New visitor

[sill]

Hi all, I'm sill (its a nickname) and in Australia. Just wanted to say how impressed I am with this site. Loads of info on discus on the net but I always come back here. Its great. Of course that is not news to any of you here I am sure. Just wanted to say "g'day". I am in the process of setting up a 6 ft tank which is beautiful. Struggling with a beast of a filter though, the kind that goes underneath the tank. LFS says most likely an air pocket in it and to just shake it. Tried that but no luck and am on a break LOL. Anyway, again, hello all and thanks for all the info I've read so far!

[oodi]

Hi sill, and welcome!!! We're glad to have you, and I hope we can answer any/all of your questions!

Judi
:)

[RyanH]

Welcome to Simply Sill. Let us know if you have any questions.

What kind of filter are you playing around with there?

[sill]

Thank you Judi and Ryan for your welcomes and so quick too. Dont have much experience on message boards, so hope you see this and I'm not just replying to myself . I talk to myself enough already, never mind leaving messages for me too LOL. This beast is a Resun External Filter 1500 L/H I have no bubbles coming out of the outlet spray bar and that is why the LFS said and I quote "just give it a bloody good shake" see now I woulda just given it a "regular" shake LOL. I did get one blast of bubbles but then it stopped My guess is that it needs to be hand pumped again to get it circulating again and the easiest way for me to do that is to wait for my partner to get home and help me lift off the lid/hood etc. Its massive! Frustrating though cos thats hours away and I want to get this tank cycling of course A.S.A.P. So thats the scoop such as it is! Thanks for asking though :) In the meantime I am waiting for the mailman to deliver a book on discus I bought on ebay last week. *sigh its an all waiting day!

[oodi]

LOL, sill!!!

How about giving that filter a swift kick? ;D I'm not familar with that type of filter, so I can't help you there. Can't help you with any lifting from so far away, either. :-\

Boy... I'm no help at all! :P Hopefully, the books will come soon to help you pass the time.


Judi
:)

[sill]

Hey Judi, just a not to let you know that my book on discus has just arrived! Doesnt look very good though, no mention of how to lift off a six foot pine hood by yourself LOL Otherwise it looks great, I love ebay as much as I love discus! Talk to you again soon,
sill :)
Hey i think I'll go take a pic of this tank, my "before" picture lol

[oodi]

Well it sure doesn't sound like much of a book, if you ask me LOL. ;D

YES!!! Take before and after pics!!

Judi
:)

[GulfCoastDiscus]

Hi Sill,
I don't quite understand. The pump in the filter is not working? I have the same problems at time. The impeller inside the pump sometimes gets stuck. Open it and give it swirl. If it's not pushing water, turn it off until you get running otherwise it'll melt the housing.

Oh yeah..Welcome ;D

dan

[Howie_W]

Hi Sill,

Welcome to Simply! :wave:

Sorry to hear your filter is giving you a hard time! :banghead:

If it turns out your filter will not work, there are a number of other options for filtering your tank, and none that have to be that complicated...many of us keep our Discus healthy and happy with simple sponge filters.

Howie

[RyanH]

I ONLY use sponges in my breeder and quarantine tanks. My community tanks will have A/C's in addition but only sponge media. No carbon or anything else.

[sill]

Good morning all or evening depending on where you are. Many thanks for all your thoughts re this filter. I cant beleive I am the only person that has this kind that sits under the tank (in the stand) and has an intake tube and an outlet spray bar tube both of which are inside the tank of course. This kinda filter was reccomended for this size of tank ( 6ft).
Now the debate goes on in this household/neighborhood lol : I say when it starts there would be bubbles due to the air being pushed out of the filter and then yes it would stop with the bubbles ( when all air is out) and just be a steady flow of water so It IS working and again based on the tank size, it needs a bubble wand or air stones also, to aereate and circulate the water. The public at large lol say no, there should be bubbles from the filter constantly. "From where?" Is my response, "there is no air tube like on a canister filter so theres no air going into this external filter to come out"much like a ,say aqua one hang on filter, it trickles, no bubbles come outa that and they work, I have one on a 2 ft tank. Ok I've said enough. I will wait now for a show of hands on who agrees with me LOL. Thanks for listening, sill :)

[GulfCoastDiscus]

Hi Sill,
I made my own wet/dry filter like yours underneath my show tank. The exchange from Co2 to O2 happens in the filter as it trickles over the filter media, so you don't need an air wand in the tank unless of course you want one for aesthetic purposes.

Dan

[GulfCoastDiscus]

I did not want to see any equipment in the tank like the heaters so I have it in the filter below the tank. Plus discus likes slow moving water as long as your pump circulates the water 3x per hour.

Here's another pic :)

Dan

[sill]

wow those pics are amazing, you must be very proud :)I got a picture of my filter and since my last post read the manual yet again. In the fine print ( the part that isnt in literal chinese) it says " the outlet spray bar should be installed 5 cms ( an inch) above water level!" so now its not even meant to be in the water at all? more fool me I guess. I hear you about the air stones, I just dont see how the water can circulate when it all seems sooooooo still. Doesnt it need to move a little or will having fish in it ( some day hopefully) generate movement emough? Thanks for your help and the pics!
Sill

[GulfCoastDiscus]

You put the overflow on one end of the tank and the output on the other end. By doing this you push the water from one end to the other. You can mount the spray below the surface if you want to. It doesn't need to be above the water. By being above the water, there's more agitation on the surface which causes more exchange in Co2 to O2. If you're going to have a planted tank then you might want to mount the spraybar below the surface to minimize the air exchange. You want the Co2 for your plants. I hope I'm not confusing you more. :)

dan

[sill]

Hi again Dan, not confusing me more, I see a steady stream of confusion in my future LOL. Just an update to let you all know the filter is sorted out and running beautifully. Thats a releif and I want to thank you all for your patience and support. This board is so active I almost felt guilty monopolising you all with my struggles, I see people have bigger probs with death and disease etc. Anyway thats the scoop for now, now I have to let the tank sit and heat and get cycled so I expect to do a lot of reading and catching up with you all while thats happening. Thanks for your help and making me feel so welcome. Talk to you soon,
sill :)

[ping]

Hi Sill,

Welcome to Simply :)
Nice pictures Dan :)

Ronny :)

[GulfCoastDiscus]

Thank you Ron

Sill, When you have your tank set post pics.

dan

[sill]

Hi again, have a pic of the new tank which seems darker than it actually is but you'll get an idea anyway. As you can see its very bare at the moment as brand new but little by little I'll get more driftwood etc. In the meantime this is what it looks like, its a nice stand at least LOL and yes 6 ft. I checked out Dans website/page which is excellent, no doubt I'll be going back for another look! That must be some camera you have dan! Anyway lets see if this pic will post ok, it was too large before so I cropped it a bit. Oh you may notice one of my dogs, Tazzie, there lurking in the corner. :)

[GulfCoastDiscus]

Nice Sill.
I notice your spray bar faces to the front. If you place the spraybar on the left side wall, it'll push the water to the right side of the tank. You'll have better circulation. If the spraybar is to long, you can cut it to size or buy a smaller one. I always make my own.

Thanks for the compliment. I need to update my pics. I have new pairs that just formed and produced clutches of eggs and pairs with fry on their backs.
My digi camera is just a cannon S410. Not too expensive.

[GulfCoastDiscus]

Here's a 120gal. I built the stand myself. This is the only tank I'm allowed to bring inside. :)

Dan

[sill]

Hi Dan, I understand what you mean about the spray bar ( woohoo I understood something LOL) but there are two probs with moving it, maybe three. One is that the elbow tube they call it, thats connected to the spray bar is thick and not very flexible, two, if I move that tube it will hang on the side of the tank and the light/hood wont sit properly and three : you're too far away to swing by and sort this out for me LOL. :)

[GulfCoastDiscus]

You can replace the elbow tube with a flexible tube. Go to your local hardware store and see what you can rig up. To hold it in place you can use a suction cup from one of your heater. I used a 1/2" pvc and drilled holes on it. You can cap one end and and attach a 1/2" plastic tube on the other end to the pump. I'll post a pic of one that I rig up in the past tomorrow.

I wish I was close enough to help you out.

Dan

[sill]

Hi Dan, well i could say nothing but you know me, (well no you dont but still LOL) I always have to come back with something LOL. Last night I played around with the spray bar and took the elbow tube off, trimmed the connector and put the tube directly on the spray bar. Had to remove the elbow tube and trim, as the spray bar was too long to go against the left side wall where you suggested. That all went beautifully, I was very pleased. However, ( thats an awful word isnt it? we know something bad is coming LOL) this morning I noticed that the force of the water being pushed through wasnt nearly as strong as it was on the back wall of the tank and I suspect the hood or glass itself is causing a little kink so tonight I will have to think of something else. It sounds so little but getting the tubes through the space in the glass when you are changing the positioning of them gets very tricky. Added to that ,the tank is full and if I dont end up with wet sleeves, I end up getting sprayed or soaked somehow LOL I do laugh though and now do not want to approach the tank without wearning some galouches ( if thats how you spell it!) It all seemed fine when I set up and filled up the tank but then I had that filter prob and have to do everything while the tank is full but then there was no way of testing that everything was just so and as it should be without filling it up. Well this is getting long so just giving you an update. I guess bottom line is it sure would be easier to cut, drill, and /or manouver around this tank if it was empty! Ok I'm done for now :)
P.s if i need tp play around with things even more, I'd best go look on ebay for a snorkel LOL!

[GulfCoastDiscus]

You know Sill. Nobody ever told you that being in this hobby you have to be a plumber, carpenter. chemist,biologist and whatever else but that's what makes it gratifying.
Keep it up and post your pic when it's all done.

Dan

[Anonapersona]

You know Sill. Nobody ever told you that being in this hobby you have to be a plumber, carpenter. chemist,biologist and whatever else but that's what makes it gratifying.
Keep it up and post your pic when it's all done.

Dan


LOL, I absolutely agree -- it is the stretching required that makes this so invigorating.

[Howie_W]

Nobody ever told you that being in this hobby you have to be a plumber, carpenter. chemist,biologist and whatever else but that's what makes it gratifying.


Dan





Let's not forget twenty-four hour live-in homecare provider! ;)



Howie