Brookster123
Aquarium Advice Addict
I got the 240 gph model for 18 off amazon, it's installed and working extremely well, all my plants are waving in the current, kicked up a bunch of crud almost instantly..
my current almost looks like it's to much but the fish arnt acting any differently, I snuck a peek this morning and the barbs were still sleeping out in the current.. If it looks like it's disturbing them too much at night I'll put it on my light timer, than again I feel like my Pleco is out all night crapping and kicking up settled crap... Hmm..the thing with pool filter sand is most stuff sits right on top.. When I clean I just wave the vacuum around to lift detrius, the occasional shallow plunge but not to deep, I also have a 2 layered substrate for a decently planted tank.. I am very pleased with the overall look if pfs vs. gravel.. I have flourite underneath and the nuts that have come up to the top almost look like natural leaf litter on a sandy pond bottom, pretty cool!!Getting 2 smaller ones makes more sense. I don't want my fishes shoved in a corner from the current lol! That's another issue I'm having is diatom algae. I think it's because my gravel is so deep and I want to switch to PFS quite badly. I think it looks MUCH nicer and looks easier to keep clean. Does the koralia move the sand a around a lot or no? I'm assuming angling it just right does the trick...
yes I have grade 2 quartz pfs, it's the larger variety.. And yes the dead spots are quite visible, hey look! A mound of poo! Better get move water moving there I think that method will work, I broke my whole tank down to change to pfs, I was also using flourite and planting so I had little choice.. The trick is to make it as stress free for the fish and try not to spike parameters with all the crap beneath.. It seems as though power heads are mainly used in saltwater tanks where constant current is a must, they're also popular in planted tanks to keep fertilizer rich water flowing over leaves and stems, also used in tall tanks where flow could be reduced towards the bottom or in a native river tank where added current is needed!Is it PFS you have? I know with sand, you can tell where the "dead spots" are, because it's easily visible. With gravel, especially my darker 'natural' color, can't tell at all. If I decide to switch to sand, I'm going to have to do it with keeping the fish in and gradually take out layers of gravel over a weeks time and suck everything up as not to pollute to much. Then add the sand. That's my only way at the time. Also, one thing I don't understand too clearly is what the koralia, or similar, do... It's basically just meant to keep all the poo and any leftover food from settling right? So it stays suspended until the filter sucks it up?
oh yahh.. When he goes for a run it's a wake of particulates behind him, like a horse down the dusty trail! The beauty of grade 2 pfs.. It's small enough to be a good sand substitute but big enough it won't get kicked up and you can even vacuum it with light suction and it won't get sucked out of the tank.. Will never get close to your filter. I have my penguin intake about 2" off the substrate, not a problem.. I think the gas pockets thing is more a myth than actuality.. Every couple months just probe the substrate and stir it a bit and I can't see it ever becoming a problem.. It's good to stir up sand a but anyways, stuff will get trapped in the first inch or so..Does he stir anything up? I've also got 2 pictus that can go terribly nuts and I'm slightly worried they'll kick up too much sand and get stuck in the filter. From what I've read and watched on YouTube, it seems to be heavy enough to just sink right back down. I've also been told to stir the sand up to prevent gas pockets. How often do you do that?