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Bert2oo1 said:
Not a bad idea. That kind of power in a small spray bar will have some serious push. If u mount it fairly low on the side of the tank so the flow gets under the wood in the middle I would imagine u would get some decent flow. As for the spray bar I'm pretty sure the sunsun comes with an adjustable spray bar?

If u need to buy one I recon the hose size for the filter would be 16/22. :)
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Yeah I think 16/22 is pretty standard? You never know though. Fluval have their own unique sizes which was a pain when finding an inline for it.

@Khuligirl as Bert says you can mount the spray bar at the side. It doesn't have to be at the back. I just like it at the back because in a conventional tank the water doesn't have to travel as far before it hits the glass. Having said that 10x turnover with media should be rocking. You won't regret having the extra flow I can assure you.
 
Look what came! http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q381/bnz0429/4A2B33F7-B328-4546-A0CC-D396B4854DDD_zpsjbgwnt4i.jpg
Took me about an hour to rinse all the media and figure out how to set it up. the "outside filter" instructions were indeed completely useless, as other reviews stated. But, even though this was my first canister I had few difficulties in setting it up.
I would say the flow is about equal to my AC70, but obviously much more consistent and I dont have to clean the intake every day. The main obvious difference is that instead of the strongest water movement being at the surface, the outflow is about 3-4" below the surface, and the surface hardly has any movement. Heres a video: (hopefully it works) 82CD5CB5-9450-4C5A-ADD2-023E4DA96F33_zps4i2fhbwj.mp4 Video by bnz0429 | Photobucket

Left side of the tank is really filling in http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q381/bnz0429/96F64CB0-34EC-4B8B-B1FA-727736BE2E0B_zpsefo18gfd.jpg

The right side is progressing a bit slower http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q381/bnz0429/7A756704-5AC1-499D-B65D-4FAAF7A93129_zps5u3p7htp.jpg
 
Neat! Have my eye on that as if I ever get an inexpensive canister. Going to be following your updates of this product.
Is the Rhinox diffuser producing tiny bubbles as well? In the video I see somewhat larger bubbles. I'm assuming that any smaller bubbles are too small to see in the video. What psi are you using for it?
Plants look good. The Ludwigia species red does the same thing in my tank; growth really takes off in the upper half of the tank. The bottom half of the plants are meh.
 
Fresh2o said:
Is the Rhinox diffuser producing tiny bubbles as well? In the video I see somewhat larger bubbles. I'm assuming that any smaller bubbles are too small to see in the video. What psi are you using for it?
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The diffuser produces both tiny bubbles and large bubbles. Its kind of irritating because the bubbles only come out of about 1/4 of the surface area of the ceramic disk. Every diffuser I've ever had has always done this. Is it a sign of a low quality diffuser, or is this just how they work? Its been like that ever since I first got it, so I know its not because its clogged.
I'm not sure what the psi is, I'd have to check the regulator and I'm out of town right now. I left a gallon of fertilized water out for my roommate to add to the tank tomorrow, so hopefully everything is still in order when I get back.
If this new filter and better CO2 distribution doesn't help my algae issues, it will be a sure sign that the source of the problem is something else, because my entire tank is filled with bubbles, and everything is coated in CO2 bubbles by the end of the day. Its actually very unsightly, but I can deal with it if thats what my tank needs.

Makes me curious how professional aquascapers do it. You always see their pristine aquascapes with zero flow, and they have no algae! And here I am, my plants are bending over sideways from all the flow, and theres bubbles stuck on every surface and yet I still have algae.. whats the secret?
 
They take out all there hardware before taking the pictures generally ;) I bet there tanks look like soda bottles just like ours most of the time :). What kind of algae are u getting? Just abit of GSA?
 
Oh I have a bit of everything. Mostly That brownish thread/ hairy algae, but more recently a lot of staghorn. Also a little bit of GBA (green brush) and BBA (black beard) on the driftwood, and definitely some GSA (green spot) on the glass.
*Edited to clarify acronyms just in case someone is reading this to learn about algae.

It seemed like they came in phases though:
1) Diatoms
2)Brown thread/ hair
3) GBA/BBA
4) Staghorn
5)GSA

So far the diatoms have gone away, and the thread algae is definitely slowing down. I'm wondering if they will all gradually disappear in the same order they came.


Some pics just for fun: http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q381/bnz0429/4F3B4628-3E54-4FA1-86C0-0F68E15A0E05_zpsurb0kina.jpg
Mermaid weed (I believe its proserpinaca pectinata- originally I thought it was p. paulustris, but the petioles on mine are much thinner) is growing slowly but surely. It is quite an interesting plant. Looks like a myrio species, but grows as slow as an anubias. Unfortunately, this characteristic along with its slender and tightly arranged leaves makes it a magnet for alage. The micro bubbles seem to really adhere to the spider-webby like texture of the brown thread algae, and it makes the mermaid weed look like a christmas tree :)

http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q381/bnz0429/1CF88C8B-7894-467D-9468-608E171AD370_zpsth4aezgo.jpg
Now that I have very little surface agitation with the new filter, I can take these cool photos through the surface of the water :)
 
Good to hear :) the flow and co2 should get rid of the hair algae, just keep fishing it out as much as u can.

BBA is a pain. It's the only algae I get now. Although excel clears it up pretty quick.

Haven't had stag before but I've read it's painful to get rid of :(

Have u considered upping your phosphates to rid the GSA?

Since I've upped my phosphates by 4x the recommended by EI I haven't seen any in my tank for 2 weeks :)

Sounds like u have all bases covered :) I'll be following along to see the results :)
 
Bert2oo1 said:
Have u considered upping your phosphates to rid the GSA?

Since I've upped my phosphates by 4x the recommended by EI I haven't seen any in my tank for 2 weeks :)
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I don't test them daily, but I believe they usually hover around 4-5 ppm. I thought having them too much higher could cause other types of algae to grow. What ppm are yours at?
 
*facepalm* note to self- before going on a week long trip make sure your CO2 isn't about to run out.
I've got 3" long tufts of green hair algae

I'm considering getting an inline CO2 atomizer for maximum absorption now that I have a canister. Anyone have any recommendations for best brands?
 
That's stinks about the hair algae. Last time in had it that bad was a few years ago in my shrimp tank. Low light, no CO2 or ferts. Left the lights on 8 days straight (was on vacation). Physically removed as much as I could with a toothbrush and cut back on the lighting corrected the situation.
You can reduce the photo period to start with and pull out what you can. Refill the CO2 and get that going in the mean time.
I cannot comment on the inline atomizer. Yes, the gas is under pressure but does this increase the contact time and absorption? Idk.
With a canister you might want to look at reactors such as the Sera Flora. Or even a DIY solution: I hardly hear about Rex-Grigg or Cerges reactors anymore but that might something to check out.
 
I use a up Aqua inline and it seems to work fine. Only have to clean it every month or so and gives a large spread of micro bubbles with my spray bar.

If u don't like seeing co2 mist in your tank though I'd say don't get an inline.
 
That's odd, someone told me that inline atomizers were so good at diffusing, that they didn't see any bubbles in their tank except pearling.
But, I would rather see microbubbles than large bubbles like I'm seeing now.
 
Khuligirl93 said:
That's odd, someone told me that inline atomizers were so good at diffusing, that they didn't see any bubbles in their tank except pearling.
But, I would rather see microbubbles than large bubbles like I'm seeing now.
Click to expand...


It's just like a slight mist, the up Aqua is a cheap diffuser so maybe it gets better the more u pay?

But yea mine is just a slight mist u can see in the flow of the filter. You can't see it from a distance but if your close u can see all the bubbles rolling around. I like it because it lets u see what your flow pattern is in the tank.
 
Bert2oo1 said:
It's just like a slight mist, the up Aqua is a cheap diffuser so maybe it gets better the more u pay?

But yea mine is just a slight mist u can see in the flow of the filter. You can't see it from a distance but if your close u can see all the bubbles rolling around. I like it because it lets u see what your flow pattern is in the tank.
Click to expand...



I have the same one. Same observations. I like them.
 
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