What is it that you hate most about the hobby??

[melthazor]

Sorry tetrakid but I do not mean to be mean but it is kind of lame to insinuate that the oil is from curry puff. No doubt it maybe possible, but.... come on.

I beg to disagree on your claim that surface skimmer is for marine. If that is the case, they would have labelled it as such. Many people is using them for their planted tank. You might have your own opinion but others have theirs too. So let us leave it as such.

As I mention the primary cause of the oil film is most likely from fish food and low surface agitation. How do you come up with terms like "oxygen is life" ,"dancing water" and "cause of oily surface" I am amazed. I am trying to help mel but yur post is just creating vague terms and not practical actions that she could do.

Sometimes, when I touch my oily face and then put my hand in the tank to do something, I will notice some oil on the surface. Not easy to see, but by varying the angle of seeing, it can be seen. I can notice it easily because I am all the time very particular about oil on the water surface. That is becauise I put a lot of emphasis on good oxygenation at the water surface. It may sound far-fetched to you, but if you think it is bs, then it is up to you. Anyway, I will not more posts anymore if you think it is all bs. It may be exaggerated but definitely not bs.

Chill guys...haha no one is spouting BS...to each of their own ya? It's a happy thread...lets keep it happy...

About oily faces...hahaha I think I have the tendency to be looking at my tank...rub my face and then adjust stuff in my tank. Then realise I need to wash my hands prior...

Eh but the oil film really is sickening! I put in the rain bar to cause some surface agitation but it doesn't seem to work...I think I need to diy some sort of skimmer...Its so thick you know! I dont even know if it is oil film!

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Snails getting more and more...

suddenly the most hated things in the hobby becomes... Oily face & curry puffs huh .
All to one's belief, for me surface skimmer also i using. Creates alot of water surface to air exchange which is a minus for a planted tank but a plus for others.

There's no wrong or right here, only what the hobbyist genuine feels is the correct approach for the respective side for the hobby.

@melthazor, sis.. you can try bleaching the diffuser. it's likely stuck due to diy co2 having some guck that is choking. Met with same before

Ya the bigger bubbles caused by the gunk buildup...got a shock when I did water change on monday. Used the pipe and sucked up everything, actually wanted to take it out and brush, I don't know how I moved the suction pipe over the diffuser and the whole thing got sucked up and stuck to the suction pipe. Today is Thursday and the gunk is back!!!!!! I am really considering pressurised co2...

Mel, if you think you are going to be in this hobby for the long run.
You may consider using pressized Co2 injection. It is probably the most fun and worthwhile equipment that I have invested.

Can anyone advise me on pressurised co2? I was also thinking of a 2 way spiltter so I can feed two tanks...my nano and my cube which I am gonna set up. Also if price sensitive, please PM me...I wanna get the best deal. Oh and what is this I saw in a thread on AQ about some taiwan and german solenoid? Taiwan is ADA? German is JBL? If I use a manual regulator, what does it mean I have to do?

Mel, if you think you are going to be in this hobby for the long run.
You may consider using pressized Co2 injection. It is probably the most fun and worthwhile equipment that I have invested.

i hate myself the most in this hobby, period.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

No hate, more love!

[Urban Aquaria]

Can anyone advise me on pressurised co2? I was also thinking of a 2 way spiltter so I can feed two tanks...my nano and my cube which I am gonna set up. Also if price sensitive, please PM me...I wanna get the best deal. Oh and what is this I saw in a thread on AQ about some taiwan and german solenoid? Taiwan is ADA? German is JBL? If I use a manual regulator, what does it mean I have to do?

A brand new pressurized Co2 system (ie. 2L Co2 tank + china/taiwan-made solenoid regulator + bubble counter/needle valve + Co2 hose + checkvalve + diffuser etc) would usually add up to around $180-$200.

Additional 2-way splitter with individual bubble counters/needle valves would just be another $20-$30, so its an economical way to share one system between 2 tanks and save cost.

You could get used equipment at less cost but mechanical/electrical items do wear out, so check to make sure they are still in good working condition and not faulty (especially the Co2 tank and regulator parts).

Between china/taiwan made regulators vs german made regulators, the german ones are usually higher quality and have longer working lifespan, but their prices are also comparatively higher, so it all depends on your budget. The majority of us use china/taiwan made regulators and they work fine. The key is to go for china/taiwan brands that have established LFS support and warranty (so if faulty can exchange or repair).

Manual regulators are cheaper than solenoid regulators, but you will have to personally turn the regulator on and off everyday, which is a hassle and may result in inconsistent Co2 injection, so its always better to just pay abit more and go for solenoid regulators instead, makes the entire Co2 system fully automated.

Btw, ADA is japan (the real ADA brand, not the china pirated one)... their equipment are in a whole different price range altogether.

[melthazor]

A brand new pressurized Co2 system (ie. 2L Co2 tank + china/taiwan-made solenoid regulator + bubble counter/needle valve + Co2 hose + checkvalve + diffuser etc) would usually add up to around $180-$200.

Additional 2-way splitter with individual bubble counters/needle valves would just be another $20-$30, so its an economical way to share one system between 2 tanks and save cost.

You could get used equipment at less cost but mechanical/electrical items do wear out, so check to make sure they are still in good working condition and not faulty (especially the Co2 tank and regulator parts).

Between china/taiwan made regulators vs german made regulators, the german ones are usually higher quality and have longer working lifespan, but their prices are also comparatively higher, so it all depends on your budget. The majority of us use china/taiwan made regulators and they work fine. The key is to go for china/taiwan brands that have established LFS support and warranty (so if faulty can exchange or repair).

Manual regulators are cheaper than solenoid regulators, but you will have to personally turn the regulator on and off everyday, which is a hassle and may result in inconsistent Co2 injection, so its always better to just pay abit more and go for solenoid regulators instead, makes the entire Co2 system fully automated.

Btw, ADA is japan (the real ADA brand, not the china pirated one)... their equipment are in a whole different price range altogether.

Alamak (Oh dear)...I always have this habit of typing ANS as ADA...Thank you for your reply...

[limz_777]

Any picture of the top? That look more like bacteria film and yes oil film can be cause by oily/sweaty hands too

[melthazor]

Any picture of the top? That look more like bacteria film and yes oil film can be cause by oily/sweaty hands too

Yup...picture of the top is attached in my last post.

[Urban Aquaria]

The oil layer at the water surface is common in tanks with soil substrates and fishes/shrimps. The oils are mainly from the natural breakdown of organic compounds and wastes.

I noticed my tanks which use inert sand substrates, even with lots of plants, fert dosing and Co2 injection, it doesn't get any oil layer. But once i add in fishes or shrimps and start to feed them, the oil layer pops up within a few days, so i guess its mainly from the food and waste materials.

Feeding less frequently helps slow down the oil buildup noticeably, as well as reducing the bio-load.

[melthazor]

The oil layer at the water surface is common in tanks with soil substrates and fishes/shrimps. The oils are mainly from the natural breakdown of organic compounds and wastes.

I noticed my tanks which use inert sand substrates, even with lots of plants, fert dosing and Co2 injection, it doesn't get any oil layer. But once i add in fishes or shrimps and start to feed them, the oil layer pops up within a few days, so i guess its mainly from the food and waste materials.

Feeding less frequently helps slow down the oil buildup noticeably, as well as reducing the bio-load.

yup i think so too, pointed out by bennyc as well. I used to feed 20 round pieces of tetra pro energy...I have cut it down to 10. Had some cardinals that were underfed, was pumping them up. Now I put about 5 to 6 pieces and I did my first 50% water change. I'm also wondering if it could be due to my water conditioner Stress Zyme? Because its kinda thick in its undiluted form, also I use a 2L milk jug for water change and top up, so I normally put a tiny pump of it in which would be a lot (I put the stress zyme in a pump bottle)...normally a full pump = 5ml and treats 10L of water. Or could be the PSB bacteria I put in after water change?

Was thinking of getting a power head to power the BOYU EF-05 external filter (the flow is too slow), wondering if I invert it would it work like the Eheim surface skimmer? I don't see why it wouldn't...

Is there a nano surface skimmer? For tanks smaller than 5 gal? Or diy is the way to go?

[wuguidan]

I hate it when my fishes / shrimps die and i don't know why they died!

[wuguidan]

A brand new pressurized Co2 system (ie. 2L Co2 tank + china/taiwan-made solenoid regulator + bubble counter/needle valve + Co2 hose + checkvalve + diffuser etc) would usually add up to around $180-$200.

Additional 2-way splitter with individual bubble counters/needle valves would just be another $20-$30, so its an economical way to share one system between 2 tanks and save cost.

You could get used equipment at less cost but mechanical/electrical items do wear out, so check to make sure they are still in good working condition and not faulty (especially the Co2 tank and regulator parts).

Between china/taiwan made regulators vs german made regulators, the german ones are usually higher quality and have longer working lifespan, but their prices are also comparatively higher, so it all depends on your budget. The majority of us use china/taiwan made regulators and they work fine. The key is to go for china/taiwan brands that have established LFS support and warranty (so if faulty can exchange or repair).

Manual regulators are cheaper than solenoid regulators, but you will have to personally turn the regulator on and off everyday, which is a hassle and may result in inconsistent Co2 injection, so its always better to just pay abit more and go for solenoid regulators instead, makes the entire Co2 system fully automated.

Btw, ADA is japan (the real ADA brand, not the china pirated one)... their equipment are in a whole different price range altogether.

I agreed with the Manual and Solenoid regulators. I am using the Manual regulator at the moment. It is easy for me to turn on the regulator every morning when i feed the fishes and check water level, switch off when i'm back home BUT the most difficult part for me is to control the bubbles per second setting i had used yesterday every morning when i turn on the regulator.

Saving up for a electric solenoid regulator now.

[BFG]

I hate it that we are going off topic..........

[Urban Aquaria]

yup i think so too, pointed out by bennyc as well. I used to feed 20 round pieces of tetra pro energy...I have cut it down to 10. Had some cardinals that were underfed, was pumping them up. Now I put about 5 to 6 pieces and I did my first 50% water change. I'm also wondering if it could be due to my water conditioner Stress Zyme? Because its kinda thick in its undiluted form, also I use a 2L milk jug for water change and top up, so I normally put a tiny pump of it in which would be a lot (I put the stress zyme in a pump bottle)...normally a full pump = 5ml and treats 10L of water. Or could be the PSB bacteria I put in after water change?

I guess its probably not the chemicals themselves which cause the oil but rather their reaction to certain compounds in the water which result in oily by-products... same for bacteria solutions, they work to further breakdown the organic waste hence more oil generated. Basically as long as there are living things and food in the tank, a portion of the oil they produce will float up to the surface. Humans also have to combat oily skin so its a constant annoyance in life too.

Overdosing the chemicals may not cause as much negative effects (unless massively overdosed), but it could increase TDS quite a fair bit in the change water, so perhaps better to follow the recommended dosage to keep things moderated.

Was thinking of getting a power head to power the BOYU EF-05 external filter (the flow is too slow)

Yeah, the Boyu EF-05 is a really low flow rate canister filter, i used it before and its 150 l/ph flow rate was slow enough (and after packing with media became even slower) that i could even use it in a betta tank at its max flow (though i'd say those who keep betta tanks can definitely consider this filter).

Maybe instead of getting a powerhead to increase its flow, why not just upgrade to a larger canister filter with higher flow rate, then you'll benefit from both higher flow rate + larger bio-media volume.

wondering if I invert it would it work like the Eheim surface skimmer? I don't see why it wouldn't...

Is there a nano surface skimmer? For tanks smaller than 5 gal? Or diy is the way to go?

Yes, those small internal filters with sponge containers can be used as surface skimmers too... some people do that and i've personally tried it out too, just mount it upside down with the motor and outflow at the bottom, then position it so that the sponge intake grills at the top is at the surface water line, then it works exactly like a surface skimmer. Not as fancy as other surface skimmers like the Eheim 350 or ADA Vuppa, but it'll work.

Just remember to wash and clean the sponges regularly, as they will clog up quite fast with debris and oil. In addition, do put some fine sponges into the intake container so that shrimplets or small fishes don't inadvertently get sucked into it.

[limz_777]

Yup...picture of the top is attached in my last post.

not sure from your pictures , as it was taken from the bottom , there are two types of film , one is protein film and the other is bacteria film

[melthazor]

I hate it that we are going off topic..........

No sir we're not going off topic ...we're just discussing the solutions/options of the things we merely hate about the hobby. The rest are still free to share their "hates" for the hobby with us...

I guess its probably not the chemicals themselves which cause the oil but rather their reaction to certain compounds in the water which result in oily by-products... same for bacteria solutions, they work to further breakdown the organic waste hence more oil generated. Basically as long as there are living things and food in the tank, a portion of the oil they produce will float up to the surface. Humans also have to combat oily skin so its a constant annoyance in life too.

Overdosing the chemicals may not cause as much negative effects (unless massively overdosed), but it could increase TDS quite a fair bit in the change water, so perhaps better to follow the recommended dosage to keep things moderated.

Yeah, the Boyu EF-05 is a really low flow rate canister filter, i used it before and its 150 l/ph flow rate was slow enough (and after packing with media became even slower) that i could even use it in a betta tank at its max flow (though i'd say those who keep betta tanks can definitely consider this filter).

Maybe instead of getting a powerhead to increase its flow, why not just upgrade to a larger canister filter with higher flow rate, then you'll benefit from both higher flow rate + larger bio-media volume.

Yes, those small internal filters with sponge containers can be used as surface skimmers too... some people do that and i've personally tried it out too, just mount it upside down with the motor and outflow at the bottom, then position it so that the sponge intake grills at the top is at the surface water line, then it works exactly like a surface skimmer. Not as fancy as other surface skimmers like the Eheim 350 or ADA Vuppa, but it'll work.

Just remember to wash and clean the sponges regularly, as they will clog up quite fast with debris and oil. In addition, do put some fine sponges into the intake container so that shrimplets or small fishes don't inadvertently get sucked into it.

Larger canister for a 10l? Any larger it would give a washing machine effect...I was considering the Fluval C2...pack it heavy with media to reduce the flow...

not sure from your pictures , as it was taken from the bottom , there are two types of film , one is protein film and the other is bacteria film

Thanks for your observation...

[qngwn]

I agreed with the Manual and Solenoid regulators. I am using the Manual regulator at the moment. It is easy for me to turn on the regulator every morning when i feed the fishes and check water level, switch off when i'm back home BUT the most difficult part for me is to control the bubbles per second setting i had used yesterday every morning when i turn on the regulator.

Saving up for a electric solenoid regulator now.

If you only choose to turn on and off the regulator, you can get a second needle valve, those that is able to connect with your co2 tubes inline so that now you have two needle valves to play with.

The first one that comes right out of the regulator is to turn on and off, then the second on is the needle valve to control the bubbles per second. Like that you don't need to keep adjusting the bubbles per second everyday.. As long as you turn on the right knob..

[Urban Aquaria]

Larger canister for a 10l? Any larger it would give a washing machine effect...I was considering the Fluval C2...pack it heavy with media to reduce the flow...

You can use a single/double tap in the outflow hose to control the flow, so its possible to use say a Eheim 2211 (300 l/ph) or a Shiruba XB303 (360 l/ph), and then adjust the tap accordingly to reduce the flow if required.

This is an example of Eden 501 (300 l/ph) with single tap on the outflow hose used in a 13 liter tank:

[aquarius]

I hate it when I have to spend hrs and hrs meddling with my planted tank in what seems like a hopeless effort to battle algae problems.

I hate it when I don't have the space to house all the different scapes and biotopes I have in mind.

I hate it when I have to do my weekly water changes for my 5 tanks (3 x 3ft and 2 x 2ft), almost in a 1 tank a day manner cos using the tank water to water the plants. It feels tiring after a few yrs especially when you have to juggle work life.

[melthazor]

I hate it when I have to spend hrs and hrs meddling with my planted tank in what seems like a hopeless effort to battle algae problems.

I hate it when I don't have the space to house all the different scapes and biotopes I have in mind.

I hate it when I have to do my weekly water changes for my 5 tanks (3 x 3ft and 2 x 2ft), almost in a 1 tank a day manner cos using the tank water to water the plants. It feels tiring after a few yrs especially when you have to juggle work life.

Wow! 5 aquariums! That is "siong" (tough)! kudos man!

[Ingen]

5 tanks! That's lot of commitment my friend!

[melthazor]

Managed to get rid of the surface film...bought a surface skimmer from a fellow forumer...so happy now that the film is gone! Even made a auto top off for the nano, so the skimmer won't suck in air when the water level goes down...