Thinking of getting a Fluval G6 (media questions...)

[Antipofish]

Mines not like that, if it was it would be going straight back! Sounds silly but have you removed the display protective film?

Its a fair question, but yes

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

No problem with screen here either?

 

[Christie_ZXR]

My screen was like that initially, but it seems to have almost gone away now. I figured it was because I got it wet, and it was going as it dried, might be wrong though.

 

[Antipofish]

My screen was like that initially, but it seems to have almost gone away now. I figured it was because I got it wet, and it was going as it dried, might be wrong though.

Hi Christie, apparently it is where the two layers attach to themselves. It could go away or it could remain. If mine were to remain I would not be happy. This is a flaship, top of the range product, with a price tag to match. Thankfully it seems, Rolf C Hagen (fluval distributors) are arranging a replacement. And rightly so. It would not fair well for their reputation if they were not interested in resolving this issue.

Interestingly, one of their Reps suggested attaching a sucker to the screen and gently pulling to detach the adhesion. I tried this, gingerly, and it worked. For ten seconds. At which point the two layers then reattached themselves. The second solution was to set the screen to remain on for 6 hours at a time instead of 3 minutes. Again, not really a satisfactory solution.

It is interesting that Hagen apparently have half the units in their office with this 'malfunction' (my own word for it). And yet the likes of George and others on here have not encountered it at all.

Anyway, I will keep everyone updated. I hope to exchange this unit for the replacement next week sometime.

Thanks for your input everyone. Lets keep chatting about this filter though, because I cannot wait to use mine. It sure as hell looks awesome and if it works as well once all sorted, I will be a happy bunny.

 

[Antipofish]

Incidentally, I STILL really love the concept of this filter, so here is a link to a short advert for it which encapsulates it in a very elegant way.

Fluval G Short Advert

 

[Christie_ZXR]

Ah, that makes sense. Mine was constantly flashing alerts when I first got it, before I'd figured how to set the various settings, so maybe that's what cured it.

Incidently, does anyone have a link to an idiot's guide to figuring out conductivity?

 

[George Farmer]

Incidently, does anyone have a link to an idiot's guide to figuring out conductivity?

I'm no scientist but this is how I understand conductivity relates to us as aquarium owners...

It's basically a measurement of how much 'stuff' is in the water.

Absolutely pure water will have a conductivity of zero i.e. it won't conduct electricity. The more dissolved minerals, organics etc. the more the water will conduct electricity. This is why saltwater is a great conductor of electrivity; because there's so much 'stuff' in there.

So softer water has a lower conductivity. Harder water has higher conductivity.

Discus typically come from waters in the wild with water measuring around 10 to 20 microsiemens, as an example.

Rift valley cichlids typically over 800.

Another useful aspect to measuring conductivity is that it's a guide of how much dissolved organics there are in your water.

You can also use it as a guide for dosing nutrients, because adding more nutrients = higher conductivity. As the plants use the nutrients then the conductivity should actually reduce, assuming organic build-up not not exceed nutrient removal.

Let's look at an example -

Your tap water is 750. A typical hard water supply. You use this as your aquarium water (no RO).

You don't dose any ferts or have any plants.

Every time you add fish food and the fish produce waste the conductivity will rise. Evaporation also cause a rise, as only pure water evaporate leaving minerals etc. behind.

Over the week it may rise from 750 to 850. If you have limestone etc. in the aquarium it will also rise. Anything that dissolves into the aquarium water will cause the conductivity to raise.

Because the rise is usually gradual, it's no issue for the fish etc.

I like to ensure the conductivity is roughly the same after every water change. This is a good indicator that the water parameters have been reset effectively.

A common issue with a lot of fishkeepers is "old-tank syndrome", where dissolved organics, including nitrates will gradually increase over time.

The conductivity meter can be a useful tool to prevent this.

As suggested it can also be used to measure nutrient uptake but it's more complex due to organics being produced at the same time.

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
George

 

[Ady34]

As suggested it can also be used to measure nutrient uptake but it's more complex due to organics being produced at the same time.

You can also use it as a guide for dosing nutrients, because adding more nutrients = higher conductivity. As the plants use the nutrients then the conductivity should actually reduce, assuming organic build-up not not exceed nutrient removal.

Hi George,
i have noticed this as gradually over the course of a week the conductivity rises, and immediately after adding ferts it spikes. Also if using buffers this causes a huge rise. A large conductivity rating is also not necessarily directly linked to the water hardness (both GH and KH) as ive found it possible to have low hardness and high conductivity which must be due to ferts, buffers and/or organic build up as you suggested.
I was initially concerned with my high conductivity readings for my soft water fish, but have now accepted it to be more of an indicator as to other inputs. I have soft water with little alkalinity from the tap and buffer to get a kh of 3-4 for stability, yet when i do so i get a conductivity reading of 500 which rises throughout the week when adding ferts.
Do you feel that a gradually rising conductivity over a week due to ferts suggests adding too much, or is this normal?
Thanks,
Ady.

 

[George Farmer]

Gradual rise is entirely normal. I doubt many folk would see a decrease or even stable level. Remember that plants actually produce organic waste, as well as consume nutrients. To get an equilibrium would be a challenge and not necessary due to our water changes. I do wonder what the conductivity would measure in a Walstad style setup with minimal water changes. It may remain relatively constant because nutrients are provided by soil and fish only.

My default is 350, rising to about 410 by day 7. 50% WC per week.

 

[Antipofish]

Gradual rise is entirely normal. I doubt many folk would see a decrease or even stable level. Remember that plants actually produce organic waste, as well as consume nutrients. To get an equilibrium would be a challenge and not necessary due to our water changes. I do wonder what the conductivity would measure in a Walstad style setup with minimal water changes. It may remain relatively constant because nutrients are provided by soil and fish only.

My default is 350, rising to about 410 by day 7. 50% WC per week.

George, you use RO water in your changes don't you ? Do you use 100% RO, or mix it (in what proportions), and do you use any kind of buffer at all ? My water parameters at the moment seem to be quite stable (no fish and 20% planting, which is about to change), with 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 20ppm nitrate, 8dGH and 3 dKH, 6.4 pH.

 

[George Farmer]

I mix 70-80% RO with 20-30% tap. No buffers or re-mineralisers. I could use 100% tap; have done for years previously, but I prefer to keep my tetras etc. in softer water.

As a side I'm not a big fan of testing or trying to achieve specific target values. Hobby-grade test kits are generally only suitable for spotting trends and by relying on them to hit target parameters you often do more harm than good. The majority of fish and plants will do great in most water supplies. What's more important is consistency via decent aquarium maintenance.

 

[Ady34]

Gradual rise is entirely normal. I doubt many folk would see a decrease or even stable level. Remember that plants actually produce organic waste, as well as consume nutrients. To get an equilibrium would be a challenge and not necessary due to our water changes.
My default is 350, rising to about 410 by day 7. 50% WC per week.

Ahh, thats reassuring, i have a similar rise during the week.

No buffers or re-mineralisers.

That answers what was going to be my next question.

I mix 70-80% RO with 20-30% tap. No buffers or re-mineralisers. I could use 100% tap; have done for years previously, but I prefer to keep my tetras etc. in softer water.

As a side I'm not a big fan of testing or trying to achieve specific target values. Hobby-grade test kits are generally only suitable for spotting trends and by relying on them to hit target parameters you often do more harm than good.

I appreciate this statement, as misinterpretation and innaccuracies in testing can sometimes lead to uneccessary adjustments and remedies.
However i feel that test kits have there place, without them hobbyists have no way of testing their tap water and adjusting it correctly where necessary. Surely hobbyist grade test kits must get results somewhere in the ball park?

The majority of fish and plants will do great in most water supplies. What's more important is consistency via decent aquarium maintenance.

Dont get me wrong, i dont get overly concerned with daily/weekly testing but i know from testing that my water is very soft from the tap. Combined with readings from buffered and unbuffered tap water conductivity readings from my G6, im sure my water is very soft. This enabled me to look into the recurring crypt melt issue posted in the plant sub forum and find that possible Mg and Ca deficiencies in soft water may result in crypt melt.... a conclusion strengthened after the increased health and prevention of further melting with the addition of sera mineral salts (Mg, K, and Ca) and Kh buffer... and your own experience of the addition of Mg and Ca in fertiliser mixes (which is a remineralsiser in itself?) If i didnt know my water was soft in the first place, i wouldnt have been able to pinpoint mineral deficiencies as a possible reason for my issues, and subsequently test my water to see if they had increased.
Consistency is certainly the key, but sometimes hobbyists do need also to consistently adjust to be able to achieve results with certain fish/plants such as your RO/Tap water mix to get softer water for your tetras. My water is just a little to mineral deficient for crypts and i love them too much not to have them.
Of course for most, tap water is fine and its only if you have extremes that you really need to be concerned about it, and with my water i feel i need a test kit or two!

Anyway, sorry for the little ramble, but the whole point in this is simply that a few weeks ago i had my crypt melt issue, it hadnt dawned on me at the time but id stopped buffering my water so over two weeks of non buffered tap water water changes my conductivity reading had dropped to sub 300 from 500. My crypts started melting and if id looked at the evidence given in bright lights on the G6, my water was drastically changing..... what i found later through testing and forum posting, to be the mineral content decreasing. Buffering, and now remineralising, the crypts are coming back and no longer melting.

Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[George Farmer]

Agreed. Kits have their place. Approximations to determine one's hardness, whether or not you have N and P present in your tap, and to test for NH3/4, NO2 during cycling/using Aqua Soil etc. Also handy to test if you have a big power cut etc. All these are recommended. Just don't rely on them to achieve exact parameters.

 

[Antipofish]

Agreed. Kits have their place. Approximations to determine one's hardness, whether or not you have N and P present in your tap, and to test for NH3/4, NO2 during cycling/using Aqua Soil etc. Also handy to test if you have a big power cut etc. All these are recommended. Just don't rely on them to achieve exact parameters.

I hear you on this one George. I too prefer to use them for trend indication or warning signs. Interesting example is that the test kit shows my tap water as 7pH 8dGH an 6dkH. (I use Sera Test kits). With the 1.5cm of colombo florabase that I have underneath my Fine Samoa gravel, this has consistently indicated my water to be softer and slightly more acidic... 6.4ph, same dGH and 3dkH. If this is at all accurate I am a happy bunny. I have no intentions of mucking around to alter any parameters by marginal (and undoubtedly unmeasurable by a hobby test kit) amounts. But as you and Ady both say, they are useful as "indicators".

 

[George Farmer]

I'm curious now; all this testing talk. I have some unopened ELOS test kits and might have a play, just for fun!

 

[Ady34]

I'm curious now; all this testing talk. I have some unopened ELOS test kits and might have a play, just for fun!

Holy C**P George, if it aint broke dont fix it!
When things are going well and your consistent, testing may throw up a couple of surprises and get your mind thinking negatively.
Dont do it
Ady.

 

[George Farmer]

I'm curious now; all this testing talk. I have some unopened ELOS test kits and might have a play, just for fun!

Holy C**P George, if it aint broke dont fix it!
When things are going well and your consistent, testing may throw up a couple of surprises and get your mind thinking negatively.
Dont do it
Ady.

Lol. Don't panic, I'm not about to change anything!

 

[Ady34]

Ha ha,
maybe we should create a thread where members using different hobbyist test kits test a standard 4DKH water sample and share the results to see how varied/accurate the results are.
If you do have a play, just for fun, be sure to share your results and thoughts.
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[Antipofish]

Heres a question on the conductivity readings...

I installed my G6 today. The initial conductivity readings were 530. After running for 6 hours they are now at 510. Is this an indication that the prefilter has removed anything and cleaned the water up ?

 

[Ian Holdich]

you using Purigen?? as this will redeuce TDS.