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
Updated 1-18-10

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 (& Removal):

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; in fact as noted earlier they actually make a nutritious fish food.
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.

I normal maintenance methods fail to remove the Cyclops or similar Copepods, chemical removal methods can be used.
There are two methods I have used and can recommend based on results and safety (there may be other methods):
• Copper; I have used Aquarisol or similar copper products with success. Follow treatments on the bottle or adjust copper levels to .25 ppm for 7-10 days
• Clout; This is probably the quickest/most effective method of copepod removal that never fails when used as per directions. The problem with Clout is there are many fish that this product should not be used with, including: Piranhas, Silver Dollars, Tinfoil Barbs, Metynnis species, scaleless fish, bottom feeders.
• Jungle Parasite Clear or similar products for multi cell external parasite treatments (not Ich or other single cell parasite treatments) can work as well for copepods, however these are not general the most effective choice from my experience.

AQUARIUM AND POND INFORMATION

Fish Food at American Aquarium Products

Labels: copepods, Cyclops, Damselfly larvaeAquarium, dangerous, freshwater, Predatory

DROPSY in fish; prevention, causes, and possible treatment of this malady that is often a symptom of other problems.
Updated 7/05/11



This post originated from a forum post that I responded to where the owner of a female betta fish was attempting to treat this often untreatable malady.
The fish keeper noted that she (the female Betta) seemed buoyant and the swollen cavity appears to be filled by either air, of a clear liquid, when she swims in front of the lights.
The fish owner was also instructed to use Maracyn (Erythromycin), which is generally a poor choice for Dropsy since the main treatable cause is Aeromonas bacteria and Aeromonas is a gram negative bacterium so the use of Erythromycin is generally useless.
My suggestion would be to use Kanamycin in both the tank and in a medicated bath at double normal dose (for 30 minutes)

Dropsy is generally a symptom of something else other than the classic and more noticeable symptoms; most often Kidney related (which swelling and fluid retention due to poor kidney function results in the classic "pinecone" look of fish sick with Dropsy), poor osmoregulation is usually the second most common cause, and in more rare instances digestive, and maybe liver malfunction/infections.

The loss of ability for 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 .

Generally due to the cause or area of infection (or organ failure), 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 (although it can be effective). 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 infections that result in Dropsy and since this bacterium is often 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 read more about optimum tank conditions in the prevention section further into this article, as I have been able to prevent Dropsy much more successfully (as per controlled test) than actually treat a full blown case of Dropsy!.

Sometimes liver issues are blamed for Dropsy, which is certainly possible, however liver malfunction and infections generally do not result in the classic "pinecone" Dropsy appearance, rather the fish may bloat slightly and almost always results in loss of color, loss of appetite, and the fish tends to hide more.
One of the functions of the liver is to remove toxins and this is why the symptoms I describe are more prevalent with liver issues.

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. 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.

I STRONGLY recommend the use of salts in this bath as well at about double tank strength; 1-2 teaspoons sodium chloride (regular salt) 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.

For further information (more in depth) about fish baths, please read this article:
Fish Baths/Dips for supplemental (& even primary) treatment of Bacterial infections

*Add one tablespoon of regular salt (sodium chloride) per 5 gallons of tank water.
Add a Wonder Shell or similar product to add needed calcium and mineral cations.
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 SeaChem Neoplex along with in tank treatment of Kanamycin (hospital tank is best).
Other treatments of note are Minocycline (Maracyn II) and 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 or Neomycin together (and this still includes the baths!!). Please note that combining Metronidazole with Neomycin does not improve results, so this "cocktail" combination should ONLY be with Kanamyacin with EITHER Neomycin or Metronidazole!

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) as Aeromonas Bacteria are can be anaerobic and thrive in low oxygen, high dissolved organics conditions.
So maintaining a healthy aquarium with regular water changes, good filtration (if possible, as 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 50+ ppm, GH 100+ 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 (positive mineral cations). 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, especially when poor osmoregulation is the direct cause or even indirect cause of Dropsy (by indirect I mean opportunistic infections getting a foothold internally in your fish due to poor levels mineral cations & buffers present in your aquarium water).

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 Betta diet I recommend Sanyu or Hikari Betta Gold (there are many other quality Betta foods as well, although I do not recommend flake foods for bettas as their staple diet). Food such as Spirulina based Spirulina 20 are a good starting point for most community fish tanks (spirulina can be added to frozen, FD, or live worms prior to feeding Bettas or other similar more carnivorous fish)
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”
In controlled test/studies, the incidence of Dropsy was almost non-existent where all points outlined in the Disease Prevention article were followed

Fish Anatomy For further help in understanding the anatomy of fish (so as to know where the Kidneys are located), please read this article.

Labels: Betta, Boby Fish, Dropsey, Dropsy, Fish Kidney Infection, Pinecone Fish, sick fish, Swollen Fish