Hi Artesia,
I have an AC-50 on a 29-gallon. When new, I remember it making a lot of micro bubbles. Give your filter some time to buid up slime in its internal housing and the bubbles will lessen.
As for the flow, there's very little difference between the min/max output. Try feeding at the farthest point from the output.
It's one heck of a filter, and I wouldn't trade it for any other HOB filter.
David
If the filter is on the lowest setting, the water gets filtered at the same speed, but it is recycled from the end of the filter "basket" and then it is sucked back into the intake from the part of the pump that is not covered by the intake tube. This means that water is being sent through the media at the same rate, but it is being recycled through the media leaving the water with less ammonia with each pass. But, each time the water goes through it has less ammonia than before, so the bacteria are going to be converting the ammonia less and less with each pass. So if the filter is set to 50% intake, for example, then half of the water is from the tank, and would be full of ammonia, and the other half would have much less ammonia. So running the filter at maximum flow, the water that is getting filtered would have more ammonia than the average of the water when set to the lowest setting, therefore running the filter at maximum flow would be the best option. Plus, the mechanical media will be filtering more water with particles in it on full flow.
Here is a trick I used for my fancy gold fish so you still have max flow without plowing your flakes or pellets to the bottom but getting goldfish to eat from the top takes time and training they like to rummage for food at the bottom.
So I use a pop bottle to reduce the flow I cut of the top and bottom then then cut in half length ways like in picture 1
Then stretch it over the output of the filter with a piece of tape on the filter lid if needed to hold it in place but it's still easy to take off for filter matience as shown in picture 2
Hope this helps you out
Here it is 110 gallon 2 fluval 405's, 2 aquaclear 110's, fluval e300 heater, dual port air pump and a gold fantail, Choclate fantail, black moor, ryukin, lionhead, calico fantail, red cap oranda, Pom Pom, and a ranchu.
ArtesiaWells said:Thanks Ryan!
Wow -- now THAT is a large tank!!
I wish I had all that room for some fancies to swim and play in; but boy -- you are really scarcely decorated, huh? Did you not want to do some kind of "theme" in that tank? If I had a tank that big, I would have planned a wicked aquascape...is it because you are housing fancy goldies?
Do you have any closeup pics of your fish and filters in action?
Unlike cw, I'm confused here, Link...
Based on your explanation, I don't understand why the maximum flow would be the best option; it seems more ammonia gets exposed that way...
You quickly learn with goldfish less decor it much easier to clean and I don't like castles and stuff like that just plants and terra cotta for me. And yes with fancies poor eye sight you should avoid sharp objects that can poke or tear their fins. Here are a few pics I had on hand
You quickly learn with goldfish less decor it much easier to clean and I don't like castles and stuff like that just plants and terra cotta for me. And yes with fancies poor eye sight you should avoid sharp objects that can poke or tear their fins. Here are a few pics I had on hand
Are you referring to some algae buildup within the plastic pieces of the filter, or just bacteria that eventually latches on from uneaten food, waste, etc?
ArtesiaWells said:Is your lighting fluorescent?
Yeah it's just more stuff to vaccume around I like it simple and Goldie's have a large bioload and toxic gas pockets can form under decor it's only my fancy tank that's simple.
And yes I have 4x 4' t-8 lights so I can grow some low light plants for them to munch on as it aids their digestion. Here a a couple pics to show my other tanks just so you don't think I keep them all plain Jane lol
I use a solid black painted background it makes the plant and fish colors pop and yes I much prefer fluorescent also needed for plant growth but you can get different color temp bulbs from blue, white, to pinkish hues but I like 6500k for a more daylight natural look and the plants like it too