×
Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

which air pump?

More
21 Aug 2011 09:15 #1 by smitas5 (Marius Smitas)
Hi there..
I was recommended to try an air pump to improove water circulation (to lift the dirt up )..

Anyone can recommend any particular product?
Which is quiet?
Which is reliable?

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
21 Aug 2011 09:21 #2 by dar (darren curry)
ehiem seem to be recommended each and every time. the best thing to lift dirt,i find, is a shypon when cleaning, which is more than enough. are you worried your filter is not up to scratch or something? airpumps are over rated, the filter does a good enough job. i have one there doing nothing, i only use it for introducing new fish.

Check out the angling section, it is fantastic

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
21 Aug 2011 10:02 #3 by smitas5 (Marius Smitas)
I have Rio400 and fx5, but monado still is dirty all the time..

The 4 plecs are very dirty creatures, not doing any glass cleaning either.. the end of the aquarium where the outlet from fx5 is, is always dusty. I was recommended to get extra internal filter and that should solve things, but I'm afraid it will create too much current for some fish..

Are there any particular models from eheim that are better or is the only one?

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
21 Aug 2011 10:46 #4 by dar (darren curry)
could tampering with the outflow sort this problem? maybe a small hole in the rear to create a small flow to disturb the debris? or can you get a split on the end of the outflow that would direct the flow in two directions

Check out the angling section, it is fantastic

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
21 Aug 2011 10:56 #5 by dyco619 (steve carmody)

I have Rio400 and fx5, but monado still is dirty all the time..

The 4 plecs are very dirty creatures, not doing any glass cleaning either.. the end of the aquarium where the outlet from fx5 is, is always dusty. I was recommended to get extra internal filter and that should solve things, but I'm afraid it will create too much current for some fish..

Are there any particular models from eheim that are better or is the only one?


i have a rio 400 with an fx5 with sand, i keep mostly SA cichlids, i use a wave maker below the outlet to blow and dirt across to the intake works grand for me,
depends what sort of setup or fish your keeping,

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
21 Aug 2011 11:10 #6 by smitas5 (Marius Smitas)
What type of wavemaker

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
21 Aug 2011 11:23 #7 by dyco619 (steve carmody)
just a ordinary powerhead something like this one,

www.seahorseaquariums.com/store/product/...Koralia-1600-L-hour/

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
21 Aug 2011 19:22 #8 by Melander (Andreas Melander)
Regarding air pumps, I have found Eheim to be the best, silent and powerfull.

Melander

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
22 Aug 2011 10:48 #9 by mickdeja (Mick Whelan)
i too would recommend using a wavemaker to move the dirt across the manado to area of the tank where it easy to syphon up. When i had me 4ft tank full of catfish i used to keep small rocks on one end of the tank and the wavemaker at the other end low in the tank to blow all the dirt down to the rocks. ERvery few weeks i would remove the 8 rocks and syphon all the dirt collected in that area. The fx5 is an excellent filter which will remove a lot of the floarting dirt but this way of using the wavemaker worked well for me. Hope this helps. :)

Follow me up to Carlow

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
22 Aug 2011 17:53 #10 by donohoe (Andrew Donohoe)
If you go down the route of using an air pump be aware that all are loud by nature but ehiem are the closest to silent. There are some things you can do to make them quieter regardless of the pump, postioning it above the tank and hanging it from a string help to stop any rattle from it touching anything. Another way is to get a long air tube and move the air pump to a less used room I havent tried this and am not sure about the ware and tear on the pump would be like.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
22 Aug 2011 18:21 #11 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
the FX5 are not the cheapest filters on the market.......I would be careful of dragging manado into the filter as it could easily damage (ie prematurely cause wear) the impeller shaft.
Apart from that, the substrate is great.

As for air-pumps....I'm not sure what Rena do nowadays (that would have been my old stock of choice), Eheim are OK, but I've also got some hagen air-pumps that some shops sell at low price (eg Marina 200 = Elite 802 in a different case for 24 euro....twin outlet, quite powerful and quiet).

As a tip to help to getting Manado clean (but not guarantee 100% cleaning), you should pour boiling water on it (but not when it is the fish tank :)). That will help raise much (not all) of the fine dust....that fine dust can be more easily skimmed off the top and the bulk obtained from the bottom of the tub.

ian

Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
24 Aug 2011 12:26 #12 by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe)
After reading this I was thinking of getting a wavemaker myself. I have a few corys in the tank, so was just wondering would there be any problem with them and the wavemaker blowing across the bottom of the tank - seeing as how that is where they are most of the time?

Also having never had a wavemaker myself or seen one in action properly, do they just blow in one direction or do they move, side to side or anything? Just trying to figure out if it would cover the whole base of the tank in the stream or is it just one linear stream (don't really know if that makes sense, hope someone understands what I am trying to say!!)

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
24 Aug 2011 21:48 #13 by smitas5 (Marius Smitas)
Thanks a lot to all for advice..
@Ian - I wouldn't change Monado for any other than sand, but just can't imagine plants growing in sand. not for me :D when I clean the filter, try to take it all out.. all monado granules too.

I will definetly try wavemaker after my holiday..

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
24 Aug 2011 22:00 #14 by dar (darren curry)
i think you would be better of buying a second filter, i mean if you are gonna spend 50/60 quid on a wave maker why not hold out and get a second hand filter for a few extra quid

Check out the angling section, it is fantastic

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
24 Aug 2011 22:08 - 24 Aug 2011 22:09 #15 by smitas5 (Marius Smitas)
this is far from 50/60 :D

wavemaker
Last edit: 24 Aug 2011 22:09 by smitas5 (Marius Smitas).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
24 Aug 2011 22:17 #16 by dyco619 (steve carmody)

this is far from 50/60 :D

wavemaker


the oul hong kong special!!!
you cant beat them (sometimes :laugh: :laugh: )

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
24 Aug 2011 22:25 #17 by dar (darren curry)
ah ebay, the stealer of national jobs lol fairs fair though but i would even ask about here for a small internal, i gave one or two away not to long ago. maybe offer the 10er or swap it for dechlorinater or food (not a sandwich now, fish food) things people need, which would come too around about the same price.

3000lph plus the fx5s 2500ish. 5500lph sounds a lot of flow, would this tear the bejesus out of everything?

Check out the angling section, it is fantastic

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
25 Aug 2011 13:38 #18 by smitas5 (Marius Smitas)

ah ebay, the stealer of national jobs lol fairs fair though but i would even ask about here for a small internal, i gave one or two away not to long ago. maybe offer the 10er or swap it for dechlorinater or food (not a sandwich now, fish food) things people need, which would come too around about the same price.

3000lph plus the fx5s 2500ish. 5500lph sounds a lot of flow, would this tear the bejesus out of everything?

That's my next question.. what rating wavemaker do you guys use, so discus is comfortable?

3000?
1500?

Please Log in to join the conversation.

Time to create page: 0.071 seconds
Powered by Kunena Forum