1st : white & blue wool

2nd : Jap mat

3rd : black sponge
4th : bio ring
5th : pump




FILTER SYSTEM
Lets talk about filter system shall we.?

What are the two elements we must have in our filter.?

1st. Mechanical filter. Mechanical filter is used to filter out particles from the water like
fine sands, mud, rust, dirt, undigested food etc etc.

2nd. Bio filter. Bio filter is used to break down dangerous gasses to not so dangerous
gasses called nitrogen cycle.

Mechanical filter.

The most basic mechanical filter media is, filter wool. Filter wool comes in a variety of
colours and prices too depending on its quality. White ones, wide available in all LFS
about RM1 - RM2. Technically not usable after 2 to 3 washes if you wash it roughly and 3
to 5 if you wash it gently. Either way, its not recommended. Green and blue ones, more
expensive but more durable than those white ones.

How many layers of this mechanical is recommended.?

The answer to this question may varies depending on your tank setup. The higher the
flow rate (L/H) the more layers, the better. Water will always find the easiest way to
escape so will the dirt in it. The faster the water moves, higher the chances they will
bring the dirt as well. "Am using 12 layers of green filter wool for my 3000L/H pump".

What will happen if you cant afford more layers (restricted by the space etc etc).?

To the owner, do not worries, all you got to do is wash more frequently and the clearness
of your tank water might not be as good.

As for the fish, not very good. The dirt might get stuck / build up in the gills which will
caused a wide variety of sickness. And we are only referring to dirt. How about tiny
organic material.? House for bacteria and fungus perhaps.?

Some will be thinking right now, how long will it takes to wash so many layers of filter
wool.? Our answer to that is "oh very fast 45 mins only (in a very sarcastic way)" Its a
responsibility. Not a question of time.

Here are some tips on how to maintain your mechanical filter.

1st. Although they are meant to be mechanical filter, they will also act as a house for
beneficial bacteria. So you are not suppose to wash them so frequently. That is why you
need to put more layers so that you can only wash the first few ones. In other words, you
are not suppose to wash it if its not clogged.

2nd. Frequent water changes. Suck up all the dirt / poo that are lying around the base
during WC helps a lot in maintaining the water quality. We do water changes twice every
week and "I've not wash my filter wool for 10 months" @_@ Yes, you read it right, 10
months. Just to satisfy your curiosity. "My water is crystal clear, ammonia reading is
zero."

3rd. Select the right diet for your fish. Will this affect the filter.? Hell yes it does. Super
worms and meal worms especially. They will clogged the filter wool 3 times faster.
Reason being, their exoskeleton cannot be digested.

Here is one random information. Carnivores fishes has a very bad digestive system.
These fishes can only digest 90% of the food they consume. And how do we know it.?
We read a lot and we did a little experiment on our own and found some tiny undigested
bones (of a feeder fish) in a custom made filter bag.





This time, we'll discuss about Bio filter system.

Like we have mentioned before in Part III, Bio filter is used to turn toxic gasses into not
so harmful gasses in a process being referred to as nitrogen cycle.So, what are these
dangerous gasses we are talking about here.? Its called Ammonia.

Ammonia is created by all sorts of rotting organic material. So we can imagine how
easily and widely available can this be in an aquarium. If you still dont understand what
we are saying, it is the uneaten food, the poop and pee of the fish(es) and etc etc.

In this regards, ammonia present in the tank got to be absolutely ZERO. When we say
ZERO, it doesnt matter if you ask us if its okay to have 0.1 ppm. Golden rule when it
comes to ammonia is, Better Be Safe Than Sorry.

And how do we make sure the ammonia present is zero.? Through the help of bacteria.
Bacteria.? Yes, bacteria, but not those typical bad bacteria out there. We called it
beneficial bacteria. Ammonia is kind of like their (beneficial bacteria or the scientific
name Aerobic bacteria) food. They convert ammonia into nitrite (not as lethal as
ammonia) during the 1st stage of the cycle and subsequently into nitrate (not as lethal as
nitrite) at the last stage. A brief explanation we came out with so to not confuse any new
beginners.

So, before we add out beloved fish into the tank, we must cycle the water

1st. To cycle the water;1st. We must have have ammonia in the tank. To do that, just
throw in couple of Plecos, some bog wood with aquatic plants tied to it. Throw in some
sinking pellets for them to eat. More they eat, faster they excrete and hence, faster will be
for the ammonia to form, from the rotting of the organic material.

2nd. The beneficial bacteria. In the olden days, they run their tank for weeks before
adding their fish in. But now, we have all kinda booster and bacteria for sale in both
liquid and powder forms. Which makes the cycling part very much easier. Just pour them
into the tank, and these bacteria will attached to any hard objects (bio filter media).

3rd. Keep the lights on, make sure the is plenty of oxygen in the tank and 1 week later,
your fish is good to go. The best way to be sure is always to test the water. But is a
hassle to test it everyday. So we recommend to check your tank for algae. Algae needs
nitrate to flourish same goes to any aquatic plants. Refer back to 1st step, " bog wood
with aquatic plants tied on them ". So with algae present, is more than enough prove that
nitrate is present.

So now we know briefly what and how this bio filter works. Only things left is their house
in this case, its the bio filter media.

Almost anything can be the " house " of the bacteria. Only question is, how they perform.
When we say perform, its the amount of surface available in the objects and how well will
the water flow through the surface.

A very straight forward example, a rock and a coral stone of the same size. This
beneficial bacteria can only cling onto the surface of the rock where as the coral stone,
they (bacteria) can cling onto the tiny little gap within it (coral stone) and water can flow
through easily. So, the more surface an object has, the better they work as the bio filter
media. But do take note, we mentioned almost anything, not everything. Some objects
may be harmful to aquatics animal when there are expose to water for a pro long period
of time




Okay, we have covered the tank, water changing routine and its chemistry
and filter system. Somehow we have covered most of the initial part to start an
aquarium hobby. So in this part of the discussion we will go slightly in depth
into the filter system.

How is best to set up a mechanical filter.? Like we previously mentioned, its to
filter out small particles from the water so that it will be clear to our naked eye.
The question is, how to achieve the level of convenience and result that we
desire.?

There are various of ways to do that. One that we would like to share is
actually very simple and it works well. Just put a layer or two of bio foam at
the bottom or in other words, the last location the water will flow through to
their next location. If you guys / girls out there remember us saying, the more
the merrier. But at the end of the day, the one closest to the place where the
water flow out, will eventually clot because that is where all the water has flow
through in order to get out whether to the next compartment of a sump filter or
back into the tank for an OHF (over head filter).

Now, we also mention although its main purpose is for mechanical filtering,
beneficial bacteria will also clung onto the filter wool. So is best not to wash
them unless they are clot. But having say so, most of you will ask, how to
maintain the water quality then.? Wont the water will be very dirty.? Our
answer to the above question is no, the water will be just fine.

Here is the brief cycle of the fish poop. When the fish excrete, the poop will
break down into tiny particles in the water. And once they flow through the
filter wool, they will get lodge into them. Over time, they will eventually break
down into almost nothing and dissolved into water and turn into gasses. And
hence, ammonia is created. But again, for carnivorous fishes, they wont be
able to digest everything (what we have mentioned before), and little bone
and shells from insect is also almost indigestible. So in time, sooner if less
wool or later if there is more wool, they will clog up.

Let us share one of our personal filter set up.


Bio foam at the bottom.
Attached is the pictures of what my personal filter look like at the 1st
compartment. As you all can see, there are quite some amount of dirt
collected by the glass. I havent wash this filter wools for 10 months. As for the
clogging issue, refer to the next picture.



Water flowing level.
As you can see, the water flowing is quite smooth although the filter as you all
see is quite dirty. 1st sign to look for when you suspect your filter is clogged, is
by looking at the highest water level of 1st and the point where it flow into 2nd
compartment. If the difference is too great, then is time to wash it.

If you guys are wondering about the blue tape I have there, Is actually for my
own safety so I wont cut my hand when I need to do some cleaning.

As for the media I'm using for the Bio system, is stainless steel pot scrubber.
@_@!! haha, yes, I get the face. Here is a little picture to ease the worries.


Chemistry readings.
My ammonia reading is zero and my PH is at 6.5. All these with a 22"
Arowana, 6 Lampang all above 5" as tank mate and a 11" DBKL (pleco) as
primary cleaner. Okay, done with the sharing and let us move back into
setting up a filter properly.

To set up a proper bio filter, there must be enough and constant supply of
Oxygen for the BB (beneficial bacteria) to grow properly and strong. So we will
advise you to put at least an air output at the bottom before the rest of the
media. With this, even when you are doing water changes or the power is out,
there will be sufficient Oxygen to keep the BB working.

To set up a good and strong bio filter system is not as easy as some of you
might think. Pour in the bacteria water and let it be. It is true to some extend
and also depending on your filter system set up as well (type of filter and the
amount of lights) Here is the brief explanation.

In order for the BB to grow, they need great amount of lights. But in order for
them to work in their full potential, they got to be in dark environment. You all
get the pictures.? Bright grows well but dark works better. Is easy to counter
this with a sump filter, just put a couple of clip on light where the shine is not
strong enough to penetrate all the way down, with a timer if you want. They
get to grow and the water flow will bring them down and settle there for them
to work. This is for cabinet sump. For steel rack, dont be bother because the
will be natural lights and naturally dark during the night.

By saying so, am not saying canister filter will be at a disadvantage. Most of
them do allow a certain amount of light to penetrate especially good brand.
Am going to stop here as this part has gone longer that we expected and we
believe the readers will need time to digest as well.

Next, we will go into the miscellaneous of filter media.



Okay, lets get this going to miscellaneous of filter material.. In order to
not complicate things, we will only touch common filter media(s) that are
easily available in most if not all LFS..



Image from www.bar-b-que.com
1. Lava Rock

These porous rocks are naturally formed / not man made. Big chunks
are widely use in planted tank as a base for tying plants or simply as a
decorative item. Smaller pieces are used as filter media for the biological
system. And even smaller pieces are used as substrate. Could be very
messy.



Image from jeboaquarium.com

Image from petcity2008.blogspot.com
2. Ceramic Ring

Man made. Mainly used in biological filter systems. Secondary usage as
substrate. A few selection to chose from. Non porous are technically
useless. Best choice is to pay more and get those with pores. User
friendly.



Image from bulkheadbioball.com
3. Bio Ball

Man made. Have seen many types and each differ in price depending on
materials and quality. Primary usage is for (Dripping Filter System) -
huge and generally harder to set up. Amateurs should not attempt.



Image from www.alibaba.com
4. Bio Foam

A must have in any sump filter. It's primary usage is for cultivation of
beneficial bacteria. In a sump, we can use it to breakdown waste(s) to
achieve better flow, to reduce noise, to prevent blockage. "What we have
been doing". Very user friendly in all terms.






Here, as promised to one of our reader, the 1st part of the notes is
dedicated toEn Hamizi Manap.

There is no easy way or short cut in lowering down the PH level of our
local tap water which may varies from place to place. In an aquarium,
lower PH level is a natural occurrence if the tank is well maintained.

Black water, is something we can get easily in any LFS and the uses is
to lower down the PH instantly to the desired level. It is a good choice
provided the fish you are keeping required low PH readings but, if it is
not, there is really no point in it. Why do we say so.? It is because, most
fishes we get from a LFS are are captive breed and most are being
handled in tap water environment once they are ready for business
transaction.

It is different if you caught the fish from a river with acidic water
environment, in this case, Black Water is a must.

Now, back to maintaining the PH level. It is not an easy nor it is a hard
task. Only thing we need to achieve this is, TIME.

Like we previously mentioned, it is a natural occurrence in any
aquarium. Only question is, how we maintained it that way. In our
previous notes, we have stressed that, frequent water changes is
technically one of the mandatory thing to do. In this PH matter, it is so
that the PH wont spike upwards because of a larger volume of WC which
many of us fish keeper ignored. So the first thing we need to do to keep
the PH steady, is Frequent Water Changes.

To select and chose the right media that will not altered the PH reading.
Use the right amount of buffer(s) "coral chips"

As a kid myself when I 1st started this hobby, the LFS owner once told
me, make sure you wash your filter frequently. Am very sure most of us
have been told about this. Which as a matter of fact, not true. We are not
suppose to wash frequently not to mentioned dont wash at all if its
possible. So, filter system is the next in line to take note of.

To go in depth in filter system is very long. So we will leave this for
some other times.

Next in line will be Ketapang Leaves "Indian Almond Tree Leaves" One
of the best way to bring the PH down very slowly, safe and its free :) As
for the preparations, will also be in a different notes. So conclusion;

1. Frequent Water Changes
2. Filter system
3. Water treatment with Ketapang Leaves

Let us continue in miscellaneous of filter material.



Image from www.momotaro-koi.org
Bio House

Technically bio ring in extra large size. Like the extra size, $$ also extra
:) Aside from the size and the obvious price, the power also extra. Mainly
used in big scale filtering system. So if you are worried about the power
of your bio filter system, this is a very good choice. Some also use it for
planted tank "decoration and tying plants" and shrimp tank "hiding
place". If I'm not mistaken, it was designed for pond usage. Fairly simple
to use, just align them nicely. Not suitable for canister filter.




Image from fwdmagazine.com

Image from www.chemistryland.com
Activated Charcoal

This AC, in your filter, might have saved our fish(s) many times even
without us knowing it. These small little pieces of burnt wood are fairly
annoying to use at 1st because it needed to be wash so thoroughly it is
basically a pain in the ass. But when I know for sure it saved my Aro life
once "will share the experience in future notes", I wouldn't mind even if I
have to wash them for one full week. In terms of benefit, its more to a
supplement kinda thing than a bio filter media unless being prepare
other wise. People uses it widely for adsorption purposes but I
personally am using for both bio filtering and adsorption.

P/S
Many kinda different stories surrounding AC. PH spiking and de-sorp
a.k.a leaching are the most commonly talked about. Will not discuss
over here because it will defeat the purpose of introduction.


Thank you again for staying tune.. Please feel free to ask us question on
our notes. But if you wish to know more about Activated Charcoal,
please ask on our wall. Have a pleasant night. :)











Welcome back people. Today we will write about salt.

Many of you might think salt has nothing much to be write about. But in
the truth, it is not. It is not as simple as, ( add some salt during water
change(s), or when setting up a tank or when your fish is sick ).

Most people dont really understand what it does aside from what the
owner of the LFS told them. Promote appetite, helps breathing and to
cure sickness being the most common ones I believe.

Salt in an aquarium can be extremely useful at the same time, can make
matter worse if used wrongly.

For example, when setting up a tank. Why we recommend to add some
salt.? It is so because we can eliminate most if not all parasite /
pathogen(s).

Most will agree, it is good because they kill bad things. But after initial
cycle, did the owner of the LFS tell you to do a partial water changes to
reduce the amount of salt in your tank before adding in any fishes.? If
they dont, they are wrong. Did they tell you not to add salt during normal
water changes.? I bet most will say, " add some salt during water
changes ". And again, it is not the right thing to do.

Do not forget, like all living cell, parasite / pathogen too have different
level of tolerance towards something in this case, Salt. If your very 1st
dose of salt did not kill all of them, it is very likely they have build up a
certain amount of tolerance towards it. So what happen if you add salt
again during water changes and at a dose that did not kill again.? More
tolerance.

If this cycle goes on, the moment your fish gotten weaker, one way or
the other, they will attack your fish immediately and the worse problems
is, to kill them off, you need a higher dose of salt to do the job and that
is not good at all for the whole system.

Salt is most useful when the concentration suddenly changes. In this
case, a tank without any salt concentration or with the minimal
concentration of salt, will have a better chances of curing most parasitic
and bacteria infections with salt alone.

So, we will advice our readers not to add any salt during normal water
changes unless the occupant(s) of the tank specifically requires it.

A very contradicting arguments of not using salt at all during water
changes will be " with the uses of salt, we can prevent many unhappy
outcome and not to mention good properties like increase appetite and
heal better "

So, can we conclude in the end that, using salt during routine water
changes have more positive effect than negative.? The answer is still
NO. No matter how many good points you can bring up, we can always
counter the arguments with good filtering system and frequent water
changes. None of the above will happen if your fish is living in a good
environment and is as healthy as it can be.

So again, we are stressing good filtering system and frequent water
changes is the most important of all.

Another issue, which many of us out there are not aware, using Zeolite
in a tank with salt concentration are technically wasting money and time
because instead of adsorbing ammonia, Zeolite prefer the salt and to
make matter worse, they will release what ever ammonia they have
adsorb in exchange of salt.

A random piece of information for our readers, Zeolite are reactivated /
recharge through dipping in salt water. So, instead of throwing them
away after use, dip them in salt water and rinse them clean, they are as
good as new.

Lastly, we can use salt to create a bath " longer duration, 10 days " for
quarantine and healing of nitrite poisoning, or a dip " short duration 30
mins " to immediately treat severe parasitic infection ( only certain
parasite ).

Please take note, do not use household salt as there is added chemical
in it. Very likely it will kill your fish rather than saving it.



Image from www.indiamart.com
Rock salt from the Himalayas. High minerals traces. Recommendation of use
- Once in a blue moon :)



Image from www.foreverlookingood.com
Normal sea salt. Normal minerals traces. Recommendation of use - I wont,
unless for treatment =)



Image from frugal-foodie-recipes.com
Kitchen salt. Iodized and with additives. Recommendation of use - Dont waste
the cooking salt, you might as well give me all your fish since you will be killing
them :D :D


Good day all. That will be all for today.

Next we will go a level deeper into Nitrogen Cycle.





Nitrogen Cycle, a process take place in the filter. A very important process that keep our fish
alive by keeping the water condition / parameters in proper order. So to say, we decide the
fate of our fishes. Well, maybe not wholly but it plays a big part.

A simpler way to put it, Nitrogen Cycle is a process of breaking down toxic gasses to non so
toxic gasses. And like we previously mentioned before, Ammonia is the major killer of our
beloved water pets.

Where do Ammonia comes from.?



Image from www.chemicals-technology.com
This is how it is look like at molecular level

In the tank environment, they come from all kinda organic material, to be more precise,
decaying organic material which include fishes faeces / waste(s), which is the biggest
contributor of them all. Unlike us, fishes have no choice but to excrete their waste in the
water and unlike in the wild, aquarium / tank were not aided by the natures to neutralise it.
Other factors that contribute to the increase of Ammonia will be uneaten food and also
plants.

This is how Ammonia comes by in our tank. And this is the 1st stage of the cycle that comes
with the name Ammonification.

Why is Ammonia bad for the fishes.?

Ammonia will disrupt the ability of fishes to regulate water and salts. Under these
circumstances, damage to the fish(s) tissue will occur both externally and internally. The very
1st part of the fish that will get damage from Ammonia poisoning will be the gill. Fishes gill's
has the most delicate tissue. And the 1st symptoms of Ammonia poisoning is the fish will be
seen on the surface gasping for air.

Lets move on to the cycle..

With the help of Nitrosomonas bacteria + Oxygen, Ammonia is then being converted /
breakdown further into Nitrites that comes with the name Nitrification.



Image from Wikipedia
Nitrite

Image from Wikioedia
Nitrite

Although not as deadly as Ammonia, Nitrite should not be taken lightly. Nitrite are irritants for
fish. So the 1st symptoms to look for if you suspect the concentration of Nitrite is too high is,
the fish will rub themselves against objects or jumping or darting around for no apparent
reason. Many hobbyist mistook this for parasitic diseases.

Due to its properties of being able to bind themselves to red blood cells, under prolong
exposure to Nitrite, fish(s) will develop Brown Blood Disease, " the colour of the blood turned
brown " and this will seriously impaired the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. Immune
system will become significantly lower.

Lets move on to the cycle..

With the help of Nitrobacter bacteria + oxygen, Nitrites is then being breakdown into Nitrates
that also comes with the name Nitrification.



Image from Wikipedia
Nitrate

Image from Wikipedia
Nitrate

Nitrates, the third stages of the Nitrogen Cycle. Nitrates do not harm our fishes directly. But
prolong exposure to high concentration of Nitrates will also impaired the fish immune system
and their ability to reproduce. When we say high, its 50ppm compare to 1ppm for Nitrites
only. Frequent water changes will keep the Nitrates level in check.

Lets continue to the final stages..

The final stages of the Nitrogen Cycle breakdown involves bacteria from the family of
Pseudomonas and Clostridium without the presence of oxygen " anaerobic " into harmless
final product called, Nitrogen. The process is called Denitrification.

Although anaerobic bacteria can survive in aerobic conditions, we were unable to confirm the
existence of these bacteria in our filter system at the moment and whether they can
breakdown Nitrates or not. We are still experimenting on it and hope to get an answer as
soon as possible.

Breaking of Nitrates absence oxygen will release Hydrogen Sulfide which are extremely toxic.
This we can confirm. Under such circumstances, is denitrator filter still advisable.?

Stay tune for our result..


Image from chemistry.wikia.com
Nitrogen

P/S: Ammonia can be categorize into two different element under different environment.
Environment being the PH level of our water. At PH above 7 ( neutral ) ammonia are highly
toxic in any given amount. At PH below 7, they are not as toxic. But having said so, Ammonia
should be kept at absolute ZERO ( 0 ) at all times. Prevention is better than cure.

So unless the fish require absolute high PH water, try lowering it down to below 7.



K1 Media will be here this weekend.
April 17, 2012 at 4:16am
Dear all, the long awaited K1 Media will be available from us from this weekend onwards. Feel free
to place your bookings here at the comment(s) section so that we can avoid flooding the page.
Thank you very much.

K1 Media



K1 Media close up
Those tiny translucent thingy at the center are Beneficial Bacteria

100 grams RM19

1kg and above RM15/100 grams

new price updated 22/8/2012

AQUATIC sOLUTION
42, Jalan Anggerik Vanilla AD, 31/AD Kota Kemuning, 40460 Shah Alam, Malaysia