the warmer the water temp is the less dense it is so the molecules move faster resulting in more air loss, the colder the water temp is the more dense and the molecules are moving slower so less air is loss.
this is something we learned in chemistry a couple years ago. basically warmer liquids reduce the solubility of dissolved gases and cause them to evaporate out of the liquid, and thus your tank will hold less oxygen, co2 and nitrogen.
One of the main reasons I will always run HOB as well as wavemakers. HOB for water polishing, quick media changes, and surface agitation. Coupled with my wavemakers, and canisters output creating even more surface agitation, the activity level is always high and never any labored breathing. Good video!
Yesterday night my zebra danios started "heavy breathing" , this morning i made a waterfall whit my filter , and i added a stronger air pump , Its been 30 mins since they are running and all my zebra danios are fine ! Thank u ! They are my first schooling tank and i was abit scared/sad
My aquaclear hang on back got clogged and I left to snowboard in Maine for a weekend. When I came home I was able to save 8/16. I was looking for a skimmer in case an oxygen issue happened again. I got the sp7 and it’s worked wonders in clarity and bubbly oxygen up top. Great for back up
Before I added 2 wave makers to my 125. My fish were always hanging out around the outtake of the sunsun 704 that was pointed up. And they were gasping so i added to wave makers and the results are immediate. Great video
Wavemakers rock. I have one on the the 135 and will probably add a few more pointed at the substrate and on a time to move detritus toward the filter intakes. Those big cichlids poop non stop, LOL. Thanks for watching.
In addition to my comments below, those Veggie Wafers from Kens are outstanding. He has them made for him by the company I posted the video of on the group page called AquaCore that grows pure 100% Spirulina in greenhouses in this country out East. Finally, there are O2 meters you can buy from Amazon or eBay that measure the oxygen levels in the aquarium. Thanks again for sharing, see additional comments below.
Hello Dennis! That AquaCore looks super legit. They are in New England, like Maine or Mass. At first the fish spit them out but over time they accepted them and I like using a veg to help with digestion. Very interesting on the O2 meters. Have you used one?
Late to the party but my 2cents. If you have a large tank with large fish do yourself and your fish a huge favor and get a wave maker! Does winders for not only adding O2 but will create better and more efficient filtration !
I agree. I have a powerful one (3500gph) on a timer and it kicks up and suspends detritus so it gets sucked up into filter intakes. “Sweeps” the sand for me.
I have found the more co2 the better. My fish (Africans) are very active as you noticed yours became; and the water is very clear. My fish didn't start breeding until I installed a power head at each side of the tank. I do let air come in through the intake hoses. I don't like the noise, and tiny bubbles all through the water, but the fish sure do.
Also in the emperror the cartrige blue pad suppost to be facing the back of the filter to atrap the garbage, the water touch the blue pad and then the carbon before go back to the tank
Thanks Efrain. I just threw it together quickly and the blue side seemed more "fine" so I figured it was last, but what you're saying makes sense. I ordered new cartriges and will install this weekend since the ones in there are pretty old (came with the filter and I think they were used, so the carbon is probably exhausted). Thanks Efrain! 😀😀😀
Thanks Ben, my name is Ben too😂 I’m still learning how to take care of my freshwater fish in a 10gal tank. And I think the oxygen & temp has been the most frustrating for me in terms of keeping the water breathable for my fish.
I noticed my fish breathing heavy for a few days. My canister was doing a good job with breaking up the surface tension and parameters were ok. I decided to add a bubbler and within an hour or so the breathing returned to normal as did the behaviors. Great vid. I know now I have to get more oxygen in the water. I had reduced the temps a while ago as I was running it at 79, dropped it down 77 to 78. I think the combo of the air stone and aiming the spray bar higher and the drop in temp, it helped. So now to add a stronger canister or hob.
Racing's Natural Aquariums it’s amazing how fast they respond, but it goes the other way too. If the oxygen had dropped, they die fast until there are just a few left that can be supported by the existing O2. Good catch, I’m glad you fixed it on time. I was too late one time and lost some beautiful fish.
Another way to improve oxygen exchange is to add a surface skimmer either one that attaches to your filter intake or a stand alone one. I use the filter intake ones from Fluval on both my African and discus tanks, but Tom's and others sell the same ones. They are $10-15 and work great. Definitely needed in higher temps to improve dissolved oxygen. However, you need to use a floating food pen to keep any floating food from being sucked up.
Yeah, I've seen them. And I'm sure they do good. I've just stuck with the intake skimmers. Although, I forgot that I don't use one on my discus tank anymore since I upgraded to a 90 reef ready tank.
Hello John, I think wave makers are AWESOME. I run an 1800gph dual-head SunSun in my 135 which along with the two canister outputs is producing a lot of water movement. I will probably add a couple 500gph wave makers that I'll run on a timer and position low in the tank to stir up waste and move it toward the canister filter intakes. Thanks for watching and supporting the channel!
Ben Ochart Agree, I love the quietness of the wave makers and also am not as crazy about the aesthetics of bubblers; best spot in the house for my 55 is in our bedroom, so needs to be quiet as poss haha
That's where I keep my 135, so I hear you. The 60 gal was originally (you can see in older videos) in a TV room and I had two huge Whisper HOBs that were too noisy, so I went to canisters. But I still think, if noise is not that important, HOBs are great for water movement, oxygenation and filtration. Best of all worlds, of course, is with a wave maker also in place.
My female betta was always super active and ate a lot. I came home from work today and she was just sitting at the top of the tank gasping. It was a crazy hot/humid day and I did have the lid on, not thinking this would have an effect. I took the lid off, took some water out to get more surface agitation with the filter, drove out to get an air stone, but she passed away :( I am devastated, I never knew the weather would impact the tank so much.
Leave the cover of the tank open. As Bettas will take care of themselves as far as oxygen is concerned. What they dont like is smaller spaces. My betta has survived an ammonia burn and several weeks of being in a hospital Jar (I did not have a spare tank). Bettas are tough. What they need is a minimum 3 gallon tank. Rest they manager. Best fish out there. I have a Betta as I have a demanding job and cant be available for diligent fish caring. My Betta does his job well. 😀
I think that airstones or air curtains are good because they create water turnover ...water from bottom is lifted....I use them in my 180 gallon as it is 30 inches tall ...
Excellent point Melody. Keep in mind that the canister inputs are pulling water from low in the tank, so the canisters do something similar to what you're saying. I know some people, including some I respect highly like Corey at the Aquarium Co-op, promote using bubbles, so I'm convinced that it's totally legit. For me it's an aesthetic choice to create oxygen with water movement and surface tension break-up (which a bubbler does as well). Thanks Melody for stopping by. Much appreciated.
Wavemakers & plenty of surface agitation are a must in a African tank. Especially when they are overstocked like many of us tend to have them. Top video ben👌🏻
just an FYI.. with bio wheel filters, the floss (blue side out) or bio sponge is supposed to be the first one to contact water to filter out all the crap the pump sucks up, then you can put your bio balls and any media, this way by the time the water comes out and hits the bio wheels it's fairly "clean"
I agree with that set up but I'm using some old bio media I had laying around, bio-balls with sponge inside, and they were floating up and stopping the wheel from turning. Eventually I'll stick them in a mesh back and put them where they belong. I'm using a cut piece of pinky floss in the platic cartridge insert and it's doing a good job, but needs to be swapped out each week. Thanks for watching.
Instead of normal overhead tank filters....small power filters do a great job in aerating the tank... My 4w power filter does a better job than my 30w filter air pump in terms of aeration
I have 2 of those folters in my 100gal. I added a bubbler today cause everytime i add new fish they end up dying while my older fish r just fine. So fig maybe they need more oxygen cuz they usually stay at 1 end or the other. So knew sumthing was wrong i just upped the water changes to once a week shouldve been doing that b4 anyway. Just added sum new fish with my old fish again and hoping these work out i just am worried i might over oxygen the tank or maybe under idk. I have noticed the bala sharks go over and work their mouth around it
That happened to my betta. I was trying not to make too much flow for him but I think it ended up not being enough so I added a bubble Wall but I tied a knot in the hose to make it not so dramatic and it almost instantly seemed to help
Ben if you have to buy an air pump go with the whisper ap 150 or 300 deep water series. I went with the 150 and its sitting about 4ft from me in my bedroom and i cant hear it running!
I think the famous RUclips channels including and fish keeping community has hyped the filter thing so much. I think everyone is taking it for granted that a beginner like me knows all about air bubbles and oxygen. I mean thats the oldest thing out there so everyone will know it. All youtube channels have taught me a lot and my absolute favourite. But I think Filter is not necessary but air stone IS. Bio media can be kept aside from filter. My experience with a sponge filter in a small tank was that it was smelling bad and probably lowered surface agitation. So Im planning filterless tank with ceramic rings kept in a bag in a tank and air stone for lotsa bubbles. I dont care much about crystal clear water as long as my fish are happy
I just seen this, The blue filter inserts are backwards the blue goes to the back of the filter unit and black to front, the blue floss has to capture anything coming up from back and then thru to tank
Hey Ben, I enjoyed your video and learned something. I always watch my fish for that. I was surprised you had to notch the rim of the tank to get that filter to fit. I have some experience with those filters, and your bio wheels should be turning a at a slow but steady pace. You might have too much mechanical media in there, and if you're using those manufacturer cartridges, I would recommend getting rid of them. I double stacked the AquaClear ( I think 70 or 110 ) sponges you can buy anywhere and used that for both my mechanical and massive amount of bio filtration. I had 2 sponges on each side under each wheel for a total of 4 sponges. I learned that tip from Cory at Aquarium Co-op. Anyways, I just thought I would pass along my experience with those filters, so you can maximize the space inside of it and get massive amounts of bio filtration. Thanks very much for sharing your video and experience.
To clarify a point you made about raising the temperature in regards treating Ich. It doesn't "stop the cycle from occurring " it in fact speeds up the life cycle of Ich so you can reduce the time it takes to treat outbreaks. Most fish can't tolerate the prolonged period of high temperature required to kill Ich.
"The second approach is to actually destroy the organism with heat, and can be combined with the salt treatment below, but not with meds. The data I studied (including a report by the Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, which is currently archived here) suggests that most strains of Ich cannot reproduce at temperatures above 85�F." See the full article here: www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ich.php
Ben Ochart Thank you for that link, I have tried to get as much factual information as I can as I have the aggravating situation of having bought fish , quarantined them, seen Ich, started treating it with a product containing a combo of methylene blue, and acraflavine. Ran out bought a new bottle but it also contained malachite green. After 2 months fish seemed fine added them to my big community tank then Ich showed up again. Started treating that whole tank realised that bottle was out of date! Bought some more realised it looked different to the previous one, which obviously hadn't worked as it must have perished. So I'm on to heat and salt. I figure it's less toxic to me and fish. I tried to do everything right but here I am going around in circles chasing Ich cycles, trying to anticipate its stages.
Yes, they make sense. It's my first time using them but I will be also adding them to the sunsun 704b that I have running on the 135. Can't beat the price.
im a huge fan of hobs and sponge filters, air stones do add more oxygen to the water column but with enough surface agitation like you have I would say it doesn't matter that much :)
I hate the sound of air pumps....so what I do is connect my air pump to a timer and have it come on at night when Im sleeping and turn off in the morning. In doing that I oxygenate the water when the plants are consuming oxygen at night and during the day the plants produce oxygen so I never have oxygen depleted water. I hope this offers help to anyone who doesnt like air pumps or bubbles in the aquarium.
What ids the name of the one with blue face and black stripped body? I have one I bought from pets mart and all it said on tank was it was mixed! Thanks!
Am sure you have better things to do, but am new to the youtube world and have changed my name(now Gator Boy), which has been my nickname since i worked on an alligator farm in the 90's, ha. Also I added the pic on my profile. Meet one of my pride and joy's living with my mbuna's. He is a fierce yet happy little guy(tropheus duboisi) and am looking forward to him maturing. Thanks again for the informative vids and have great weekend!
great video as always👌 I use a sump on my african tank, you get the benefit of the returns agitation like a cannister but also that caused by the overflows and constant falling water
I have two goldfish right. And they’re the small kind. One is marbly white and Orange, and the other used to have a black stripe along where the nose would be or something u know like the thin line where their top fin is. The white and Orange one keeps opening its mouth very wide and sometimes when it does it, it’s eyes would go out backwards and it’s top fin would extend. Almost like yawning? I don’t know what to do. Do I need an air pump? But the tank is sorta small but a little bit tall. Both of them keep yawning
I'd say about half of them were showing too much mouth movement, but the improved oxygen and water movement has improved everybody's look and activity level. Some of the smaller fish were having the hardest time, gasping the most, like the small Malawi gars that were recently added to the tank.
It happened on a football night when I noticed my thick lipped gourami did that crazy zig zag swimming too, which is so unlike to their character and then my guppies are grasping for air on the surface. They were supposed to 'sleep' soundly and not doing those shit. Checked my HOB and alas, motor was working but it didn't draws in water to allow flow. I had a baffle placed at the output, thus I couldn't see if there's any movement. Immediately throw an airstone into it to provide more oxygen, and the behaviour stops after 1/2 an hour. The guppies saved my whole tank.
Great video. Started with your fish tank cycling psychosis. O2 is important. You Ben are the opposite of me. I like my bubbles. You use surface agitation for oxygenation while i use powerheads. One for diy CO2 other for regular air. Works great and the tank has tons of super fine bubbles in the tank. Also you can usually add valves to control the amount of air being infused by the powerheads. Excellent point on the Hang On Back both for added filtration and surface agitation. Prefer to have a sponge over the intake for mechanical and jusy fill up the HOB with some sort of Biological media personally. Absolue great way to stop using the replacement cartridges if looking for a way to cut costs and still have mechanical and biological filtration you need
The surface breakup created by the hang-on-back filter should provide plenty oxygen so I would only add it if you like the look of it. It certainly wouldn't hurt and I prefer more oxygen then less.
i have a african yellow cichlid and he’s still very young only around 5 weeks old and he just got his black stripes on his pectoral fins and he’s been in his hide all day breathing kind of fast i’ve only had him for 3 days and the water is getting cloudy is there something wrong with the water?
the concentration of dissolved oxygen in surface water is affected by temperature and has both a seasonal and a daily cycle. Cold water can hold more dissolved oxygen than warm water. In winter and early spring, when the water temperature is low, the dissolved oxygen concentration is high. In summer and fall, when the water temperature is high, the dissolved-oxygen concentration is often lower.
If you’re not air conditioning then you’re going to have to do something like float a frozen plastic bottle of water. Running a fan over the tank can also help bit you’ll get a lot of evaporation.
I absolutely despise the way bubbles look but they are extremely helpful and especially in this situation so what I've decided that I do is put a small Sponge Filter and I mean small 10-gallon 15 20 gallon Sponge Filter for cubic inches and put it in the back corner secured with his weight extending the plastic provided tube with a homemade store-bought what have you long enough to bring the bubbles slightly above the surface of the tank providing surface break up tension break up water movement that you can actually see cuz I don't believe it when it's under the water I don't feel the suction but I see it on the front on the sponge as well as as well as biological mechanical aeration service break up that little sponge adds quite a bit of beneficial qualities to a single air tube and you can seriously hide that little sponge and slim tube of bubbles with a large plant a tree or Rock ricotta makes me happy to know that there's four stage filtration going on due to one single airline hose that you can't see if done correctly it's a simple way to get some added aeration and life-saving bacteria is in there quickly
Just learned about this but sadly lost 3 of my best adult female guppies before I knew what was happening. I found out my tank lost oxygen because my duck weed took over and 1. Was blocking most of the surface 2. Caused my algae to die off suddenly which caused a sudden drop of oxygen I took most of the duck weed out and added a airline to my tank so I have my sponge filter on 1 side and just a straight airline on the other side it’s working great immediately the fish started swimming around the tank again
you got the filters installed wrong they are back words also you have to much things in there the filter water is over flowing so some unfiltered water is coming back out
im talking about the filter thing that catches the pop the blue or green things that come with the filter you have it on back words also is there a way i can get in contack with you i need help with some fish things
im talking about the green or blue things that clean out the water you have them on back words i have some questions about fish and fish tanks how can i get in contact with you so you can help me talking on here takes to long.
Oh, yes, the Pinky Floss. Yes, I caught that and reversed it. Thank you. You can PM me at Facebook, "Ben Ochart" or come join the FB group, "Ben O'Cichlid".
I had two fish of the same type leap from my tank today because the oxygen was messed up it was terrifying D: everyone was at the top gasping for air I did a water change of 50 percent roughly and they seem to be okay now but wow
Some fish like betta and discus will suffer in a tank with a strong current, so when one has those kinds of fish an airstone is a better solution. One reason I love hang on back filters is that they break up surface tension without creating too much water movement.
Plants can add O2 to a tank but only when the plants are thriving and only during the day when they are in the process of photosynthesis to convert light and CO2 into O2. Without light plants are also O2 users. More involved in photosynthesis but gonna keep it short in explaining that cycle. Anymore i just use a powerheads for co2 and o2 diffusion.
Puma1Sunfire1 so let’s say I have plants in my fresh water aquarium and I use filtration for surface agitation to produce oxygen and god forbids it stops working over night and my plants continue to use up the excess oxygen in the aquarium how long would u say my fish will have to survive ? I have a 75 gallon about 4 plants and 6 fish ... 3 4-5 inch fish and 3 smaller ones like 2 inches
Ben Ochart so let’s say I have plants in my fresh water aquarium and I use filtration for surface agitation to produce oxygen and god forbids it stops working over night and my plants continue to use up the excess oxygen in the aquarium how long would u say my fish will have to survive ? I have a 75 gallon about 4 plants and 6 fish ... 3 4-5 inch fish and 3 smaller ones like 2 inches
Hello Regimen, that's a great set up idea. I put a sponge on the intake of one of the canisters and will be adding a sponge to the other canister intake. It makes so much sense. Thanks!
![Tips for Fish Working their Mouths Way Too Much [SOMETHING IS WRONG] - Do this NOW Before they Die!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YPX9vdKGzTw/mqdefault.jpg)
![Tips for Fish Working their Mouths Way Too Much [SOMETHING IS WRONG] - Do this NOW Before they Die!](/img/tr.png)
the warmer the water temp is the less dense it is so the molecules move faster resulting in more air loss, the colder the water temp is the more dense and the molecules are moving slower so less air is loss.
Finally a simple explanation that makes sense. Thank you D!
Exactly right D. It is well known that water at 72 degrees F holds far more oxygen (air) than water at 80 degrees, for example.
this is something we learned in chemistry a couple years ago. basically warmer liquids reduce the solubility of dissolved gases and cause them to evaporate out of the liquid, and thus your tank will hold less oxygen, co2 and nitrogen.
Thanks!!
But when it’s colder that’s bad for parasites my fish always get sick with the cold water
One of the main reasons I will always run HOB as well as wavemakers. HOB for water polishing, quick media changes, and surface agitation. Coupled with my wavemakers, and canisters output creating even more surface agitation, the activity level is always high and never any labored breathing. Good video!
Truth! Thanks for watching Sean!
Yesterday night my zebra danios started "heavy breathing" , this morning i made a waterfall whit my filter , and i added a stronger air pump , Its been 30 mins since they are running and all my zebra danios are fine ! Thank u ! They are my first schooling tank and i was abit scared/sad
I also changed 30 percent of water
Sounds like you caught it on time! 😀👍🏻
My aquaclear hang on back got clogged and I left to snowboard in Maine for a weekend. When I came home I was able to save 8/16. I was looking for a skimmer in case an oxygen issue happened again. I got the sp7 and it’s worked wonders in clarity and bubbly oxygen up top. Great for back up
Before I added 2 wave makers to my 125. My fish were always hanging out around the outtake of the sunsun 704 that was pointed up. And they were gasping so i added to wave makers and the results are immediate. Great video
Wavemakers rock. I have one on the the 135 and will probably add a few more pointed at the substrate and on a time to move detritus toward the filter intakes. Those big cichlids poop non stop, LOL. Thanks for watching.
4:25 This is probably way old news but your filter cartridges are installed backwards. Water should flow into the blue filter floss first.
Thought the same thing, almost had to question if I was using them wrong
Lol Wow I ever knew this , I just us floss an sponge now
In addition to my comments below, those Veggie Wafers from Kens are outstanding. He has them made for him by the company I posted the video of on the group page called AquaCore that grows pure 100% Spirulina in greenhouses in this country out East. Finally, there are O2 meters you can buy from Amazon or eBay that measure the oxygen levels in the aquarium. Thanks again for sharing, see additional comments below.
Hello Dennis! That AquaCore looks super legit. They are in New England, like Maine or Mass. At first the fish spit them out but over time they accepted them and I like using a veg to help with digestion.
Very interesting on the O2 meters. Have you used one?
A water skimmer helps too, especially keeping the surface clean
Late to the party but my 2cents. If you have a large tank with large fish do yourself and your fish a huge favor and get a wave maker! Does winders for not only adding O2 but will create better and more efficient filtration !
I agree. I have a powerful one (3500gph) on a timer and it kicks up and suspends detritus so it gets sucked up into filter intakes. “Sweeps” the sand for me.
Yet again saving the day, always wondering about this
I have found the more co2 the better. My fish (Africans) are very active as you noticed yours became; and the water is very clear. My fish didn't start breeding until I installed a power head at each side of the tank. I do let air come in through the intake hoses. I don't like the noise, and tiny bubbles all through the water, but the fish sure do.
Great comment and tips. Certainly breeding is an indicator of a healthy situation.
Also in the emperror the cartrige blue pad suppost to be facing the back of the filter to atrap the garbage, the water touch the blue pad and then the carbon before go back to the tank
Thanks Efrain. I just threw it together quickly and the blue side seemed more "fine" so I figured it was last, but what you're saying makes sense. I ordered new cartriges and will install this weekend since the ones in there are pretty old (came with the filter and I think they were used, so the carbon is probably exhausted). Thanks Efrain! 😀😀😀
Omg it's the wheel from Nemo that they put the rock in!!
🤣
Thanks Ben, my name is Ben too😂 I’m still learning how to take care of my freshwater fish in a 10gal tank. And I think the oxygen & temp has been the most frustrating for me in terms of keeping the water breathable for my fish.
You will dial it in eventually. Hang in there 😀👍🏻
I noticed my fish breathing heavy for a few days. My canister was doing a good job with breaking up the surface tension and parameters were ok. I decided to add a bubbler and within an hour or so the breathing returned to normal as did the behaviors. Great vid. I know now I have to get more oxygen in the water. I had reduced the temps a while ago as I was running it at 79, dropped it down 77 to 78. I think the combo of the air stone and aiming the spray bar higher and the drop in temp, it helped. So now to add a stronger canister or hob.
Racing's Natural Aquariums it’s amazing how fast they respond, but it goes the other way too. If the oxygen had dropped, they die fast until there are just a few left that can be supported by the existing O2. Good catch, I’m glad you fixed it on time. I was too late one time and lost some beautiful fish.
Another way to improve oxygen exchange is to add a surface skimmer either one that attaches to your filter intake or a stand alone one. I use the filter intake ones from Fluval on both my African and discus tanks, but Tom's and others sell the same ones. They are $10-15 and work great. Definitely needed in higher temps to improve dissolved oxygen. However, you need to use a floating food pen to keep any floating food from being sucked up.
Dave Mac Eheim makes a good surface skimmer. Eheim 350
Yeah, I've seen them. And I'm sure they do good. I've just stuck with the intake skimmers. Although, I forgot that I don't use one on my discus tank anymore since I upgraded to a 90 reef ready tank.
Great tip and not too expensive, thanks!
Great video as always- what do you think about adding wave makers on each end pointed toward the surface for increased agitation?
Hello John, I think wave makers are AWESOME. I run an 1800gph dual-head SunSun in my 135 which along with the two canister outputs is producing a lot of water movement. I will probably add a couple 500gph wave makers that I'll run on a timer and position low in the tank to stir up waste and move it toward the canister filter intakes.
Thanks for watching and supporting the channel!
Ben Ochart Agree, I love the quietness of the wave makers and also am not as crazy about the aesthetics of bubblers; best spot in the house for my 55 is in our bedroom, so needs to be quiet as poss haha
That's where I keep my 135, so I hear you. The 60 gal was originally (you can see in older videos) in a TV room and I had two huge Whisper HOBs that were too noisy, so I went to canisters. But I still think, if noise is not that important, HOBs are great for water movement, oxygenation and filtration. Best of all worlds, of course, is with a wave maker also in place.
My female betta was always super active and ate a lot. I came home from work today and she was just sitting at the top of the tank gasping. It was a crazy hot/humid day and I did have the lid on, not thinking this would have an effect. I took the lid off, took some water out to get more surface agitation with the filter, drove out to get an air stone, but she passed away :( I am devastated, I never knew the weather would impact the tank so much.
Leave the cover of the tank open. As Bettas will take care of themselves as far as oxygen is concerned. What they dont like is smaller spaces. My betta has survived an ammonia burn and several weeks of being in a hospital Jar (I did not have a spare tank). Bettas are tough. What they need is a minimum 3 gallon tank. Rest they manager. Best fish out there. I have a Betta as I have a demanding job and cant be available for diligent fish caring. My Betta does his job well. 😀
Oh important point. Dont rely on filter for agitation, its too low. Put an air stone. Its the best
I think that airstones or air curtains are good because they create water turnover ...water from bottom is lifted....I use them in my 180 gallon as it is 30 inches tall ...
Excellent point Melody. Keep in mind that the canister inputs are pulling water from low in the tank, so the canisters do something similar to what you're saying. I know some people, including some I respect highly like Corey at the Aquarium Co-op, promote using bubbles, so I'm convinced that it's totally legit. For me it's an aesthetic choice to create oxygen with water movement and surface tension break-up (which a bubbler does as well). Thanks Melody for stopping by. Much appreciated.
Wavemakers & plenty of surface agitation are a must in a African tank. Especially when they are overstocked like many of us tend to have them. Top video ben👌🏻
Truth! I'll probably also add a powerhead, like 400gph. Thanks for watching and commenting 😀
Super informative! Thanks Ben
Thank you Brianna!
just an FYI.. with bio wheel filters, the floss (blue side out) or bio sponge is supposed to be the first one to contact water to filter out all the crap the pump sucks up, then you can put your bio balls and any media, this way by the time the water comes out and hits the bio wheels it's fairly "clean"
I agree with that set up but I'm using some old bio media I had laying around, bio-balls with sponge inside, and they were floating up and stopping the wheel from turning. Eventually I'll stick them in a mesh back and put them where they belong. I'm using a cut piece of pinky floss in the platic cartridge insert and it's doing a good job, but needs to be swapped out each week.
Thanks for watching.
Instead of normal overhead tank filters....small power filters do a great job in aerating the tank...
My 4w power filter does a better job than my 30w filter air pump in terms of aeration
Good point
I have 2 of those folters in my 100gal. I added a bubbler today cause everytime i add new fish they end up dying while my older fish r just fine. So fig maybe they need more oxygen cuz they usually stay at 1 end or the other. So knew sumthing was wrong i just upped the water changes to once a week shouldve been doing that b4 anyway. Just added sum new fish with my old fish again and hoping these work out i just am worried i might over oxygen the tank or maybe under idk. I have noticed the bala sharks go over and work their mouth around it
That happened to my betta. I was trying not to make too much flow for him but I think it ended up not being enough so I added a bubble
Wall but I tied a knot in the hose to make it not so dramatic and it almost instantly seemed to help
The change when it’s an O2 issue is fast and observable. Great handling!
Ben Ochart 100%. Thank you!
Ben if you have to buy an air pump go with the whisper ap 150 or 300 deep water series. I went with the 150 and its sitting about 4ft from me in my bedroom and i cant hear it running!
Great tip, thanks!
Hey Ben, huge fan here... yea outrageous 15-20% more activity, O2 can't be over emphasized
Yes, the change was immediate and very noticeable.
Thank you for being a fan, it's very appreciated!
Always have the hob filter running on my tank .I mostly run then without cover it works great that I way i think
HOBs are great. Canisters and sumps get all the attention but HOBs really get the job done.
Thanks for watching!
I think the famous RUclips channels including and fish keeping community has hyped the filter thing so much. I think everyone is taking it for granted that a beginner like me knows all about air bubbles and oxygen. I mean thats the oldest thing out there so everyone will know it. All youtube channels have taught me a lot and my absolute favourite. But I think Filter is not necessary but air stone IS. Bio media can be kept aside from filter. My experience with a sponge filter in a small tank was that it was smelling bad and probably lowered surface agitation. So Im planning filterless tank with ceramic rings kept in a bag in a tank and air stone for lotsa bubbles. I dont care much about crystal clear water as long as my fish are happy
I just seen this, The blue filter inserts are backwards the blue goes to the back of the filter unit and black to front, the blue floss has to capture anything coming up from back and then thru to tank
Hey Ben, I enjoyed your video and learned something. I always watch my fish for that. I was surprised you had to notch the rim of the tank to get that filter to fit. I have some experience with those filters, and your bio wheels should be turning a at a slow but steady pace. You might have too much mechanical media in there, and if you're using those manufacturer cartridges, I would recommend getting rid of them. I double stacked the AquaClear ( I think 70 or 110 ) sponges you can buy anywhere and used that for both my mechanical and massive amount of bio filtration. I had 2 sponges on each side under each wheel for a total of 4 sponges. I learned that tip from Cory at Aquarium Co-op. Anyways, I just thought I would pass along my experience with those filters, so you can maximize the space inside of it and get massive amounts of bio filtration. Thanks very much for sharing your video and experience.
GREAT advice and tips Dennis. I'm new to the Marineland Emperor 400 world so I'll take all the tips I can get a hold of.
To clarify a point you made about raising the temperature in regards treating Ich. It doesn't "stop the cycle from occurring " it in fact speeds up the life cycle of Ich so you can reduce the time it takes to treat outbreaks. Most fish can't tolerate the prolonged period of high temperature required to kill Ich.
"The second approach is to actually destroy the organism with heat, and can be combined with the salt treatment below, but not with meds. The data I studied (including a report by the Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, which is currently archived here) suggests that most strains of Ich cannot reproduce at temperatures above 85�F." See the full article here: www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ich.php
Ben Ochart Thank you for that link, I have tried to get as much factual information as I can as I have the aggravating situation of having bought fish , quarantined them, seen Ich, started treating it with a product containing a combo of methylene blue, and acraflavine. Ran out bought a new bottle but it also contained malachite green. After 2 months fish seemed fine added them to my big community tank then Ich showed up again. Started treating that whole tank realised that bottle was out of date! Bought some more realised it looked different to the previous one, which obviously hadn't worked as it must have perished.
So I'm on to heat and salt. I figure it's less toxic to me and fish. I tried to do everything right but here I am going around in circles chasing Ich cycles, trying to anticipate its stages.
I love those tiny sponge bioballs....I keep about 40-50 in my sump at all times just in case for emergency portable BB
Yes, they make sense. It's my first time using them but I will be also adding them to the sunsun 704b that I have running on the 135. Can't beat the price.
im a huge fan of hobs and sponge filters, air stones do add more oxygen to the water column but with enough surface agitation like you have I would say it doesn't matter that much :)
HOBs and sponges rock. I might get a sponge going just to have in case of an emergency. It can be run with a battery powered pump.
KG cichlids air stones don't add oxygen to the water, the bubbles give extra surface agitation which helps with the oxygenation of the water.
I hate the sound of air pumps....so what I do is connect my air pump to a timer and have it come on at night when Im sleeping and turn off in the morning. In doing that I oxygenate the water when the plants are consuming oxygen at night and during the day the plants produce oxygen so I never have oxygen depleted water. I hope this offers help to anyone who doesnt like air pumps or bubbles in the aquarium.
GREAT tip Stephen.
Thanks for contributing to the conversation.
Just make sure you put a back flow valve on your air line.....otherwise your fish will get a lot of oxygen when all the water drains out....LOL
What ids the name of the one with blue face and black stripped body? I have one I bought from pets mart and all it said on tank was it was mixed! Thanks!
Possibly the Placidochromis johnstoni
Another great vid Ben, thank you!
Thank you Damon!
Am sure you have better things to do, but am new to the youtube world and have changed my name(now Gator Boy), which has been my nickname since i worked on an alligator farm in the 90's, ha. Also I added the pic on my profile. Meet one of my pride and joy's living with my mbuna's. He is a fierce yet happy little guy(tropheus duboisi) and am looking forward to him maturing. Thanks again for the informative vids and have great weekend!
great video as always👌 I use a sump on my african tank, you get the benefit of the returns agitation like a cannister but also that caused by the overflows and constant falling water
If I go with a larger tank, a sump will be the way to go. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Love the videos buddy
Thank you 😀👍🏻
Great video Ben, i only use my canister output looking to the top and thar creat my water agitation
Yes, that's how I was doing it but I think, with the number of fish and the increased temperature, I needed more oxygen.
I have two goldfish right. And they’re the small kind. One is marbly white and Orange, and the other used to have a black stripe along where the nose would be or something u know like the thin line where their top fin is. The white and Orange one keeps opening its mouth very wide and sometimes when it does it, it’s eyes would go out backwards and it’s top fin would extend. Almost like yawning? I don’t know what to do. Do I need an air pump? But the tank is sorta small but a little bit tall. Both of them keep yawning
Can you tell me how to get crystal clear water x
This might help: ruclips.net/video/JrGdyUpGD_o/видео.html
hi Ben, is only happened to only one fish or whole fish show something off?
I'd say about half of them were showing too much mouth movement, but the improved oxygen and water movement has improved everybody's look and activity level. Some of the smaller fish were having the hardest time, gasping the most, like the small Malawi gars that were recently added to the tank.
When I run my Hygger airstones on full power, my PH goes through the roof?
It happened on a football night when I noticed my thick lipped gourami did that crazy zig zag swimming too, which is so unlike to their character and then my guppies are grasping for air on the surface. They were supposed to 'sleep' soundly and not doing those shit.
Checked my HOB and alas, motor was working but it didn't draws in water to allow flow. I had a baffle placed at the output, thus I couldn't see if there's any movement. Immediately throw an airstone into it to provide more oxygen, and the behaviour stops after 1/2 an hour. The guppies saved my whole tank.
Great video. Started with your fish tank cycling psychosis. O2 is important. You Ben are the opposite of me. I like my bubbles. You use surface agitation for oxygenation while i use powerheads. One for diy CO2 other for regular air. Works great and the tank has tons of super fine bubbles in the tank. Also you can usually add valves to control the amount of air being infused by the powerheads. Excellent point on the Hang On Back both for added filtration and surface agitation. Prefer to have a sponge over the intake for mechanical and jusy fill up the HOB with some sort of Biological media personally. Absolue great way to stop using the replacement cartridges if looking for a way to cut costs and still have mechanical and biological filtration you need
All great points. Thanks for watching and commenting. I think I learn as much from my viewers as they learn from me.
No one asked you
Hi Ben. Should I add a bubble stone/wall to my 30gal tank occupied with 5 small African cichlids. I use a Aquaclear power filter 50.
The surface breakup created by the hang-on-back filter should provide plenty oxygen so I would only add it if you like the look of it. It certainly wouldn't hurt and I prefer more oxygen then less.
i have a african yellow cichlid and he’s still very young only around 5 weeks old and he just got his black stripes on his pectoral fins and he’s been in his hide all day breathing kind of fast i’ve only had him for 3 days and the water is getting cloudy is there something wrong with the water?
Sounds like a bacterial bloom or algae bloom. Test your water. There might be some ammonia/nitrite in there.
Hey u said kick up temperature meaning of that I can't get it should I increase temp for removing itch or decrease.... Please tell clearly
im about to set up a 150g tank, will i have enough oxygen with two sunsun704b with the outlets pointing to the surface
Depends on how heavily you stock the tank. Never a bad idea to have a wave maker or powerhead breaking up the surface.
@@BenOchart wow thanks for replying Ben! 👍 And yes i forgot to mention ill be using a wave maker aswell🙏
Great video!
the concentration of dissolved oxygen in surface water is affected by temperature and has both a seasonal and a daily cycle. Cold water can hold more dissolved oxygen than warm water. In winter and early spring, when the water temperature is low, the dissolved oxygen concentration is high. In summer and fall, when the water temperature is high, the dissolved-oxygen concentration is often lower.
Awww they were dying and you fixed them 🥰🥰
Weirdo
My country hot n humidity, how to bring down temperatures down to 08F. thk
If you’re not air conditioning then you’re going to have to do something like float a frozen plastic bottle of water. Running a fan over the tank can also help bit you’ll get a lot of evaporation.
@@BenOchart thk for yours kind advice.
God bless u and your families 👪
@@BenOchart G.morning Ben so long my brown algae can't go away.
What should i do.thk
I used a wavemekar directing it to d surface ...it works awesome too ...! Good subject for d video. Nice video
Yes. It makes a difference and keeps the surface from getting scum. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I absolutely despise the way bubbles look but they are extremely helpful and especially in this situation so what I've decided that I do is put a small Sponge Filter and I mean small 10-gallon 15 20 gallon Sponge Filter for cubic inches and put it in the back corner secured with his weight extending the plastic provided tube with a homemade store-bought what have you long enough to bring the bubbles slightly above the surface of the tank providing surface break up tension break up water movement that you can actually see cuz I don't believe it when it's under the water I don't feel the suction but I see it on the front on the sponge as well as as well as biological mechanical aeration service break up that little sponge adds quite a bit of beneficial qualities to a single air tube and you can seriously hide that little sponge and slim tube of bubbles with a large plant a tree or Rock ricotta makes me happy to know that there's four stage filtration going on due to one single airline hose that you can't see if done correctly it's a simple way to get some added aeration and life-saving bacteria is in there quickly
Thnx for the info
You are welcome and thank you for watching.
Just learned about this but sadly lost 3 of my best adult female guppies before I knew what was happening. I found out my tank lost oxygen because my duck weed took over and 1. Was blocking most of the surface 2. Caused my algae to die off suddenly which caused a sudden drop of oxygen I took most of the duck weed out and added a airline to my tank so I have my sponge filter on 1 side and just a straight airline on the other side it’s working great immediately the fish started swimming around the tank again
That's how a lot of us learn about oxygen and it's impact on fish, including me. We learn the hard way.
you just saved my African cichlids bud!!
That's good to hear (and by the way, you icon made me truly LOL). Thanks for watching!
BEN. Di solved oxygen in 30c is about half that of water at 5c
Thanks Mark, it's a very interesting subject.
I'm a fan of over filtration.
Thank you!
Thanks.
Do you have a video on sand?
Why sand instead of gravel?
Why does my water die after I change water I put store bought water put all the dose chemical bin water thay still died
Hell my beta is choking and idk what to do to help,she can hardly breath out of nowhere
Did the temp go way up?
@@BenOchart idk what temp means but she survived for two day after this comment
you got the filters installed wrong they are back words also you have to much things in there the filter water is over flowing so some unfiltered water is coming back out
Not sure what your are referring to or talking about. Can you please give me some more details? Thanks.
im talking about the filter thing that catches the pop the blue or green things that come with the filter you have it on back words also is there a way i can get in contack with you i need help with some fish things
im talking about the green or blue things that clean out the water you have them on back words i have some questions about fish and fish tanks how can i get in contact with you so you can help me talking on here takes to long.
Oh, yes, the Pinky Floss. Yes, I caught that and reversed it. Thank you. You can PM me at Facebook, "Ben Ochart" or come join the FB group, "Ben O'Cichlid".
THE FACTORY FILTER THAT COME WITH IT YOU HAVE THEM INSTALLED BACKWARDS i was just watching old videos again and notice i never reply.
I had two fish of the same type leap from my tank today because the oxygen was messed up it was terrifying D: everyone was at the top gasping for air I did a water change of 50 percent roughly and they seem to be okay now but wow
Did you increase surface break up or add an air stone?
Personaly based on my experience that filter sucks...
It’s worked perfectly for me for several years.
Hey less oxygen really reduce fish cichlids color .....??????
Waiting on my shipment from Amazon
Too long video
But important to know.
Thanks for sharing.
are we choking are fish of
speed oxygen
“speed” oxygen ???
Why my fish swim to the top all the time
They need oxygen. Get a bubbler or something to create more water flow in the tank
Wave maker is an answer.
Some fish like betta and discus will suffer in a tank with a strong current, so when one has those kinds of fish an airstone is a better solution. One reason I love hang on back filters is that they break up surface tension without creating too much water movement.
@@BenOchart Agree, but you can get wave maker with loads of wave settings, patterns and regulated power.
Alot of fish in that tankno? Looking good tho.
I thought plants added oxygen to the tank I guess not enough 😅
They do. They also reduce nitrates but it takes a very large quantity to support a heavily stocked African Cichlid tank.
Plants can add O2 to a tank but only when the plants are thriving and only during the day when they are in the process of photosynthesis to convert light and CO2 into O2. Without light plants are also O2 users. More involved in photosynthesis but gonna keep it short in explaining that cycle. Anymore i just use a powerheads for co2 and o2 diffusion.
Puma1Sunfire1 so let’s say I have plants in my fresh water aquarium and I use filtration for surface agitation to produce oxygen and god forbids it stops working over night and my plants continue to use up the excess oxygen in the aquarium how long would u say my fish will have to survive ? I have a 75 gallon about 4 plants and 6 fish ... 3 4-5 inch fish and 3 smaller ones like 2 inches
Ben Ochart so let’s say I have plants in my fresh water aquarium and I use filtration for surface agitation to produce oxygen and god forbids it stops working over night and my plants continue to use up the excess oxygen in the aquarium how long would u say my fish will have to survive ? I have a 75 gallon about 4 plants and 6 fish ... 3 4-5 inch fish and 3 smaller ones like 2 inches
I fill up all my hob filters with biological media only and a sponge on the intake good video Ben you fucking rock!!.
Hello Regimen, that's a great set up idea. I put a sponge on the intake of one of the canisters and will be adding a sponge to the other canister intake. It makes so much sense. Thanks!
Do you have an email? I have some questions.
PM me on Facebook, I'm just "Ben Ochart" for PM purposes on FB.
Sorry 80F