frontpage Posted by Merrimax • Feb 7, 2023
Feb 7, 2023 4:23 PM
Item 1 of 7
Item 1 of 7
frontpage Posted by Merrimax • Feb 7, 2023
Feb 7, 2023 4:23 PM
Petco: Select Fishkeeping Supplies
+ Free S&H on $35+25% Off
$110
Petco
Get Deal at PetcoGood Deal
Bad Deal
Save
Share
Top Comments
As for the filter, the 3 stages consist of the sponge, the media and the carbon. The carbon is trash after about a month or so depending on what else you may add to the water. Its main job is to clarify the water and remove toxins, but it doesn't have a long life. I personally don't use it in any of my tanks. The media is the life support system. This will allow the beneficial bacteria to grow and thrive in your tank. Lastly, the sponge collects all the debris/detritus, which should be cleaned monthly in small tanks. With a monthly cleaning, the filter will last you plenty. The small pump that they come with needs to be cleaned monthly as well to avoid clogging. They are very easily replaced and affordable if they ever die on you though. I personally stay away from the Aqueon tanks. Their filters are not that great, and they tend to lean on the cartridge base filters, which not only is a waste of money, but it hurts your bacteria load every time you throw one of the cartridges away. The Fluval brand has been solid for me. I personally own the Fluval Flex V, and the Flex 15. Both are very ascetically pleasing, and have a decent build to them. There are also lots of mods you can do to their filtration if you look around on Etsy. As for keeping the tank livable, you just have to make sure you cycle it well (look up nitrogen cycle on YouTube), and test the water before adding any life to it. And when you clean the tank/filter, you clean the media in tank water and not water out of the tap. The chlorine in tap water will kill all your bacteria, and you will have to start all over again. Every time you do water changes, you re-add water conditioner/dechlorinator. At the end of the day, fish are just like every other pet that need to be cared for in order to maintain a healthy, happy life.
33 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank LiquidSmoke420
As for the filter, the 3 stages consist of the sponge, the media and the carbon. The carbon is trash after about a month or so depending on what else you may add to the water. Its main job is to clarify the water and remove toxins, but it doesn't have a long life. I personally don't use it in any of my tanks. The media is the life support system. This will allow the beneficial bacteria to grow and thrive in your tank. Lastly, the sponge collects all the debris/detritus, which should be cleaned monthly in small tanks. With a monthly cleaning, the filter will last you plenty. The small pump that they come with needs to be cleaned monthly as well to avoid clogging. They are very easily replaced and affordable if they ever die on you though. I personally stay away from the Aqueon tanks. Their filters are not that great, and they tend to lean on the cartridge base filters, which not only is a waste of money, but it hurts your bacteria load every time you throw one of the cartridges away. The Fluval brand has been solid for me. I personally own the Fluval Flex V, and the Flex 15. Both are very ascetically pleasing, and have a decent build to them. There are also lots of mods you can do to their filtration if you look around on Etsy. As for keeping the tank livable, you just have to make sure you cycle it well (look up nitrogen cycle on YouTube), and test the water before adding any life to it. And when you clean the tank/filter, you clean the media in tank water and not water out of the tap. The chlorine in tap water will kill all your bacteria, and you will have to start all over again. Every time you do water changes, you re-add water conditioner/dechlorinator. At the end of the day, fish are just like every other pet that need to be cared for in order to maintain a healthy, happy life.
As for the filter, the 3 stages consist of the sponge, the media and the carbon. The carbon is trash after about a month or so depending on what else you may add to the water. Its main job is to clarify the water and remove toxins, but it doesn't have a long life. I personally don't use it in any of my tanks. The media is the life support system. This will allow the beneficial bacteria to grow and thrive in your tank. Lastly, the sponge collects all the debris/detritus, which should be cleaned monthly in small tanks. With a monthly cleaning, the filter will last you plenty. The small pump that they come with needs to be cleaned monthly as well to avoid clogging. They are very easily replaced and affordable if they ever die on you though. I personally stay away from the Aqueon tanks. Their filters are not that great, and they tend to lean on the cartridge base filters, which not only is a waste of money, but it hurts your bacteria load every time you throw one of the cartridges away. The Fluval brand has been solid for me. I personally own the Fluval Flex V, and the Flex 15. Both are very ascetically pleasing, and have a decent build to them. There are also lots of mods you can do to their filtration if you look around on Etsy. As for keeping the tank livable, you just have to make sure you cycle it well (look up nitrogen cycle on YouTube), and test the water before adding any life to it. And when you clean the tank/filter, you clean the media in tank water and not water out of the tap. The chlorine in tap water will kill all your bacteria, and you will have to start all over again. Every time you do water changes, you re-add water conditioner/dechlorinator. At the end of the day, fish are just like every other pet that need to be cared for in order to maintain a healthy, happy life.
To keep the water livable: water changes with a dechlorinator (Seachem Prime, API slime coat or Tap water conditioner, etc) and testing (API master test kit). Keep a close eye on parameters in the first month or two and you could get a feel for when changes are necessary.
With a few plants, a betta and some shrimps/snails, my Spec tank has been crystal clear and testing clean.
Here is a good site to get started on Spec line of tanks. https://spec-tanks.com/category/spec-mods/
Edit: Petsmart/Petco usually has a filter media sale and water treatment sale that happens pretty regularly and you can get some of the needed stuff at a good discount.
The ocean is more stable
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Apologies the list grew long, I stopped crosschecking each item.
And adding disclaimer, in my 6 months of browsing Petco/Petsmart deals, deals sometimes change without warning, their site is buggy, and prices often can be cheaper than in-store and vice versa(which the cashiers will gladly pricematch).
I wonder why anyone would subscribe for a regular delivery of a filter equipment or a light fixture. And then there are consumable items that I need monthly like floss, lotions and shampoos that I can't subscribe for.
https://a.co/d/4zQ1NbP
As for cloudiness, it's pretty normal when setting up a new tank to have cloudy water. This is a hobby of patience so don't worry, it's normal.
As for the filter, the 3 stages consist of the sponge, the media and the carbon. The carbon is trash after about a month or so depending on what else you may add to the water. Its main job is to clarify the water and remove toxins, but it doesn't have a long life. I personally don't use it in any of my tanks. The media is the life support system. This will allow the beneficial bacteria to grow and thrive in your tank. Lastly, the sponge collects all the debris/detritus, which should be cleaned monthly in small tanks. With a monthly cleaning, the filter will last you plenty. The small pump that they come with needs to be cleaned monthly as well to avoid clogging. They are very easily replaced and affordable if they ever die on you though. I personally stay away from the Aqueon tanks. Their filters are not that great, and they tend to lean on the cartridge base filters, which not only is a waste of money, but it hurts your bacteria load every time you throw one of the cartridges away. The Fluval brand has been solid for me. I personally own the Fluval Flex V, and the Flex 15. Both are very ascetically pleasing, and have a decent build to them. There are also lots of mods you can do to their filtration if you look around on Etsy. As for keeping the tank livable, you just have to make sure you cycle it well (look up nitrogen cycle on YouTube), and test the water before adding any life to it. And when you clean the tank/filter, you clean the media in tank water and not water out of the tap. The chlorine in tap water will kill all your bacteria, and you will have to start all over again. Every time you do water changes, you re-add water conditioner/dechlorinator. At the end of the day, fish are just like every other pet that need to be cared for in order to maintain a healthy, happy life.
Hobbyists get really weird about Bettas for some reason. Probably because how they're sold, which IS cruel. But y'all keep moving the goal post on Bettas for some reason. I see 20 gallons now but that's only from random internet people that have no authority other than being a hobbyist.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Hobbyists get really weird about Bettas for some reason. Probably because how they're sold, which IS cruel. But y'all keep moving the goal post on Bettas for some reason. I see 20 gallons now but that's only from random internet people that have no authority other than being a hobbyist.