Recent content by asaint

Sorry to hear of your troubles. It's always a let down to hear a local fish store has given bad advice. Good news is Oscars are some hardy fish. It takes a lot to kill them off. Continue your water changes and monitor your test readings. You don't want to wipe out the ammonia or else the...

Congratulations on your new filter. The recent series of Fluvals are very quiet. I think it always comes as a surprise to new owners. Personally, I'm not fond of the rubber band method of connecting the intake and return lines to the tank. I think that piece should be redesigned. However...

Do you mean "build" your own tank? As in buy the acrylic, cut, polish, etc? asaint

I'll second that it will work. If it were me, I would probably forget to turn the Fluval back up in the morning. Much too fuzzy in the morning to remember little chores like that. I'd end up hanging the turbo twist on the back of the tank and plumbing in a cheap powerhead. That way I...

Yup, I do this. I purchased the biggest UPS's my local computer/electronics store had for my computers. Doing some calculations showed me my computers could run for 16 hours off these big boys. I ended up plugging my tank filters into them too. Now I calculate I will have about 4 hours...

I've used them before. They are an ion-exchange resin filter. The # of gallons you get from each cartridge varies by how bad your water is. The worse off the water is, the shorter the cartridge life. The cartridge changes color as it nears exhaustion. They are cost effective for small tanks...

If you buy online you have no less then about a dozen different canisters below the $150.00 waterline. It might be helpful to cruise the link below. It has reviews of a bunch of canister filters. This will help narrow your choice and questions. http://www.cloudytanks.com

I agree with Nautilus - get a test kit and take some readings. Test kits tell you what is going on with the water. Without some simple test results, nobody will be able to tell you what the problem is. I use the 5-1 quick dip strips. Simply dip them in the tank and read the 5 different test...

I agree - sounds like a great idea and one that will extend the life of your bulb. Asaint

There is a review of the Eheim cartridge filter (Liberty filter) at this link; http://www.cloudytanks.com/reviews/filters/eheim.htm Best of luck, Asaint

With an 8 gallon tank a hang on the tank filter would be ideal. I think a canister filter might be a bit much for such a small tank. Enjoy your new bigger tank. Asaint

UV has worked great for me. Keeps the tank extremely clear and the fish are healthy. What more can you ask for? Asaint

A great UV sterilizer which I've had excellent results from. There is a full review of the Turbo Twist UV Sterilizer at the link below http://www.cloudytanks.com/index.htm Best of luck, Asaint

I'll 3rd the suggestion of running them in parallel for about 2 months. Best way to transition to a new filter. best of luck, Asaint

People use RO units to fill aquariums for 1 of 2 reasons; 1. What they are keeping are supersensitive to what is in tap water (reef aquariums for example) 2. Their tap water has high levels of impurities (well water) If neither of these applies to you, you can use your tap water - just...