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Re: RE: Tiny tank filtration
Anthony Baker wrote:
Anyhow, Naomi hinted at ways to reduce the flow of the filter, and I would
certainly be interested in hearing more about them! I have an AC Mini
running on my 5.5 gal kitchen tank, and would love to reduce the flow (and
surface agitation) of it, so I might try to do both filters at once. I
would definitely appreciate suggestions.
*****
Susi Barber suggested putting a sponge over the intake, and I think that
would be the best solution. What I did was to put a piece of pantyhose over
the intake, but this slowed down the flow *too much.* I finally moved the
pantyhose, but the next day, I found that some of my smaller fish had been
sucked up into the filter. The flow was also too strong, and I used some
plastic canvas (for needlepoint) to slow things down at the outlet.
Unfortunately, the water is still being pulled up pretty fast, and what
can't get through the canvas fast enough is flowing out through the
crevices on either side of the intake tube. So the point to all this
rambling is that you need to create resistance at the point of water entry
(the intake).
One more warning is that if you're talking about the All-Glass Aquarium
2.5-gallon tank, the intake tube of the AC MINI might be too long if you
decide to make the substrate deep. In this case, have a hacksaw handy to
trim off part of the intake tube so the bottom of it (the strainer part) is
well above the substrate and there's also room for whatever you want to put
over the intake strainer.
Regarding the idea of adding some sort of extension to the outlet to
minimize surface agitation - I think regular ol' aquarium sealant
(silicone) would work just fine. It'll need a day or two to dry. But as
long as the water level is maintained near the level of the filter outlet,
you probably don't need to worry about going to the trouble; I like a
*little* movement of the water surface, anyway. Otherwise, I sometimes get
this icky surface "scum" thing going.
Have fun with the tiny tank. I love mine. Just stay away from fast-growing
stem plants unless you don't mind pruning on a *daily* basis. I really have
to watch it with even pearl grass. I try to keep it in ONE corner, and
every now and then, I find these sneaky little stems making their way to
where they shouldn't be. One kind gentleman from the list sent me some
Bacopa monnieri last year (it's actually banned in my state), and it's the
*best*. I wouldn't necessarily consider them slow-growers if you're
providing CO2, but they're less apt to become a nuisance like some other
stem plants. They root very quickly, too. Lobelia cardinalis (dwarf form)
is another wonderful plant for small tanks. The roots can get rather
messy-looking and I have yet to figure out how to get around this, but I've
seen aquascapes that include large areas of this plant, and they can be
quite amazing. These are VERY slow vertical growers, in my experience,
which makes them perfect for the tiny tank.
Enjoy!
-Naomi