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Internal (and canister) Filters and CO2
David Aiken wrote:
>Actually the best of these internal filters (I only have lengthy
>experience with Eheim internals) are really great filters in that they
>work well, take up little space in the tank, and don't require hanging on
>the outside of the tank or plumbing with hoses, overflows, etc. I think
>they're a really good choice if you want biological filtration in a plant
>tank.
>Some of the Eheims come with 2 sponges in stackable housings. You can add
>more sponges and houses, or reduce to one sponge, or even run with no
>sponge at all. With these filters you can tailor your flow rate and
>biological filtration capacity to your need.
I am using a small Eheim in my 5and 1/2 tiny tank in my office. I believe it
is model #2006. Very difficult to find in the catalogs but I came across it
in a well known fish store outside of Baltimore. I've become a big fan of
internal filters for planted tanks. They can be used alone or to provide
additional water movement if your box filter can't handle the load. I've
found that the small Duettos tend to clog up quickly, however. I am using
one in one of my 20-gallon tanks whose principal filter is a Supreme
Aquamaster. I have replaced the Duetto sponge with floss which seems to do a
great job of clearing up suspended matter after water changes.
Thanks to everyone who responded to my inquiry about HNO3 in aquaria. I
don't think the KNO3 that I added is what was stressing my fish, but rather
an overabundance of CO2. The pH was down around 6.0 the other day. I am not
injecting the CO2 into my Prime 10 canister, just bubbling it through an
airstone into the aquarium, but I am curious whether other people have
noticed that a canister makes a much more efficient CO2 "mixer" than an
external box filter? I don't have much experience with them and this is the
first one I've owned. I am currently using the spray bar which is positioned
below the surface to provide some water movement, but no aeration. The
plants look great, but I'm concerned about the fish. I am using a 2-bottle
yeast/sugar generator which can have some pretty hefty CO2 output. Maybe
this is too much if the canister is putting most of the CO2 into solution(?)
I am also using a 2-bottle system on my other 20-gallon (the one with the
Aquamaster) and the fish don't show any stress problems at all.
Jonathan in Maryland, where we've had a very soggy, yet mild, winter
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