That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

One of the most beneficial pieces of equipment to make its way into the hobby in recent years is the media reactor. Media reactors maximize the efficiency of just about any chemical filter media. By actively passing fluid through a reactor, you will eliminate clogging and bypass problems found when using a traditional filter media bags. Media reactors can have very specific uses, like the calcium reactors and kalkwasser reactors that I discussed in a previous blog, or they can be used for a variety of other purposes. Two similar reactors that are sold as fluidized phosphate media reactors, the Two Little Fishes Phosban Reactor, and the Kent Marine Phos Reactor, can be used with most granular or pelletized chemical media. These units are not just for phosphate remover; these units work great for carbon and other resins.

One of the coolest reactors to hit the market is the new Simplicity Fluidized Bed Chemical Reactor from Magnavore. This unit is designed for use in a sump, and is very easy to install and operate. Micron sieves on either side of the reactor make sure that nothing escapes from the reactor, and the media container is reversible to eliminate clogging problems before your media is exhausted.

The Magnavore unit can be purchased as a stand alone reactor, or there are actually two units incorporated into the new Magnavore Berliner 125 wet dry filter, which is one of the most innovative wet dry filter available.

Get the most out of your chemical filter media, try a reactor

Until next blog

Dave

With all of the recent ice storms that many of us have had the fun of experiencing this winter, I thought it would be a good time to discuss what to do when the power goes out and shuts off your aquarium.
There are a couple things that are going to become of immediate concern during a power outage; oxygen in the water; and temperature control. For short power outages, of up to an hour, you probably have nothing to worry about in most home aquariums. For longer power outages, several hours or more, you will need to keep a close eye on your aquarium, and action may be required.

The best time to think about power outages is before they happen, supplies will be limited or unavailable during a prolonged power outage, and you will probably have more important issues to deal with other than your aquarium.

Especially in heavily stocked aquariums, oxygen levels in the water are going to be your primary concern. Fish, invertebrates, and bacteria all consume oxygen, and can quickly strip all available oxygen in your aquarium, especially at high temperatures. A Battery powered air pump is a relatively cheap insurance policy in the event of a prolonged power outage, air stones are the best way to provide oxygen and water movement. Basic units run on 2 “D” batteries and can power an air stone as long as you have batteries to put in it. There are a couple of more advanced battery backup pumps available also. The Penn Plax Silent Air B11 can detect power outages and come on automatically; it also runs on two “D” batteries. The OSI PAP 10C will operate as a normal air pump while the power is on, and then switch to its internal rechargeable battery when a power outage is detected. The units internal battery keeps itself charged under normal operation, then supplies up to 10 hours of battery life when the power goes out.

There are also a couple of products that can add oxygen to your aquarium chemically. Jungle Labs Bag Buddies and Tom Aquarium Products Oxygen stones are dissolving tablets that release oxygen into your aquarium. These products are designed for use in transporting livestock, but can also be used in emergency situations like power outages.

Temperature problems are more difficult to deal with, as without power you are at the mercy of the room temperature where the aquarium is located. Aquarium temperatures will not change rapidly, especially in large aquariums. If you are fortunate to live in a climate that does not have extreme heat or cold during the year then you are most likely going to be fine. If you live somewhere that extreme temperatures occur, then the next step is something that you may want to consider.

Using an electrical generator may be your best option if you live in a location that is prone to extended power outages, or extreme weather. You can get a small generator that can run your basic aquarium equipment, including your heater(S) for about $400 dollars at your local hardware store. The range of generators available can be mind boggling, you can get anything from a small portable unit, to a hardwired unit that can run your whole house indefinitely. Depending upon the investment that you have in your aquarium, a generator may or may not make sense. If you have a large reef tank, or exotic species of fish, the cost of a small generator may not be much when compared to the investment you have in your aquarium.

I hope this information has been helpful, and that the next ice storm is far away

Until next blog.

Dave

Many things can affect the dissolved oxygen in your aquarium. The most important things to remember are stocking levels and cleaning. Too many fish will require more oxygen than is available in the water. Fish waste, decaying food and rotting plants are all consumed by bacteria, which also require oxygen. Regular cleaning, water changes, filter maintenance and proper feeding will ensure that the bacterial demand on dissolved oxygen is under control.

There are also many things that you can do to improve dissolved oxygen in your aquarium. Most of the dissolved oxygen in your aquarium comes from the atmosphere; this is accomplished through interaction with the water surface. Increased water surface area gives your aquarium higher potential for atmospheric interaction. Turbulence and water movement along with good aquarium design will increase your aquariums water surface area, and dissolved oxygen. Use of an air pump and air stones or a power head with a venturi aeration feature will also greatly increase your dissolved oxygen. The tiny bubbles created have huge amounts of surface area and greatly increase the potential for oxygen to dissolve into the water. Temperature also plays a significant role in dissolved oxygen levels. Concentration of dissolved gas decreases with increase in temperature, so avoiding high temperatures (above 85 Fahrenheit) in very important. Taking all these factors into account when setting up an aquarium will go a long way to ensuring your long term success.

Another cool feature of the UniMax, are the multiple intakes and outlets on the two larger models. This gives you much improved water flow in larger tanks, versus models with only a single inlet and outlet.

The impeller design is also unique in the unimax, the impeller housing sits below the water level inside the canister, unlike most other units that have the impeller housing above the water level of the canister. This allows for easy priming of the filter, and extra quiet opperation. The Unimax models with multiple intakes and outlets, also use a multiple impeller design, which gives you a built in back up should one impeller be damaged, or stop functioning.

A customer recently asked me a question about using a canister filter on their saltwater aquarium. The customer had read on Reef Central that you should not use a canister filter on a saltwater aquarium, especially on a reef aquarium. That they do not work well, and will cause high nitrates.

This is a topic that you will see differing opinions on. The problem with canister filters is not that they don’t work on saltwater or reef aquariums, they work very well. Any biological filter is going to produce nitrate on a closed aquarium system, it is the natural end product of the nitrogen cycle.

This is why many reef tank owners will remove the bio balls from their wet dry filters, or run their systems on a sump only set up, in an effort to reduce nitrate production. This is why some people are of the opinion that canister filters should not be used on a reef tank. You can get away with this approach if you have a sufficient amount of live rock and substrate in your aquarium to act as your biological filter. In fact, live rock is an excellent source of nitrifying bacteria, and will function as a very efficient biological filter in an aquarium with enough rock. Most reef set ups will work well without a dedicated biological filter, so long as the biological load is not too high, and you are using a good protein skimmer. This method is often referred to as a “Berlin” style aquarium (lots of live rock, good water movement, heavy protein skimming, and no biological filter). Canister filters can still be used on reef tanks, they can be used as additional biological filters in heavily stocked tanks, and can easily be used for whatever chemical filtration media you may want to use.

Saltwater fish only tanks are a different story; in most cases you will need a biological filter to handle the fish waste and biological load, even if your tank has live rock in it. You will also want to have a mechanical filter on a saltwater fish tank, especially if you have large fish in your tank. Most canister filters give you the ability to operate them in different ways. You can use them for biological, mechanical or chemical filtration as needed.

Nitrate is going to be produced in any set up, some more than others. My best advice is to use as much filtration as your aquarium demands. Ammonia and Nitrite should be near zero in an established aquarium, if you are detecting either, chances are your aquariums biological filter is insufficient. Nitrate levels will creep up slowly over time in any system, so whatever filtration method you employ, you still need to monitor your water chemistry. Water changes will remove nitrate from your aquarium, so as long as you are testing your water, and performing regular water changes, nitrates should not be a problem.

Speaking canister filters, here’s a video my staff created to help aquarists set up a canister filter on their aquarium. Canister Filter Video

Thanks,
Dave