Ranchu Mishap

For those that follow me on Twitter here you probably read that my two adorable ranchu (Bumblez and Oakki) have since passed away, which is partially why I have had a bit of a hiatus on here lately. There are a few possibilities which I feel may have contributed to the death of my ranchu which I am going to share with you now...

#1 The first issue being that the hardwood floors got refinished downstairs (which is why I have some unknowns as to what happened in my ranchu aquarium while I wasn't home), and although my bedroom upstairs where my fish reside were left with a closed bedroom door the dust from the downstairs floor still managed to seep into my room... hence wood dust getting into the aquarium. Not to mention the fumes throughout the house from the staining process and such may have also been a contributing factor.

#2 The power had apparently gone out at some point during this process... for how long exactly I am uncertain but I believe this may have contributed to problem #3.

#3 Filter failure which may have happened due to the power going out and it's honestly the first time this unit has failed in my tank. For goldfish, having water movement and constant filtration is basically a total must have since goldfish create a lot of waste, but wait... I have an air filter as well, which brings me to issue #4.

#4 Some where along the lines of doing regular tank maintenance (honestly this next part is a total mystery) but some how my air check valve was going in the wrong direction and hence no oxygen was actually going into the tank from the air pump (which explains the lack of bubbles being produced after I cleaned the decor).

#5 It could also be that once all the filtration had failed it caused the water parameters to drastically change, which in itself could have eliminated the ranchu. However I did perform a 50% water change before I left the fish to fend for themselves for 2 days (they did have an auto-feeder so food was not an issue, and there was uneaten food in this gravel-less setup when I did return), but it's a little hard to believe that even with the filter failure the fish didn't survive those short few days (I mean they did survive being shipped to my house in breathable bags for a few days).

So while my ranchu have passed on to the big fish bowl in the sky... my albino bristlenose pleco 'Eval' that also lived in the aquarium with them... had survived. I already knew why it survived and that's because pleco's have an additional set of lungs allowing them to breathe differently than say... ranchu. My betta whom is kept in a smaller tank in my room had also survived but betta's also breathe differently than say... ranchu, as betta's are labyrinth breathers which allows them to breathe out of water for a period of time.

Increase Oxygen

Here I've listed 5 simple ways to help increase oxygen levels in an aquarium.

#1 Lower Water Level. Try not to fill your aquarium all the way to the brim with water, as water drops down into the aquarium (waterfall effect) from the filter it forces water down into the aquarium and helps push oxygen into the water thus helping to increase oxygen levels (be sure the current is not too strong for the aquariums inhabitants).

#2 Water Changes. Too many water chemicals and/or waste, etc can cause a loss of oxygen in the water, it's very important to do regular water changes (clean tap water contains adequate amounts of oxygen).

#3 Lower Temperature. Cooler temperatures can hold more oxygen than warmer temperatures but, be sure the aquarium is the proper temperature for the aquariums inhabitants.

#4 Air Diffusers, Bubblers, etc. With these devices attached to an air pump it helps to increase oxygen and water movement in an aquarium.

Air Diffuser

* Bubbles should be tiny (almost pin hole size) looking for the most part, and probably vary in size. The tank should not just have large (about a cm) and/or slow moving bubbles as this may mean your water has become thickened by dirty water. Also be sure your air pump is strong enough to operate the equipment properly, and clean or replace old diffusers, tubing, and check valves as needed.

#5 Filtration. The right amount of filtration is key to keeping a healthy and clean aquarium, you want to make sure the tank is not overstocked with fish either as the fish will be competing for oxygen. Keep filter cartridges clean, and active carbon can help remove unwanted chemicals and aid in oxygen levels.

Aqueon QuietFlow 30 Power Filter - Review

There wasn't a free thermometer BTW.

Having recently purchased the Fluval AquaClear 50 power filter after reading all the rave reviews online, I found that after I observed the unit for myself that it wasn't going to be good for cleaning my aquarium. So, I exchanged the AquaClear for the Aqueon QuietFlow 30 because I do really like the Aqueon QuietFlow 20 and the 30 is around $10 less than the AquaClear and does the same GPH (Gallons Per Hour) although it doesn't have all the media things that the AquaClear has (the design of the AquaClear doesn't force water through all the media anyway, thus rendering all that media practically useless and even more costly with long term use in mind). If I had to recommend a Fluval power filter to try out I'd go with the Fluval C3 (although it only does 153 GPH and seems to be slightly pricier than its AquaClear cousin) because water is forced through all the media unlike with the AquaClear power filters, which makes the C-series seem more similar to QuietFlow's in that aspect(although the Fluval C-series appears more annoyingly complex in my opinion).

Aqueon QuietFlow 30 Power Filter and 'Large' carbon media cartridge

As for size difference with the Aqueon QuietFlow30 compared to the 20, the intake tube appears to be exactly the same in size, the box is around 1in longer and maybe 2mm wider, and the motor is also longer by about an inch. The 20 and bigger sized power filters all take the "Large" size cartridge's although the 90 takes 2 of the cartridges so, it's really only the GPH that changes between the 20 and 30. The 50 is slightly bigger than the 30 (as expected), but the intake tube changes to a wider tube with a longer vent area. A downfall I recently noticed is that the fan inside the motor (which is directly above the intake tube) can't be easily removed for cleaning so, if you have fish with a big bio-load (like goldfish) than you may find the buildup to block the fan from functioning (thus this filter will be rendered useless until fixed/cleaned).

As you can see from the above photos the media cartridge does not contain that much carbon (probably its biggest downfall if you're a carbon addict). The media box of the 30 does change compared to the 20 as it has some slats where the water first comes into the box from the intake tube (not sure the true reason for that), and thus far I do find the unit nosier than the 20 but also much more powerful (so it only makes sense I suppose that it would be nosier). There is also some room in the box if you wanted to add in some additional media.

The QuietFlow 30 with a Fluval pre-filter attached

As for extra's I put onto my Aqueon QuietFlow 30 I added on the Fluval Edge pre-filter sponge (fairly inexpensive and I like the soft texture of these ones) which fits perfects on the 20 and 30 (this pre-filter would be too small for the 50 and up, and I think the 10 also has the same size intake tube as the 20 and 30). The intake tubes are also adjustable by sliding the adjoining tubes up or down, the picture above shows it at its shortest length (I don't really care for the tubes longest possible length as it gets too wobbly for my preference).

Overall, I do recommend the Aqueon QuietFlow power filters, they work great compared to other LPS (Local Pet Store) HOB power filters I've tried in the past as they're pretty decent at cleaning. I reuse the cartridges for months at a time as they're pretty durable with weekly cleanings (thus saving money on cartridges in the long run). These aren't overly noisy although sometimes the filter cover on top tends to vibrate a bit (but with a little adjusting on occasion it stops). I also like how the cord tucks into the side of the unit and also how the motor is in the water and not outside the box (no having to worry about leaks or priming it with water to start up). The blue waterfall piece can be removed easily and cleaned, it allows water to drip down onto the waterfall bridge and it's pretty helpful at catching bigger debris (which I think is nice for those with planted tanks). One draw back I think may be an issue is the width of the unit in the tank, it seems to be too wide for a lot of aquarium hoods/tops (but since I only have a glass top I just pull it forward a bit to accommodate the unit, doesn't really bother me). I'd suggest the 30 for tanks bigger than 10-gal (as it made my 10-gal pretty darn turbulent) as it's probably better suited for a minimum of 20-gal, and it claims to also work for saltwater aquariums as well (if you do have a saltwater aquarium I'd recommend getting at least the 30 or higher models), and the 20 works fine for a 10-gal.

Marina S10 Power Filter - Review

This is my review of the Marina S10 Power Filter which I purchased a few weeks ago from my LPS (Local Pet Store) for my betta's 2.5 MiniBow Aquarium, and I'm using this to replace my old/broken Red Sea Nano Filter.

Although the system is slimmer than most typical HOB (Hang On Back) Power filter systems, I actually find it to be wider in comparison. This filter is suppose to filter up to 10 gallons of water but I'm not sure how true that claim to be. I do not understand why they make a semi-clear filter system rather than making it completely clear as it's a black transparent color (so, it will only flatter black background aquariums). I could see some people liking the semi-transparent look just because they want to view inside the intake tube or perhaps see the filter cartridges, and with it being semi-transparent any filter buildup would be less noticeable had it been completely clear (much like with the Red Sea Nano Filter).

I find that the filter motor which is attached to the base of the units intake tube (rather then inside the unit as with most HOB filters) unappealing as you're stuck looking at the motor inside of the aquarium (which is not clear nor transparent, but rather big, bulky, and solid black in color). However, this does leave more room inside the filter box which will allow you to add in additional media, or you could even add in a small aquarium heater although there is no hole for a power cord to go through so you would have to leave the tank lid off if that's what you wanted to do (or possibly drill a groove to fit the power cord). Another good thing about the motor being at the base of the intake tube is that it requires no water priming to start the power filter, which is good in case of power failure. I also like that this motor comes with an attachable pre-filter which will keep fish from getting stuck onto the intake tube. I do find this unit to be pretty quiet compared to a lot of other power filter systems I've had in the past which may be because the motor is attached onto the intake tube and also because the waterfall bridge seems to be fairly long so that you could partially submerge it underwater thus reducing water noise. However, the motor tends to cause a lot of noisy vibration inside the tank and may require constant re-adjusting, this is the biggest flaw I have found with this unit. You can also adjust the length of the intake tube slightly by sliding the base of the intake tube up or down. This unit also has an attachable clip under the filter box so that you can level/adjust how the box rests on the aquarium. There are also some run-off grooves around the filter cartridges in the box so I don't think water would ever make its way outside of the filter box and onto the floor.

The filter cartridges this unit comes with is the Marina bio–carb and bio–clear, and I do like that this has two separate cartridges however, I'm not sure that water will flow through both of them at the same rate since the cartridges don't overlap one another inside the box (so far it looks like more water runs through the filter cartridge furthest from the intake tube). Thus far the filter media seems to do nothing in terms of discolored water. The bio–carb cartridge states to remove pollutants and odors, where as the bio–clear states that it includes zeolite to absorb toxic ammonia and reduce fish stress (I have not noticed any traces of ammonia in my new setup thus far).

The main reason this power filter is perfect for betta aquariums is because it has an easy to adjust control valve (although you do have to remove the lid to reach it, but not a big deal) inside the filter box on the intake tube which allows the water to come out as either a trickle or a more turbulent water flow. Overall, I would definitely recommend this filter for small betta aquariums (probably won't fit properly on tiny cube tanks though), and thus far I am really loving it over my old Red Sea Nano filter I had prior (and I do think it's fairly difficult to find a low flowing filter for betta tanks) although the Red Sea Nano would be a better option if you do have a tiny cube aquarium (since the Red Sea Nano is much smaller than the Marina S10).

Filtration Idea

I've recently been trying to design my own undergravel filtration system, using that of a regular power filter, the base of an undergravel filter and some clear tubing.

With a normal power filter it doesn't really pick up everything from the bottom of a tank and with a normal undergravel filter setup it has a noisey pump, lacks power in my opinion and lacks filtration.

By removing the tube from the power filter and the undergravel filter and connecting one end of clear tubing to each device (trimming the tubing to fit) I now will have created a filtration system which actually filters out under gravel debri, provides filtration and carbon through the power filter and you won't have anything that takes away from the natural beauty of your fish tank as you do with most power filters.

I have yet to assemble this idea yet but if you've tried it or you have similar modification expericienes I'd love to hear about them!