Eheim + Aqua Clear... Question

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ohhmernn

****ed.
Mar 5, 2007
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Hey Everyone,

I have had an eheim running on my 46g tank for 2 years now, and just recently added an aqua clear.

My question is around... how to get rid of all the waste that just seems to sit on the gravel in between water changes and vacuuming?

Can I position the spray bar from the eheim to be vertical... and aiming towards the eheim intake?.. ive got the two aqua clear intake pieces on the aquar clear so that intake is closer to the rocks.. but i still seem to have so much waste on the bottom, considering i only have 6 fish in there right now... and i know its not overfeeding, as im really careful with that.. it just seems to be loads of poop from the pleco.

Any suggestions?
 
:) You mentioned 1 of your 6 fish is a Pleco. Most are total 'waste machines'. You didn't say what size your fish were nor what kind of Pleco, which Eheim or A/C filter but regardless, your maintainance schedule might need increasing. Re-directing the canister outlet might help. (use the jet not the spraybar) Small P/H might help direct some of the waste towards the intake but bottom line is your maint. needs to be stepped up. Do half (thouroughly) one cleaning then the other half next time. Concentrate on areas where the Pleco likes to rest. Eventually you'll need more water (larger tank) to dilute the waste or you could lose the Pleco. "T"
 
You can position a small powerhead to create current along the bottom; this will keep detritus in the water column, so it will eventually end up in the filters.
 
I 2nd the addition of the small powerhead i use the same type of set up to keep the bottom free of poop lol
 
The 6 fish are... a clown pleco whos, id say 3 inches max. (Ive had for 2 years), a bleeding heart (he's leaving on tuesday), and 4 young african cichlids an inch or so (I've had for a week).

It just seems like, for poop waste/ debris, the canister is useless.. I've never cleaned the tubing and its evident there is algae buildup but could this effect the suction?.. I vacuum the tank once a week, and do water changes more often if needed... which is the case right now, as the tank params are not entirely stable.

eheim 2215 classic, has floss, balls and cylinder tubes
aqua clear 70 has just a sponge.

I've thought of adding a powerhead.. but theres already a pretty strong current going on in the tank.. which I understand Cichlids arent keen on?.. The aqua is on low setting.. and still pumping out the force.. doubled with the eheim, which is also giving a good go, but more so across to the top of the tank. I dont know how putting the spray bar vertically in the tank would effect the canister and its functionality, but I was thinking to put it up and down in the back opposite corner from the intake, and aim it so it hits the front of the tank, so the water would bounce off the front and head towards the intake.. but i havent tried it, so im not exactly sure if the current would even hit the front of the tank...

I havent finished adding rockwork to the tank yet, because of this problem.. once the rock is in there it will be a major pain if i have to move it around all the time to get the crap out of it... so i was trying to find a remedy to this problem... any suggestions?


T.. what do you mean by "(use the jet not the spraybar) Small P/H might help direct some of the waste towards the intake".. jet? the canister only has a spraybar, is there a jet i can add to the eheim?.. and small p/h? whats this? power head?
 
T.. what do you mean by "(use the jet not the spraybar) Small P/H might help direct some of the waste towards the intake".. jet? the canister only has a spraybar, is there a jet i can add to the eheim?.. and small p/h? whats this? power head?
Click to expand...

:) Sorry. The jet attachment will allow you to 'fine tune' the flow direction ( E/W) a bit better than the spraybar. (you've already got N/S with the A/C). If not vertical placement (if possible) might help. P/H is powerhead. You can position it to help flow in 'deadspots'. (you're gonna need that flow w/ rockwork). Clown Plec maxes at about 4" but still a waste machine which means increased maint. A/C 110 is much stonger HOB. (just a thought). "T"
 
So by jet attachment, is this something eheim makes that i can purchase to add on to the canister?

Powerhead...for a 46 g, anything recommended? Im headed to Big Al's today (a rare occasion), so let me know!

Thanks for your help
 
ohhmernn said:
. and i know its not overfeeding, as im really careful with that.. it just seems to be loads of poop from the pleco.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...


I'm wondering since you've had the plec and that filter running on the tank for the last two years, is it just a new thing that you're seeing a lot more plec poop than before? Or are you just tired of seeing it? Do you have a new sand substrate or something like that that's making the poop show up more? Plecs are poop machines literally 24/7, and I think no matter what you do, in that size tank without it being planted, you're going to always notice plec poop, tons and tons of it. I would rethink having a plec in the tank with major rockwork to try to keep clean. Also, a clown pleco really needs a bit of driftwood to rasp. I've had several different types of plecos over the years and found the clown pleco to be a very messy pleco. When you do provide the driftwood to rasp, you also regularly wind up with small dark bits of driftwood laying about the bottom gravel as well.
The last thing I'm wondering is...is it common for people to want fish poop to be pushed into their water filter? Although the water filters trap some solids being circulated through the water column in it's mechanical media, aren't they really water filters to keep the water clean, break down ammonia and convert nitrites, not substitues for substrate cleaning. I'm thinking if you're going to push a lot of poop into the water filter that you're going to have to clean your filters a lot more often than once a month.
 
its not that there is more poop.. but yes, Im trying to figure out how I am going to manage it with the rocks...Ive added more lava rock today, and plan to add more in the near future..

The clown has has his own stash of wood since i got him..my tank used to be a community tank, but after an outbreak of something all but three died, one being the clown, another the bleeding heart, and a zebra danio.. the danio has since left and gone to a tank at work, where the heart is soon to join, but the tank at work already has a regular pleco.. and I dont know, I have a hard enough time giving those two to work.. so If its doable, Id really like to be able to keep the clown pleco, Im not one of those people that can easily give away and replace.. even if they are fish, its just not my style..

So, with that said, I see your point about pushing the poop into the filter, so maybe just a power head would help keep it from collecting within the rocks?.. Its pretty contained to his wood pile.. and I do do wekly vacuuming, i was just trying to brainstorm in advance.
 
:) pinkertd makes a good point. If you can kinda direct the flow so the majority of the larger, heavier waste collects in one area, it'll make maint. a bit easier. You're still gonna have to get busy more often but at least it won't be all over the tank. As for powerheads, I have 2 Maxi-Jet 1200's just to increase movement. Might be a bit much for you. They do have a '900' & '600' & of course there are other brands like A/C, Penguin ect. Again, upgrading that '70' to the '110' will help plenty. In fact, I would do that first & see where you stand. I can tell you're a 'LOVER' (so am I) but you don't want your love to wear you out!! JMPO, "T"
 
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