zero nitrates??

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Thank you Pops...you're doing me the favor and I appreciate the knowledge help from all that replied.I do have a few other questions.
My filtration system I stated in my original post,is it ok? if so,how long with the buttis? Any flaws?(nothing else will be put in with them ever).

Ive researched Buttkoferi for weeks prior to getting them and have a good idea of what I'm dealing with.I have a 90 gal waiting for size/aggression issues.Does anyone have any experience or knowledge with these guys that I may not know?
 
I have not had them, they are a telapia, get a bet large as they are a food fish. and aggressive side. I would add at least a good HoB such as a AC110 , remove the charcoal bag and add more bio media. with large hungry fish you can not have to much filtration, well you can but unless fish is plastered to the side of the tank with current you good. :)
 
Thank you again,The ac110 was in my thoughts when I was deciding filtration. As these guys are 1 inch in size,i do have time to spare before I add the HOB?? At the moment theres roughly 997 gph( no head )going through 2 1/2 gallon of sponge filter or do add the ac110 asap?
 
you have plenty of time, of coarse that being relative to the fish growth rate. for me better the sooner, gives plenty of time for the filter to cycle before you need it and the BB colony to expand as the fish grow. GPH all good as long as looked at correctly. for Bio-filtration you want 5x water turn over for tank size. for mech filtration looking for 10x per water volume. HoB is a mech filtration with ok, bio filtration do to high water turn over. canisters are good Bio-filtration do to there higher media capabilities and slower water turn over. Ideally you want a combo of both, HoB to remove most particulates and canister that processes the water. Hob much easier to clean/rinse than a canister so the more crap you can pull from the water it is the better. HoB needs to be rinsed every other week, with good HoB going canister every 3 months or so.

Make since?
 
My 180 is a custom build reef tank, duel bottom drilled for UG system, runs to pumps at 980GPH each, I reversed it when I set it up for the oscar tank. water comes up though the gravel rather than down through it. the 2 intakes have 9" sponges on them, keeps crap pushed up off the gravel for easy vacuuming rather than sucking the crap into the gravel, I also run to AC110 on it, trick for this working is deep gravel. 5" or so on the grid chambers and keeping the gravel level, and run 2 types of gravel, small crushed on the bottom and large crushed on the top.
 
Absolutely makes sense.Ill add the ac110 very soon.my thought when I diy'd my filter, I didn't want to add a sump yet as I thought the buttis would outgrow this 75 relatively soon but I didn't want to leave the stand pipe area empty.so with that said,i figured id use the 3 inch x 7 inch (flat)50 ppi sponge as my 1st step mechanical,then into 2 gallons of 15-30 sponge clippings for my bio then into another 50 ppi flat sponge for a second mechanical just prior to hitting the pump.i choose a quiet one 997 gph pump figuring id lose a little flow due to restriction of the sponges as well as the end tank they grow into will be sumped.so I figured run it this way and ill atleast have most of the sump needs covered minus the actual sump.But yeah ive always been a fan of HOB's for their ease of use and cleaning.
 
id need to do some serious talking to get a 180 in the house lol.the reverse flow UGF was something that crossed my mind but at that time I wasn't sure what fish we were going to get and didn't know if we would get "diggers", as Oscars are one of my favorites. End result was my DIY system,i figured it would cover all bases of anything we got atleast for the first few months, as we knew we would only obtain small juvenile of any species.
 
what do you plan to use in the sump for bio-media? and absolutely sponges are fantastic but do need to be rinsed in tank/ treated water once a week,
 
yup Oscars are digger. but they tend to dig at one end of the tank or the other, tanks a 6 footer, UG plate are 2ft apiece so they tend to not dig on the plates but at the ends.
 
as far as sump bio media my plan was to see how my current amount of sponges handle the bio load and adjust from there.If sponge material will keep everything pristine id like to stick with it.as 2 gallons of sponge clippings cost 8 bucks and as you stated,it just takes a rinse/shake every so often.if it cant keep up to the bio load id look into bio bale or any upgrade needed.suggestions?
 
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