HOB FILTERS; Aquarium Power Filters

QUESTION:
I was looking to purchase an Aqua Clear Filter for my aquarium with guppies, tetras, and danios. My tank is 40 gallons. Is this a good choice and what should I no about this or any other HOB filter?


ANSWER:
HOB filters (hang on the back- power filters) are quite popular for good reason. They are generally inexpensive and simple to operate. If you go with an Aqua Clear I would recommend the model 50. However they do have a couple of weaknesses.

[1] Bio filtration; The Aqua clear is better here than others, but it has a weak impeller design that is not very durable. The Aqua Clear is also a poor mechanical filter with a high "flow by rate" (the amount of water that actually is forced thru the filter media).
This said, most larger models of Aqua Clear Filters (the Aqua Clear 70 and 110) have large capacities and are very versatile especially for marine Nano Reef uses, in fact this is where the Aqua Clear shows its strengths is it is more adaptable for use in small marine aquariums provided you change out some of the carbon or other media for live rock crumbles, volcanic rock, or Bio Home so as to perform de-nitrification (the removal of nitrates), otherwise your Aqua Clear or other HOB filter can become a nitrate factory when used in a marine aquarium.

I should also note that many experienced aquarists use Aqua Clear filters, however I disagree with many of these aquarists that the cartridge style filter are expensive to operate. If you add Pre Filter to your Whisper or VitaLife, you will make the cartridge last substantially longer AND improve mechanical filtration further (the pre filter will remove the medium to coarse debris leaving the cartridge to remove the fine debris). With this combination you will have superior bio AND vastly superior mechanical filtration. T should also be noted that many Whisper filters come with a bio sponge and the Via Aqua VitaLife comes with a bio grid and surface skimmer.


That leaves the cartridge models starting with the Penguin. The Penguin has a much lower "flow by rate" than the Aqua Clear and is less prone to leaks, but their bio filtration is poor, EVEN with the bio wheel, which is vastly over-rated in my tests I preformed through my aquarium maintenance business. I removed the bio wheel on penguin filters on comparable aquariums with comparable bio loads and fish and found no discernable ammonia spike. Yet when HOB filters that had running pre filters attached to their intakes were removed, there were discernable ammonia spikes. For Saltwater use I would recommend the Penguin even less as there is no way of converting the bio wheel to a combination nitrifying/de-nitrifying filter (sadly I still read many anecdotal responses about using Bio Wheel equipped Penguins for small marine aquariums, especially at Yahoo Answers, which is about as bad a place to go for aquatic information on the internet possible). I would make an exception to this for the Emperor filter as there is more space add de-nitrification media, however you still end up with the nitrate factory bio-wheel.

The Whisper, Via Aqua VitaLife, and ReSun the HOB filters (The ReSun are very reliable, but also very basic HOB filters) are the style prefer the most based on my experience and notes I have kept dealing with before and after water parameters in fresh and saltwater. All of these style filters have a low “flow by rate”. The ReSun is a much better value and is less prone to leaks, but the ReSun currently has a poor choice of filter size options.

Again as noted above for marine aquariums, I recommend replacing the bio grid in the VitaLife or Whisper filters with live rock crumbles, volcanic rock, Bio Home or similar media that can perform de-nitrification.
(Please click on the picture to the left to enlarge the demonstration of volcanic rock/live rock, etc. placed in filter such as a VitaLife or Whisper)

This brings me to the point that HOB filters are best equipped with Pre Filters (the Filter Max is the best due to its patented sponge technology). Pre Filters vastly increase bio filtration, are inexpensive ($4.99 and up), prevent baby fish from being sucked into the filter, and provide a measure of bio stability when the cartridge is changed.

[2] The other weakness of HOB filters is the poor cross circulation they provide (HOB filters provide vertical circulation). Cross circulation is especially important in larger aquariums such as a 48” 60 gallon aquarium. For small aquariums such as 20 gallons or less, this is of less concern, although I would still consider an addition filter such as an air driven sponge filter for redundancy.
This is easily remedied with an Internal Filter. I recommend the Via Aqua Internal Filter due to its reliability, and inexpensive sponge media which keeps it simple to keep.
For more information about sponge filtration, please see this article: “Sponge filtration”

For a marine aquarium, I would recommend a power head instead for cross circulation, especially if live rock is employed (which I recommend) for bio filtration. The power head will provide necessary flow through the live rock assuring good nitrification and de-nitrification within the live rock.
For a smaller marine tank such as a 40 gallon I would recommend either a Via Aqua 1300, ReSun 1 or 2, or a Via Aqua 480 (the VA 480 best for tanks under 20 gallons).




For MUCH more information about Filters (such as Aqua Clears), please see this article: “Aquarium Filters (filtration)”

CONCLUSION:

For a 40 gallon aquarium I would recommend the Via Aqua VitaLife 200, not that Aqua Clear 50 would be a poor choice, however based on close to equal bio filtration (the Aqua Clear holds a slight edge here, although a pre-filter would change this), the better reliability, surface skimming feature, and better mechanical filtration, I would recommend the VitaLife HOB Filter

Information about Cyclops and also Predatory Damselfly larvae that occasionally find their way into aquariums and especially ponds

QUESTION: I have these bugs in my aquarium; they are very small about 2-3 mm long with one black eye in the middle of its head. It is grayish in color. It goes jerking through water in rather spastic motions.
What are these?


ANSWER:
Is this your bug?


This is one possibility, which is a Cyclops (a type of copepod); they range in size from 1-3 mm. It is called a Cyclops because of the single eye spot. This female carries two packages of eggs near the base of her tail. The cyclops has 5 pair of legs and a divided tail-like appendage called a furca (A forked process as the last abdominal segment of certain crustaceans).
Cyclops are crustaceans and related to lobsters, crabs and shrimp.


A little about Cyclops;

HABITAT: Cyclops live in freshwater, such as ponds and lakes. They prefer areas of still water with a lot of algae.

THEIR PLACE IN THE FOOD CHAIN:

Cyclops are omnivores; they eat algae, small animals, detritus but not usually fish. But weak fry MAY be harmed by these copepods.
Some species of Cyclops are not free-living, existing instead as fish parasites, but these are not common. Tropical and native fish enthusiasts utilize the cyclopoids as a high protein live fish food, especially for immature fishes, and in a fair twist of fate, some Cyclops species have been found feasting on larval fishes, particularly in fish hatcheries.

For more about proper fish food nutrition: Quality Fish Food; What ingredients are needed for proper fish nutrition, growth and health

Cyclops are generally eaten by Phantom Midge Larvae and water mites.

REPRODUCTION:
The female Cyclops carries her eggs at the back of her body. There are fewer males than females present in the population, and the males are smaller. Females are often observed while swimming to have paired egg sacs, and most of the species are capable of explosive outbreaks when the water temperature and other conditions are optimal.

DAMSELFLY LARVAE:

Another possibility (although this does not fit the above description, however I have seen these in ponds) is a larval damselfly (which are much larger, about 1/4" or more). This is more predatory, but will not reproduce in your aquarium (unless you have damselflies flying around the inside of your home!). These are best hand removed (or vacuumed). Once these are gone, they are gone!


CONCLUSION:

Cyclops can also be intermediary hosts to the Guinea worm (which affects humans, but not generally fish) and fish tapeworm. These are rare occurrences for the Cyclops, and many aquarists consider them valuable as a fish food and even sell them. I would not be overly concerned with them for most aquariums as long as good aquarium cleaning methods, such as vacuuming are practiced. The exception would probably be with fish breeding. In this case, vacuuming gravel and rinsing off live plants in a mild bleach solution (live plants can handle a 25/1 solution provided it is rinsed off) would be in order. Keep in mind that these copepods do not like areas of high current and do like a lot of algae, so changing these conditions would go a long way in controlling Cyclops.

AQUARIUM AND POND INFORMATION

Fish Food at American Aquarium Products

DROPSY in fish; prevention, causes, and possible treatment of this malady that is often a symptom of other problems.



(This question is from a forum post I responded to)
QUESTION: I posted about a female Siamese fighting fish that appeared to have dropsy a few weeks ago. I treated her twice with Maracyn. After the swelling didn't
start to go down, but she is still as swollen as she was then, but has not got to the point were her scales have started to protrude? Does anyone know what else that it could be. She seems buoyant and the swollen cavity appears to be filled by either air, of a clear liquid, when she swims in front of the lights?

ANSWER:
Have you tried Kanacyn? Maracyn (Erythromycin) is usually not as effective for most causes of Dropsy (since most bacterial causes such as Aeromonas are gram negative and Erythromycin is gram positive).

Dropsy is generally a symptom of something else, sometimes digestive, often kidney or liver related and can be loss of regulation of electrolytes (which is another reason for good trace element levels; please see these two articles: Calcium, Electrolytes, GH, KH, & more, Do Fish Drink; Proper Osmotic Function ).

Because of this, Dropsy can often be very difficult to treat, especially if caught in an advanced case in the fish. What the aquarist often observes is a “pinecone” swelling generally caused by fluid building inside the body cavity (often involving the Kidneys), for this reason, reducing this swelling is an important step in effecting a cure.
I have heard of Minocycline also being recommended for this. I do not recommend this as Minocycline has been shown to cause serious damage to the kidneys, which is the last think you want to do to a fish suffering from Dropsy or even suspected of this malady.

I would also note that since Aeromonas bacteria is a common cause of Dropsy and since this bacterium is anaerobic, maintaining good circulation, aeration and overall good tank hygiene goes a long ways in treatment and even further for prevention (since Dropsy is difficult to treat and cure). Please more about optimum tank condition in the prevention section further into this article.

This said, besides treatment for a possible underlying infection, you want to take steps to remove the swelling.

Here are the steps I would take (these apply to ALL fish, not just Bettas):

*Change water! (25% should be fine)

*Perform a medicated bath with Methylene Blue and Kanacyn. To prepare this bath I use 1 teaspoon 2.303% solution per 5 gallons (double dose) in a bath of aquarium water from the tank the fish you wish to treat came from, I usually use about a ½ gallon of water, however you may use less. Measurement of the Methylene Blue does not need to be precise as this bath should be used for about 30 minutes (although do NOT overdose). Make sure you keep the water in a warm area, as in a cold room the water temperature can drop rapidly which would stress the fish. As to the Kanacyn, I generally have used twice to four times the recommended in tank strength in these baths of Kanamycin.
You also may add salts to this bath as well at about double tank strength; 1 teaspoon sodium chloride per gallon and 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon Epsom salt per gallon of bath water.

Do NOT pour this water back into your display aquarium when finished. This can be performed twice per day.


*Add one tablespoon of regular salt (sodium chloride) per 5 gallons of tank water and ¼ to ½ teaspoon of Epsom salts per 5 gallons of tank water. Add a Wonder Shell or similar product to add needed calcium. What these minerals will do is add electrolytes and change (and improve) the osmotic balance of the fish vs. the surrounding water to hopefully pull fluids thru the body thus reducing swelling. For more about electrolytes, please read this article: Calcium, Magnesium, and KH in Aquariums; How to maintain a Proper KH, why calcium and electrolytes are important.

*Treat tank water with Kanamycin (Kanaplex), or possibly with Neomycin or Nalidixic Acid.
Also consider feeding the infected fish with fish food soaked in Neomycin such as Aquarium Products Gel Tek Neomycin along with in tank treatment of Kanamycin (hospital tank is best). Other treatments of note are Minocycline (Maracyn II) and possibly Metronidazole (SeaChem makes an excellent pure Metronidazole).
Sometimes a “cocktail” approach with more than one medication is necessary for Dropsy, such as Kanacyn and Metronidazole together (and this still includes the baths!!)

Here is more info about aquarium medications:
AQUARIUM MEDICATIONS; treatments, how they work, and which ones to use and not to use


PREVENTION:

The aeromonas bacteria (that is often present in healthy aquariums) can cause infections that will manifest this way in poor water conditions, especially in aquariums with poor circulation and high amounts of DOC (dissolved organic compounds) s Aeromonas Bacteria are anaerobic and thrive in low oxygen, high dissolved organics conditions. So maintaining a healthy aquarium with regular water changes, good filtration (if possible, this is why I see more cases of Dropsy in Betta kept in a bowl), good feeding practices (not over feeding and using quality foods), and maintaining proper water parameters (ammonia and nitrites 0, kH 80 ppm, nitrates under 40 ppm). A water parameter that is often missed (as the more obvious ammonia and nitrites are usually noticed) is proper calcium and electrolytes. If RO or drinking water that is nothing more than RO with a few minerals added for “taste” is used, there are usually insufficient electrolytes and calcium for proper osmotic function and fluid retention can result, which will then lead to kidney infections. Please read these articles for more about this: Proper Osmotic Function, AND/OR CALCIUM, KH, AND MAGNESIUM IN AQUARIUMS; How to maintain a Proper KH, why calcium and electrolytes are important.
All this goes a long way in prevention of Dropsy and other diseases.

A proper diet makes a large difference here. Do not feed your fish meat based proteins, I recommend aquatic based proteins such as white fish meal, shrimp or even the proteins found in spirulina algae.


As a basic diet I recommend Sanyu or Hikari Betta Gold (there are many other quality foods as well, although I do not recommend flake foods for bettas as their staple diet)
Poor quality proteins (or better; unusable amino acids for fish) can lead to digestive problems or Renal failure, which CAN lead to the symptoms of Dropsy.
All proteins are made up of amino acids, some are usable (by fish), and some are not.
Those that are not are disposed of by kidneys in the fish. This can lead to renal failure or infection. For more information about proper nutrition, see this article: "Quality Fish Food; What ingredients are needed for proper fish nutrition, growth and health". Also always soak all dry foods in water for 5 minutes prior to feeding as this will remove air that can lead to infections of the digestive tract (this is best for ALL fish, goldfish in particular).
I would recommend this as a basic diet for your Betta: Sanyu Betta Gold

To summarize prevention; I have seen very few cases of Dropsy in the literally 1000s of aquariums I have maintained over the years (I have seen many cases of Dropsy when non service customers call me out to see why their fish are sick and I often will observe very poor water conditions), that is because I have always maintained my tanks with regular cleanings, proper electrolyte levels, a reducing Redox and often UV Sterilization.
I highly recommend reading this article about Disease prevention for more about this subject: “Aquarium Disease Prevention”

Fish Anatomy For further help in understanding the anatomy of fish (so as to no where the Kidneys are located), please read this article.