5 gallon tank

[RobbieHadley]

Sponge filter would be good in your setup. That's crazy about the filter, I've never had anything like that happen on any of mine before. At least your mom was kind about it, my wife would have killed me haha

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

I made the sponge filter

I got it from an idea thanks to a brilliant member
It doesn't look very attractive, but I plan to cover it with plants, maybe anacharis and water wisteria, I added about 1 inch of carbon, the rest is from my broken filter media, just the "sponge" part
It releases a lot of bubbles And creates some good surface agitation, maybe a bit too much, so I might pinch the airline ribbing somewhere to reduce it
What do you guys think?

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Also, there are all these bubble things around my tank, is something wrong with the water?

 

[RobbieHadley]

Looks like it's just a bubble nest. All Bettas do it. Nothing to worry about

 

[Alan79]

I usually submerge my internal filters during the day. Maybe the internal one you had running was just flowing too fast through the powerhead and spraying over the tank or creating waves that were spilling. If you are happy with your build then stick with it. I used something similar for a while but got tired of seeing a 500ml bottle in my 20g. If you want to clean the waters surface you can turn the intake you created upside down. Cut some slots along the cut end of the bottle to allow water to flow via the surface into the bottle top. It kept my surface free of the buildup while i used it as a surface skimmer (not to be confused with protein skimmers)

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Oh ok, thanks!

So what I should do is turn it upside down, or insert the airline tubing from the bottom?
Thanks for the build up info, I was worried, do bettas do that because they are sick or something?

 

[ashleynicole]

Oh ok, thanks!

So what I should do is turn it upside down, or insert the airline tubing from the bottom?
Thanks for the build up info, I was worried, do bettas do that because they are sick or something?

Bettas build a bubble nest when they are happy.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Oh really, that's great

I got worried because my brothers's betta doesn't do that

 

[Alan79]

Oh ok, thanks!

So what I should do is turn it upside down, or insert the airline tubing from the bottom?
Thanks for the build up info, I was worried, do bettas do that because they are sick or something?

Pretty much just turn it upside down and get the water to enter the bottle byt the removed base of the bottle.

My step by step build.
Tools
Soldering iron to make holes
Scissors

equipment
500ml coke bottle
small internal filter that fits inside the bottle (motor and chord on top, sucks in water from the base that goes through a sponge then shoots the water out of the powerhead)
2 suction caps
Filter floss

Steps
1. Cut the base off the coke bottle you can make the ends serrated now or later.
2. I removed the powerhead from the filter and marked the size of the small fitting, then i made a mark matching that on the bottle and cut/melted a hole with the soldering iron.
3. Make 2 holes to fit suction caps opposite the powerhead hole. If the cut end of the bottle is not serrated yet then make it serrated now with the scissors or soldering iron.
4. Work out how much space will be left around the filter in the bottle and fill that with filter floss, attach the suction caps.
5. Poke the powerhead fitting through the hole you made from the outside then put the filter in the bottle and fit the powerhead back into it's socket. The powerhead holds the filter in place. Add some filter floss on top and cap it so the floss doesn't enter the tank.

If you can't fit the filter in the bottle then you will have to alter the design to run a tube from your filter or pump like this guy has on the linked video.

My DIY surface skimmer - YouTube

 

[fltcrew21]

How does a cycle work for a small tank and only a sponge filter? Where does the BB colonize primarily? In that little sponge?
Also do small volumes of water cycle faster than 200g tanks?

 

[ashleynicole]

Small volumes take a whole lot longer to cycle and yes the bacteria will colonize on the sponge, gravel, wall, decor, etc

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Ok, so yesterday I went ahead and took apart the filter, it was super loud and I got annoyed by it
It is now more efficient, puts more oxygen in the water, and is like 99% quieter, I mean you can barely hear it
I think it looks better too, still covering it with a wisteria and anacharis
Works pretty well!

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Hey, I just got the new version of the app and I have no idea how to post a new thread, where do you do that?
Sorry for off topic

 

[t.h327]

I bought the Marineland crescent 3 gallon a couple days ago and from the reviews I read the filter backing up and overflowing apparently is a common complaint. I used the whisper 3i on an old betta tank I had and it worked so so. Kept the water clear but i found that the flow really slowed down after a couple days to a mere trickle. That was also on a 1 gallon... Dunno how it would work on that one. I found the one included to be too big anyways. Also when I was attaching the light to the side I tightened it too hard and it cracked the whole thing on one side. Needless to say I brought it back the next day and exchanged it for a fluval spec... Which is tiny but has an amazing filter system and lighting system. Marina makes small internal filters... Might be worth your while to check it out! Good luck! I've got several aquariums and have had many throughout the years and always find the smaller ones to be the biggest pain in the ***.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Exactly, the smaller ones are a real pain to find, think I might stick with mine though, it does have the motor of the internal filter

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Ok, so today I might pick up 10 juvenile cherry shrimp for free!

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

I got them! 10 cherry shrimp, one mysterious plant that has like 8 batches of eggs, for free! They are doing great, hope those eggs hatch soon!
Also, 2 have eggs!
http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums...AF37576-3484-00000513CD105193_zps8487ce79.jpg
http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums...794AA3B-3526-000005178ED99AD8_zpsd5bba8c6.jpg

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Oh, 1 question
Like half of them have a kind of milk colored rather large spot on their backs, what is that?

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Ok, so the shrimp have passed the first day, and today I saw a baby!
So anyone know what that milky spot on the shrimp is?

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Update
So I got some cardinal plants, well, they look how the crypts looked when I got them, like all crumpled up, they look like they are in good condition, just, all smashed up together, the shrimp are doing good, they usually spend a lot of their time up at the surface