5" paddlefish !!

[Moontanman]

andy - yeah i kept my white in cooler water and he loved it (until i messed up the tank ) and i think he was a lot better looking than the sterlets, but the sterlets are tiny, so maybe once they get bigger they'd be better looking. are you all out of the whites?

moon - so how many overflows do you have? then that water just pours into the bucket, through your filtration bucket, then it goes into a tank used as a sump, then its returned to the aquarium?? how do you get it from the bucket to the tank? is it just setting on top or something ?
how many GPH would you recomend the return pump be on a 75 with your style filtration?
i am also considereing doing this with my 180g tank. i am using HOB's and a cannister at the moment. would you use more than one bucket for it? how many GPH for this tank?
and how long would it take the filter to "seed" or become established before i could take the HOB's off ?
and for the lava rock, do you just take a hammer and break it into small pebbles ?? aprx how big (weight) of a rock does it take to fill your bucket?

There is a three inch high piece of bucket (the bucket bottom) I drilled holes in to use as a distribution plate. this sits in the top of the lava rocks in the lava rock bucket this sits on top of the sump tank on two pieces of wood that hold it above the sump. the water pours from the tank from a corner over flow and a bulk head fitting in the bottom of the tank. a submersible pump moves the water from the sump into the tank. the outlet of the pump is above the water level of the tank to prevent back siphoning in case of a power failure.

 

[new2natives]

so 180 g/ h is all the more you have on it, and it works fine?
when i was considering a w/d for my 180, the guy told me i should do about 900g/h ??

 

[mkman]

good info. Moontanman, if you get some paddlefish, please start a thread with pics and updates.

 

[Moontanman]

so 180 g/ h is all the more you have on it, and it works fine?
when i was considering a w/d for my 180, the guy told me i should do about 900g/h ??

I was wrong, I checked the pump and it was 300gh, (it's been about 10 years since I looked at it.) 900gh is more than a little extreme even for a marine tank. I don't depend on my pump for current in the tank, I use bubble wands for that, better aeration and better water movement with much less heat transfer to the water. In all seriousness 300 for a 180g is plenty, my pump is so old and worn I'm sure it puts out much less than 300 at a three foot head. My tank is often full of very heavy feeding fish and I have no problems.

 

[Moontanman]

good info. Moontanman, if you get some paddlefish, please start a thread with pics and updates.

Thanks, it will be next season if I get any paddle fish. I plan to drive to the hatchery for them but I will take the next year to get ready for them. New tank to build first!

 

[new2natives]

ok, so i think i fully understand everything that you have set up and i plan on trying to replicate it
now as far as the lava rock, you crush it? how? and that removes everything harmful in the water? just lava rocks and a pad to catch large debris ?
then when you do water changes on a normal schedule (i do about 1 1/2 - 2 at 30% every week on my 180), obviously you use dechlor, and add bacteria supplement with those ...
what other maintinance needs to be done, or is that it ?

 

[Moontanman]

ok, so i think i fully understand everything that you have set up and i plan on trying to replicate it
now as far as the lava rock, you crush it? how? and that removes everything harmful in the water? just lava rocks and a pad to catch large debris ?
then when you do water changes on a normal schedule (i do about 1 1/2 - 2 at 30% every week on my 180), obviously you use dechlor, and add bacteria supplement with those ...
what other maintinance needs to be done, or is that it ?

I drain out the sump once a month and replace it with tap water. I use well water where I am now but I used to use city water. I never used chlorine remover with water changes, not enough water to really matter and once through the trickle filter removes any chlorine through reactions with the organics in the filter. If I was going to replace more than 50% of the water I might add dechlorinate but to be honest I never do when I use a trickle filter. Our city water is rather lightly chlorinated so to be safe I really can't recommend not adding it but I never add any bacteria culture. A water change will not affect the bacteria in your trickle filter. If you have a really heavy fish load it wouldn't hurt to add it when you clean the trickle filter but as I said I don't do that very often. I have to crush my own lava rock by pounding it with a wooden dowel in a stainless steel bucket but you can buy small lava rocks in some places. It needs to be washed out after you crush it. I also sieve out the rock by sizes as well. I only use pieces about the size of a marble for the main layer in the bucket. Really small pieces can be used on the distribution plate instead of a fiber pad if you want. another good thing about the trickle filter is you can ad arragonite gravel if you need hard water or pieces of drift wood if you need acid water. It's very flexible filter system. The lava rock does not remove anything, the bacteria that grow on the huge surface area of the rocks is what removes ammonia and nitrites, partial water changes remove nitrates. anything else please ask, I've been asked several times to write and illustrate a book about my aquarium/fish breeding/aquarium building/pond building techniques I just can't seem to find the time. If every thing isn't clear please ask again. If you use my techniques you can maintain an almost bullet proof fresh water aquarium.

 

[new2natives]

thanks a ton !!
any specific brand pump that you recomend?
any left over gear for sale? haha

but in all honesty, i appeciate the help, and i will be buildng my own for sure!
thanks

 

[Moontanman]

thanks a ton !!
any specific brand pump that you recomend?
any left over gear for sale? haha

but in all honesty, i appeciate the help, and i will be buildng my own for sure!
thanks

I think my pump is a supreme or little giant, no left over gear, I am slowly aquiring more of it! Feel free to ask questions anytime. I'll see about getting some pics and posting them, maybe it's time for an old dog to learn a few new tricks.

 

[new2natives]

hahaa, i keep coming up with more questions ... if you would rather me PM you, let me know, but i figure at least this way other people can learn along with me... or even add questions or comments

1) any reason you use lava rocks instead of bioballs, or pot scrubbies which are popular among DYI projects
2) would a rubbermade tub or a stock tank work for a sump instead of another tank?
3) does it matter where the overflow is placed? i assume you still have to vac the bottom of your tank to remove the crap on the bottom (literally)?
4) does it matter where the return is placed?
5) what is the difference between putting the rocks above the sump? some people put their media inside (submerged in) the sump i think? i assume thats where "trickle filter" comes in, but what are the advantages to doing it your way?
6) how do you know how full to fill the sump when setting it up?
7) as for the holes in the buckets (both bottoms) how many holes, and what diameter?
8) how loud is this setup?


** to clarify, i am just wondering and curious why things are done a certain way, i am not questioning the "correctness" of your setup at all