lcaldwell85
Member
Hey guys,
I just had a quick question about my canister filter. I'm having a bit of a diatom issue in the tank right now, and I think it's a flow issue. (aside from the silicates in the sand, etc... I think if I had something stronger to blow everything around a bit then it couldn't settle as easy and the filtration would pull it out.) It's a 1500 gph filtration system running a 72 gallon tank. I have ten blue legged hermits, and several turbo snails given to me by a friend. Thus far they've been able to keep it in check after the initial diatom bloom, but I introducted a new decoration to the aquarium. I'm not sure if that caused the silicate spike or what, because it is plastic. (An anemone for my "nemo" until I can upgrade lighting to get the poor thing a real one. LOL.) My question is this.... I was messing around with the filter "drip bar" last night to see if I could get the flow to change until my powerheads arrive (on thursday), and when I immersed it completely (barely beneath the surface) it started to really clean up the rocks. The filter was sucking out the diatom and after a couple of hours the water started to take on an incredibly clear quality that thus far my tank has completely lacked. Is this drip bar supposed to be under water and I'm a total idiot? LOL. I've also noticed on a lot of youtube videos ect. that there appears to be very little flow to people's tanks. I'm sure it's there but the water appears to be still and very clear. With the drip bar above the water it creates a bubble effect in the tank that isn't really desirable.... This is the first time my tank has looked comparable to those I see from other aquarists. But with the drip bar beneath the surface is it still oxygenating the water? Will the salt water corrode the plastic piping after prolonged exposure? Also, I noticed my two peppermint shrimp were flying around the tank like crazy. Not like they were being blown, but like there was enough flow for them to swim in it. They still stood on the bottom when they wanted to, but it seemed they were playing in the current at times. None of the fish seemed bothered by the change in the current, but it is rather blasting my green star polyps... Any info anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I just had a quick question about my canister filter. I'm having a bit of a diatom issue in the tank right now, and I think it's a flow issue. (aside from the silicates in the sand, etc... I think if I had something stronger to blow everything around a bit then it couldn't settle as easy and the filtration would pull it out.) It's a 1500 gph filtration system running a 72 gallon tank. I have ten blue legged hermits, and several turbo snails given to me by a friend. Thus far they've been able to keep it in check after the initial diatom bloom, but I introducted a new decoration to the aquarium. I'm not sure if that caused the silicate spike or what, because it is plastic. (An anemone for my "nemo" until I can upgrade lighting to get the poor thing a real one. LOL.) My question is this.... I was messing around with the filter "drip bar" last night to see if I could get the flow to change until my powerheads arrive (on thursday), and when I immersed it completely (barely beneath the surface) it started to really clean up the rocks. The filter was sucking out the diatom and after a couple of hours the water started to take on an incredibly clear quality that thus far my tank has completely lacked. Is this drip bar supposed to be under water and I'm a total idiot? LOL. I've also noticed on a lot of youtube videos ect. that there appears to be very little flow to people's tanks. I'm sure it's there but the water appears to be still and very clear. With the drip bar above the water it creates a bubble effect in the tank that isn't really desirable.... This is the first time my tank has looked comparable to those I see from other aquarists. But with the drip bar beneath the surface is it still oxygenating the water? Will the salt water corrode the plastic piping after prolonged exposure? Also, I noticed my two peppermint shrimp were flying around the tank like crazy. Not like they were being blown, but like there was enough flow for them to swim in it. They still stood on the bottom when they wanted to, but it seemed they were playing in the current at times. None of the fish seemed bothered by the change in the current, but it is rather blasting my green star polyps... Any info anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!