Sheepsnana

So, I've cleared out all the sand, and tannins (the latter not being intentional, I like tannins), and the log has being submersed for the last week. Has anyone tried sinking a piece this large/dense before? Any idea on how much longer this will take? I drained all the water out this afternoon and refilled it, I figure fresh water may help, it sure can't hurt :dunno:

It didn't stop the bristlenose fry getting into the filter. They swam up through the tiny holes on the spraybar, right into the canister. I didn't think it was possible til I watched them do it.

I found out what I had done wrong.... it was all my fault... No it wasn't a seal, or a leak, or an o-ring. The taps were on correctly. No air was being sucked in the intake. My problem was, there wasn't enough flow coming in the intake. :facepalm: I had changed from a filter sock to some pantyhose (being darker, I thought it would look better than the white filter sock). This was restricting the flow coming into the filter. So instead of "air" as such being sucked in, it was just empty pockets in the filter where the water was moving out faster than it was coming in. My bad. Oh, to those who may encounter this issue themselves later, I found out about it while I was doing a water change. The flow out of my spraybar was extremely low (normally I don't see the flow as the spraybar is submersed). So I got out my CF1200 operation manual and cleaned the intake, outtake, and impeller. To get tank water to clean the impeller, I used the hose from the intake into a bucket. when I noticed that the flow from the intake was a mere drip, I realized that was my problem. Removed the pantyhose, and the spraybar went nuts. There is currently no air in the filter, and hasn't been for the last 2 hours. :facepalm: All because of aesthetics.

I'm sure there will be people on here that will happily offer up a larger tank (either cheap or if you're really lucky, free). I've got one here that I'ld give you but it's only 50L and transport will be a killer. In regards to your fish spitting out food, how old is the food? most fish food is recommended to be used in under 3 months, before they lose some of the nutrients? I'm not an expert on the matter, I just remember feeling absolutely gutted when I found out, since I had bought big packs of food. Hope this helps

Most pet shops will test your water for you, they like to make sure your tank is in good condition before they sell you more fish. I'm only two blocks from my pet store, so they do ALL of my testing. In return, they get all my sales.

Yes, well known that silcone grease or saliva are better. Petroleum Jelly will cause the rubber to crack. FYI... "If electricity comes from electrons, does that mean that morality comes from morons?" Electricity <-> Electrons. Morality <-> Morals. Morons would be moronic, like electrons are electric. Back on topic, yes I have taken the taps off to double check that there are no loose seals. CF1200 is still playing up, I had cleared ALL of the bubbles out after my last check on it, even inverted it to be sure. The bubbles are back now (making loud noise, hard to sleep, notice the time stamp). :yaw2: CF1000 is unplugged until I can get my new tank set up.

This is how I set up my original CF1200. Plug in the intake and suck on the outtake, filling the filter with tank water. It worked the first time. I have since cleaned it, which may have caused an issue somewhere along the line... Yes, the cap is on and screwed tight. No water coming out of it. I have checked this a couple of times to see if it would let air out, but only water comes out, so I screw it back in.

Pretty much sums up every arguement / discussion on here, in 5 lines.

Nice! Our mechanic is a bit like that, it pays to get one that you can trust not to screw you over. If you manage to find one that goes the extra mile, it's awesome! :thup:

We may need to change the title to just "discussions". most of these get soo off topic that if anyone was actually looking for info on cycling their tank, would have no choice but to go straight for the sticky (not a bad thing, I'm just pointing it out)... or was this the plan all along? :lol:

I heard they were hard to look after? :digH:

Wow, you're brave using bristlenose, they really don't like new tanks. How are the fish doing? any signs of stress?

I understand that it's a syphoning effect, which some people call a vacuum/pull but I call it a push when its coming out of the outtake.

Makes sense actually, if the air is constantly flowing inward, the water can't escape outward. pressure wouldn't be affected due to water and air going out the outtake. I'll see what I can find. Thanks

Everything seems tight. I don't see any air coming in through the intake, and when I release the priming plug water comes gushing out before any air does.

Genius! Get some zucchini.. slice it up and weigh it down. they can't resist the stuff.

What lights are you using? How long are they on for and when?

Cannister filters are great, I use them. Sumps are what the experts use. Makes everything easier and tidier, as you can hide heaters etc in the sump. Less clutter in the tank, and you can do water changes a lot easier. You need to make sure that you have the overflows in the right place to prevent an indoor swimming pool, but it's not exactly rocket science. The only reason I'm not using a sump is because I'm still learning, and Canister Filters are great for beginners who aren't too keen on doing their own plumbing (drilling glass, setting up powerhead, etc)

Just my 2c worth, but I cycled a 90L tank using Aquarium Complete from Animal Antics (LFS) and 10 neon tetra's. It's pretty much live bacteria in a bottle, just like transferring media from a pre-cycled tank. And it only cost $40. It was an instant cycle in a brand new tank. No ammonia spike, and no nitrite spike, water was tested every day for the first 10 days, and then weekly afterwards.

I was attempting to remove the bubbles from my canister filter by flushing it. So I started to fill the 300L tank (with the slate back), got the CF1000 pumping, emptying out into a small 50L tank, and had a syphon taking that out a window into the garden... Turns out, the flow into the 300L was EXTREMELY faster than the flow through the CF1000, and the tank overfilled into the lounge :slfg: the wife wasn't happy :an!gry but thankfully she wasn't near her jandals. So I turned the tap off, and removed the hose, and then the next big shock hit me. BUGS. There were about 20 earwigs in the slates, 4 beetles, and a small colony of ants living in the slate. The water had driven them out of the slate, and into the lounge. Thankfully my neighbour could pop round to help me lift the tank outside, once it had drained. The stand is now drying in the garage, and the driftwood is outside, but still soaking in the tank, on the BBQ table. what a nightmare. ANYWAY... The reason for this post, other than to give you all a good laugh, is to ask. How can my CF1000 (and my CF1200 also now, although I am unsure as to why both decided to play up at the same time) have begun filling with air, from no apparent source. They are closed, and running, but there is air trapped inside. I tried to flush it out, even went through a 300L tank, and still there is more and more air inside. Surely if there was a leak in the Canister Filter, then water would be coming out? There is no air coming in from the intake, although when the filters stall the air comes up the intake, until it rights itself. there are plenty of bubbles coming through the outtake (which makes it quite noisy) but I can never get them all out of the filter. I'm all ears.

Sweet. Sounds good.

Slowly lift it out of the water. He'll move

Explains a lot :slfg:

We've covered this?

Are you surprised that seaweed has more salt than chocolate?