biological filtration. The Fluval C4 only costs a few $USD more than a comparable AC70. The C series is very easy to do custom media so you don't have to buy expensive factory inserts.
If you decide to get an AquaClear, be aware of the bypass issue and you will need to pack it with floss to get crystal clear water. Whether you get an AC or a Fluval C, use Seachem Purigen in lieu of carbon.
(Had I known how good Fluval C's were a year ago ....... I would have saved well over $!00 on two sub-standard filters, expensive replacement cartridges, and water conditioners.)
I've posted elsewhere about this to try and help others from avoiding the same mistakes I made::
Post #7 here:
Hang on back (HOB) Filters
Post #3 here:
Fluval C4 vs bio wheel HOBs
Posts #11and 13 here:
What is the best HOB filter?
Posts #2 & 7 here:
Optimal Filtration
And no, I don't work for Fluval/Hagen.
Caliban07
Aquarium Advice Addict
Great advice.
Thanks Paul Ok that sounds pretty good So C4 is the 1 you think is the best? I am happy to spend a bit more on the next model up even, if it benefits my tank. Just want all this levels sorted for my poor fishes! Do u recommend anything different another than the Seachem Purigen in place of carbon??
Ok that sounds pretty good So C4 is the 1 you think is the best? I am happy to spend a bit more on the next model up even, if it benefits my tank. Just want all this levels sorted for my poor fishes! Do u recommend anything different another than the Seachem Purigen in place of carbon??Paul1792
Aquarium Advice Freak
*********Thanks Paul
Yes, C4 is the hands down winner. I retired the aqua-tech I bought last August because the custom media was an unbelievable pain. The Aquaclear 50 I bought for my 38 gallon last December was a complete waste of money as the water lost its polish within about 24 hrs after I removed the aqua-tech which ran side by side with my C3 & AC50 for about a week. I ended up buying a second C3 and the AC50 is now running as a third filter right now on my 38 gallon. My C4 is running on my fully stocked 29 gallon at "half speed" and keeping it crystal clear.
No further modifications necessary to chemical chamber. In my C4 I use 2 Purigen (one is fine) + floss + Seachem Matrix (bio filtration) in the chemical chamber but it is so big, you can do whatever you want. Here's a link to my photobucket HOB filtration section .... where you can see how I use the C series with custom media including the chemical "basket."
http://s948.photobucket.com/user/Paul1792/library/HOB%20Filtration?sort=6&page=1
(click on each picture for full explanation)
Also, to get the beneficial bacteria going on your new C4 as fast as possible, I suggest you can "seed" your new C4 with media from your old filter something like this (albeit a C3):
Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - Paul1792's Album: Paul1792's 29 gallon - Picture
Best wishes.
Old Scales
Aquarium Advice Addict
The C series HOB's are good filters no doubt. But the Aqua Clears are NOT a waste of money. I just replaced my AC50 on my 29g with a C3. The flow rate of the C3 is a little less than the AC50 and the media is not quite as customizable as the AC50. This is due to the limitations of the usable thickness of the front most fiIter chamber. If its too thick the water can't flow all the way across the surface of the pad. IME my C3 is not polishing the water any better than the AC50 with the media I had in it. Sorry but IMO it is not the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's a good filter but not the end all perfect one. OS.
Paul1792
Aquarium Advice Freak
********************************
OS ..........this is because the media you use in lieu of factory media is too thick. You are trying to use stuff not made for the C3. You are trying to use stuff you've already bought or that Rite-Size blue bonded media we discussed elsewhere. And if you're not using aquatic life non woven polishing pads or factory polyfoam or equivalent to capture micron particles, than the C series is of no value in polishing your water and I agree, you might was well use an aqauclear with floss.
In the C3, the design for the factory pad is for 1/2 inch which leaves plenty of space between the media and the back of the housing. Thus, using the 3/8 inch Acurel debris reducing pad like I do plus 100 micron Aquatic Life polishing pad which is 1/12th of an inch thick, it is the same or thinner than the factory pad thus leaving plenty of space for water to flow.
In the C4, it's 5/8 inch. Thus you can safely use 1/2 inch debris reducing pads (ie HBH) and 100 micron pads and be under 5/8 inch thick. Or you can do what I do and use 3/8" acurel + 300 micron aquatic life 1/12" pad + 100 micron aquatic life 1/12" inch pad and be under 5/8" thus leaving plenty of room behind the back for the water to flow.
Please ....... go to my photobucket link below:
HOB Filtration Photos by Paul1792 | Photobucket
and click to enlarge the pictures and show the explanations and go through the pics of both my C3 & C4 media and see how it works. The Fluval C can be serviced without even turning it off with zero mess. When I take out the aquaclear basket, everything falls apart and I end up with a big mess all over the kitchen counter. Stacking my media and straightening out the floss to fit it in the basket is a pain. I can change the mechanical media in my C series in about one minute.
When trying to use purigen, you don't have to touch the chemical basket for four months. Yet every time you take the AC50 basket apart it falls out and is hard to get it to fit back in right.
Same with the bio media. On the C series, you don't have to touch it for months at a time. On the AC, you have to remove it when you take out the basket and then get it to fit back in.
Old Scales
Aquarium Advice Addict
I AM using the factory pads in the C3. I stated that IF you tried using the non factory pads they would not work as they are too thick. In the AC50, I used the foam insert that comes with it, a cut to fit fiber pad, then a 100 micron polishing pad and on top the bag of bio media. I got perfectly polished water with the AC50. Lifting out the media each time for cleaning the foam and pads was NOT difficult. I'm saying that IME if you already have an Aqua Clear, the benefits of the C series as far as water polishing is not worth the extra expense of an upgrade. I don't want people spending 50- 60 dollars on an upgrade to a C4 expecting a miracle improvement. The C series IS worth the upgrade IMO IF you don't already have an Aqua Clear. But, many in here have perfectly clear water using other brands of HOB's also. OS.
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