flaviu.vlaicu
Member
What filter materials are best for a JBL filter from these here ?
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Filter materials
- Thread starter flaviu.vlaicu
- Start date
flaviu.vlaicu
Member
Ca somenone please post if you are using one of these materials ? I do not know what to opt for !
bigmatt
Member
Sintered glass (SintoMec) is by far the best for biofiltration - MASSIVE surface area for bacterial colonisation. if you're having problems with tannin stained water add some carbon, otherwise you get great results using sintered glass through all filter trays
hope this helps,
Matt
hope this helps,
Matt
Themuleous
Member
Just use sponge, its far cheaper and does exactly the same job.
Sam
Sam
ghostsword
Member
I would just use peat, micromec ball, sponge (very cheap) and carbon.
Of the JBL the only one on my filter is MicroMec.
Of the JBL the only one on my filter is MicroMec.
Themuleous
Member
I'd caution against peat, not only does it affect the water chemistry by lowing pH, which I guess might be the point of you adding it, but as a product for an aquarium its collection and use has to be questioned. Why destroy peat bogs just to lower the pH in your home tank?
Just my 2p worth.
Sam
Just my 2p worth.
Sam
ghostsword
Member
I live in London and my water is almost all composed of rock..
With peat on my filter and CO2 I get my water to be around 6.5 ph, which is perfect not only for the plants I have but also for my fish.
Are peat bogs in decline in nature?
With peat on my filter and CO2 I get my water to be around 6.5 ph, which is perfect not only for the plants I have but also for my fish.
Are peat bogs in decline in nature?
flaviu.vlaicu
Member
Can you please explain what peat bogs are :?:
Themuleous
Member
In a word yes. They are being drained and the peat removed for compost and as a fuel and Im sure other things. I wont get on my high horse about it, I'm sure google will tell you how valuable they are for wildlife and what damage is being done by removing them.
Peat bogs - are areas of very wet land that over centuries have become 'full' of organic plant and animal matter. They have a very rich variety of wildife.
Sam
Peat bogs - are areas of very wet land that over centuries have become 'full' of organic plant and animal matter. They have a very rich variety of wildife.
Sam
bigmatt
Member
Good point well made Sam - i often question the ethics of some aquarist stuff (Altum angels are a typical example - i know they're beautiful, but the massive mortality rates on imports means aquarists are unintentionally killing loads of fish so they can have a pretty tank) and it's nice to see it's not just me!
Almond leaves are a good, sustainable product for water staining - available through eBay
Cheers folks!
Matt
Almond leaves are a good, sustainable product for water staining - available through eBay
Cheers folks!
Matt
ghostsword
Member
Yep, Altum Angels is a good example, with some many fish dying in transit why keep them? Quite sad.
About peat, I wasn't aware that the peat fields were in decline, and will research further on the subject. Almond leaves are not suitable for me, as I do not use the peat to stain the water, but to soften it and filter it.
Thanks for the heads up...
About peat, I wasn't aware that the peat fields were in decline, and will research further on the subject. Almond leaves are not suitable for me, as I do not use the peat to stain the water, but to soften it and filter it.
Thanks for the heads up...
Themuleous
Member
You cant have a go at someone if they don't know the facts, so only right I point people in the right direction 
The whole ethics topic is one that I'm sure raises many questions in the hobby. Where do you draw the line? Who knows.
Sam
The whole ethics topic is one that I'm sure raises many questions in the hobby. Where do you draw the line? Who knows.Sam
flaviu.vlaicu
Member
What is best to use as a prefilter cermic rings or bioballs ?
Phill Austen
Member
- Joined
- 23 Jan 2011
- Messages
- 28
I think the Altum situation is down to the trade being unwilling or unable to give these fish the consideration necessary to overcome the insults of import. Excellent tank bred fish are available, but at a higher price than the wild fish (but vastly cheaper if you factor in the ridiculous mortality the wild fish suffer) see.. http://www.skalarezucht.de/ this guy in Portsmouth is trying to bring in a group of Simon's fish http://www.angelfishuk.co.uk/orinocoaltums.htm . Good tank bred Altum have been available for some time, but most of the UK aquatic trade has ignored the fact, preferring to squander wild fish.
Franko44
Member
Hi Mate, I run three JBL 1500e with cermic rings and foam... thats all you need... 
Actually mate plants do not really care about pH and neither do the fish.ghostsword said:
Cheers,
roadmaster
Member
I believe pH is but a number which is rendered by most test kits in direct relation to minerals in source water or lack thereof. Fish may not feel pH but they do feel the effect's of changes in mineral content (hard,soft water) especially if these changes are sudden and much different than water fish were raised,shipped,acclimated to.
Believe it fair to say that pH numbers below 7.0 most often are associated with softer more acidic waters than pH levels above 7.4 which often are indicitive (not always) of harder or more alkaline water.
Is why we acclimate fish, and why many species of soft water fishes do poorly over the long haul in hard alkaline water and also why some species of fishes prefer hard alkaline water over soft acidic conditions.
Is easy for me to understand why pH is often fixated on for most,,don't test water for gh,kh but rather rely on PH test results.
Still studying,effects of Total dissolved solids /conductivity on tropical fishes but perhaps this is for another time.
Believe it fair to say that pH numbers below 7.0 most often are associated with softer more acidic waters than pH levels above 7.4 which often are indicitive (not always) of harder or more alkaline water.
Is why we acclimate fish, and why many species of soft water fishes do poorly over the long haul in hard alkaline water and also why some species of fishes prefer hard alkaline water over soft acidic conditions.
Is easy for me to understand why pH is often fixated on for most,,don't test water for gh,kh but rather rely on PH test results.
Still studying,effects of Total dissolved solids /conductivity on tropical fishes but perhaps this is for another time.
Hi all,
Filtration material
Coarse sponge and/or ceramic rings for me too.
Peat Bogs
Buy peat while you can, it is fast running out. I've got a new slogan for the "Peat Producers Association" (should arguably have been called the "Peat Exploiters Association", and I've just found out they are now called "The Growing Media Association" http://www.growingmedia.co.uk/).
<http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Sustainable-gardening/Peat-and-the-environment> & <http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/about_us/news/2010/180310.aspx>.
If you are worried about the air miles involved in transporting "Indian Almond" leaves from SE Asia, Alder cones (Alnus spp. - A. glutinosa, A. cordata or A. incana) are a very good alternative for adding tannins, and can be collected locally by most people (possibly even Luis in E. London).
pH
This means that not all pH values are equal. I use rainwater in my tanks and in the afternoon when the plants are photosynthesising I might record a pH in the pH7.8 - pH8 range. This is not the same situation at all as in hard, highly buffered carbonate rich water (like my tap water) that will also have a high pH of somewhere around pH7.8, but one that is stable, whatever you add to the hard water, within reason, the pH won't change very much. If I measure the pH of the hard buffered water in the morning before lights on it will still be pH7.8 ish, however if I now look at the pH of the rainwater tank it will be somewhere around pH6.5, my water has magically gone from alkaline to acid over-night.
In the rain-water case I know I don't have much buffering, so the pH differences are attributable to the amount of dissolved CO2 (as carbonic acid) in my water and the carbonic acid/carbonate equilibrium. In comparison the large reserve of buffering of the hard water, the dKH value, mean that only the constant addition of CO2 will drive the pH down from its stable value.
However although pH is a fairly meaningless measurement in very soft water (for both aquarium keeper and aquarium residents) TDS is not. I know from experience that if I keep the TDS in the 70 - 120 range (by altering teh proportion of rain/tap water), my water will be about right for my largely S. American fish and I can ignore pH. If I wanted to breed extreme black water fish, I would need to start from a lower TDS value, and then reduce the pH with weak acids (which will then increase the TDS). In this case pH would become relevant.
cheers Darrel
Filtration material
Coarse sponge and/or ceramic rings for me too.
Peat Bogs
Buy peat while you can, it is fast running out. I've got a new slogan for the "Peat Producers Association" (should arguably have been called the "Peat Exploiters Association", and I've just found out they are now called "The Growing Media Association" http://www.growingmedia.co.uk/).
More peat details here:
<http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Sustainable-gardening/Peat-and-the-environment> & <http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/about_us/news/2010/180310.aspx>.
If you are worried about the air miles involved in transporting "Indian Almond" leaves from SE Asia, Alder cones (Alnus spp. - A. glutinosa, A. cordata or A. incana) are a very good alternative for adding tannins, and can be collected locally by most people (possibly even Luis in E. London).
pH
I see where you are coming from, but this is not necessarily true, pH is a fairly meaningless measurement without some measure of the carbonate buffering of the water as well. The technical details are here: <http://www.ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=14695#p152255>.
This means that not all pH values are equal. I use rainwater in my tanks and in the afternoon when the plants are photosynthesising I might record a pH in the pH7.8 - pH8 range. This is not the same situation at all as in hard, highly buffered carbonate rich water (like my tap water) that will also have a high pH of somewhere around pH7.8, but one that is stable, whatever you add to the hard water, within reason, the pH won't change very much. If I measure the pH of the hard buffered water in the morning before lights on it will still be pH7.8 ish, however if I now look at the pH of the rainwater tank it will be somewhere around pH6.5, my water has magically gone from alkaline to acid over-night.
In the rain-water case I know I don't have much buffering, so the pH differences are attributable to the amount of dissolved CO2 (as carbonic acid) in my water and the carbonic acid/carbonate equilibrium. In comparison the large reserve of buffering of the hard water, the dKH value, mean that only the constant addition of CO2 will drive the pH down from its stable value.
However although pH is a fairly meaningless measurement in very soft water (for both aquarium keeper and aquarium residents) TDS is not. I know from experience that if I keep the TDS in the 70 - 120 range (by altering teh proportion of rain/tap water), my water will be about right for my largely S. American fish and I can ignore pH. If I wanted to breed extreme black water fish, I would need to start from a lower TDS value, and then reduce the pH with weak acids (which will then increase the TDS). In this case pH would become relevant.
cheers Darrel
ghostsword
Member
Thanks Darrell, I have heard about Alder cones, this would suitable for people trying to match the soft water parameters for some fish or shrimp.
Thank you Clive,
That point is taken on board, and your tips and input is always welcome.
So it is safe to say that using peat and other water softeners, caring about ph levels (unless extremes) is a truly waste of time?
I know the answer to be yes, but this from watching my tank. I just add tap water, 50% WC every two days, dose EI, use CO2 and keep my light low, and got nice growing plants.
Have we been conned all this time? Or am I missing something?
Thank you Clive,
ceg4048 said:
That point is taken on board, and your tips and input is always welcome.
So it is safe to say that using peat and other water softeners, caring about ph levels (unless extremes) is a truly waste of time?
I know the answer to be yes, but this from watching my tank. I just add tap water, 50% WC every two days, dose EI, use CO2 and keep my light low, and got nice growing plants.
Have we been conned all this time?
Or am I missing something?
Yes, unless you trying to keep or breed a particular type of fish that needs those levels of soft water, otherwise is pretty much a waste of time.ghostsword said:
