I feel the more I watch Aquarium Coop tips videos, the more I become a full fish nerd even though I don’t even own a tank yet. Anyways, great videos and very useful information for newcomers like me ! Thanks Cory!
Very helpful video. Lots of great ideas to incorporate. FYI. Water always follows the path of least resistance, so a sponge on the drop tube that is loose around the top will not properly filter the water mechanically, since it will tend to go in the top instead of through the sponge. Also the hang on back filters will be more efficient IF an opening is left in the back so the water can be in reservoir, so to speak, behind the sponge and pass through ALL of the surface. Otherwise the path of least resistance comes into effect again. It does not matter how much sponge is in any HOB filter, IF the water cannot get to the backside of that sponge, it will NOT pass through all of it. Also IF you only put bio balls, lava rock, etc in the filter and there is no sponge, etc on it, then it will not filter the water mechanically, only biologically. Thanks again for the helpful DIY tips. Sharp Wenger
I was thinking the same thing about the HOB filters and the water only going through the very top part of the media and the water below not really circulating very much.
I actually have the Marineland 350 but made a mod to it. I ditched the cartridges, got some coarse sponge and fine floss type cut to size filter media and layered those to fit just like the old cartridges, THEN I put ceramic bio rings in mesh bags closest to the outflow behind the filter. did that on both compartments of the filter and so far it has great flow. Kind of afraid its not enough filtration so i was thinking about an intake sponge? EDIT: Water flow goes through coarse then fine then bio.
We have an Aquaclear 70 and I had no idea we could reuse the white filters. We could have bought a second fishtank by now. Thank you for all your great info and advice. 🙂👍🇨🇦
what are your thoughts on carbon? Is that something that is not needed? I thought it provided the 3rd type of filtration, chemical. Enjoying your videos.
I have a 10 gallon marina slim s10 hang on the back filter. I have the bio clear zeolite filters that were ment for it. I want to optimize the filter and have watched a ton of your videos. I have a few questions, what would the biomax be used for? The zero carb? The activated carbon?I also bought the foam all from aqua clear. I figured I could cut or bag whatever I needed to fit my canister on the back. Api also has activated filter carbon I accidentally bought both (the other aqua clear).I just went on a shopping spree not really understanding it all. I have fairly fine gravel and bought some plants so I also bought flourish, api leaf zone but I also bought the stress zyme and stress coat. I bought an air pump, a bubble stone and a sponge bio filter (I hope it's the one that hooks up to the air pump and bubbles. So my question, do I need all of this? Any of it worthless? Anything else I should buy for an overall healthy aquarium? I have 1 common pleco (yes I know he will need a bigger tank, thanks walmart, another reason I'm trying to get this right before i buy a beast of a tank) and 8 black bar endlers. I would love to get shrimp if I can manage to keep the plants alive. Anyone who could help please and thank you!!
I’m trying to figure out how to change the media to diy my marine land...I have polyester quilt batting, ceramic rings and pot scrubs but I don’t know which order to put it in
I can’t imagine conquering this hobby without the expert advice I get from the Aquarium/ Fish keeping RU-vid community. Aquarium Co-Op, The King of DIY, Flip Aquatics, AquaPros and many many more are doing a great service to the hobby by spreading good information and teaching all of us literally everything we need to know while simultaneously exciting new and potential fish keeping hobbyists. On behalf of all my fish and my turtle, thank you!
I’m in charge of aquatics at my store and Cory is the greatest inspiration for me. Some day I’d like my own store like him but for now I watch every single video I can find 2-6 hours a day of research so I can best educate the moronic customers I get
@@quentindaniel9541 I’ve seen people come into my LFS talking about how they had a betta and some other fish and they put them together and the betta killed the fish so now they said they will NEVER put fish together again and I’m standing there dumbfounded
Seriously thank you. Trial and error is all I've known since entering the aquarium world. This is mainly because there are not enough videos directed towards inexperienced fish keepers. I am a visual learner. I understand "do your research". I have done a shit ton, but it is hard for people like myself to understand altering a filter without seeing it done.
Hijacking top comment to say not to do that to a quiet flow. They back up way too easily. At most, drop a pack of purigen and a *tiny* amount of filter floss. Save your floors and buy the aqua clear.... that is also cheaper.
When I clean my intake sponge I use a sandwich bag to remove the sponge from the tank. I leave the filter running and let the baggy get sucked up around the sponge, then I remove the sponge from the tank in the baggy. This way I get no sludge in my tank from the sponge when I pull it off the intake. Everyone using a pre sponge will understand.
For all you DIY people I got a hint. Fill a container with water and freeze a sponge. Now you can use any wood working tool for the most part to cut it and drill it. Great fr resizing sponges to fill old HOB filters.
One feedback on adding the 4 sponges to the Marineland BioWheel filter - I would cut the second set of sponges half an inch in height so that if they get too dirty they have some room to overflow forward and not spill out into the back of your tank. The peace of mind for me is greater than the 10% of sponge material I would be removing.
Luis Suarez Turn them sideways and you can stack three in the back of a penguin marineland 200 trough, Can I get you exactly what you’re pointing out about a half an inch breathing space....& a 4th one Scrunched up on-end And crammed into the pump cavity.
@@jonkercher1719 not at all it’s a simple motor with one part that rotates. Even stuffed with sponge filters, bio balls or filter floss it will still run water through very quickly.
I just want to say a very BIG THANK YOU!! you just saved me hundreds of dollars I have a 75 gallon hang on back filter for my 55 gallon tank and it uses 2 cartridges I change it every 2 weeks. I am so happy I found your video I also have a 5-15 gallon hang on back filter for my 5 gallon tank.... You are awesome.. THANK YOU
Aquarium Co-Op so where does the carbon go? Everybody knows you need Karen to help clean the water you can’t rely on sponges all the sponsors are doing is dropping the debris so again where does the carbon go because I saw your video and there’s no room for the carbon
@@robertk7796 im thinking the same thing. so im thinking i could use both a filter sponge and the carbon filter insert, and just change the carbon filter wayyyy less?
Tip for intake sponges that are slightly too large for your setup. Use a small rubber band or washer band and place it on the intake. It will give it additional grip and be aquarium safe
If you call within the next 10 seconds, we’ll throw-in not one, not two, not three, but 10 intake sponges! So what are you waiting for?? Call us now at 1-800-SPONGE-ME, promo is ongoing while supplies last. 😉
I had this exact question. I was thinking no way I need a filter that needs changed every week. This has to be a scam. Good to see I can just use an aquarium sponge and replace it.
Cartridges are a scam. They were originally marketed as making fish care easier but they are so expensive and are so poorly designed that they have to be changed often. They are a scam.
Great video man! Glad to see you helping the new people with simple things to get the most filtration for their money. BTW, your tank makes me want to raise some Ranchu! Gorgeous tank, bud!
+Henry yount possibly, a lot of foam sheets have chemicals in them and you want them to be a coarse open cell sponge where most sponge I've see. You are describing are closed cell.
I realize this is an old video but wanted to add another money saving tip. I have an Aquaclear 30 for my small tank. I use the sponge on the bottom that comes with it, ditched the carbon (don't need that) and then use some quilt batting (huge bag at Walmart for $5), which is a cheap form of filter floss, and then put the rings on top of that.
@@SBS_Auto As long as you're treating the water (I use Prime) before it goes into the tank, you don't need carbon. The only time I run the carbon in my filter is when I'm taking medication out of the water.
I use Seachem Prime to remove chlorine, chloramine and detox ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Many people with planted tanks avoid charcoal except to polish water when needed.
Yah , it sounds great. Walk it for a while and get the full scoop. Number one the intake is for coarse filtration of large items and flow shouldnt be strained initially. Secondly the extra room in the chambers serves a purpose concerning flow and parameters that can change as a filter becomes clogged. I used to experiment like this all the time with my hangons. Here is where it gets counter productive. Once you restrict flow by packing the chambers and they start to clog, water level IN THE CHAMBER often rises to an unfortunate level running over the sides of the hangon and out onto the floor. You walk in and notice that the surface of your water has dropped a few inches. Then you notice the filter dripping on the outside of the tank. The thing is canister filtration enables us to cram a lot more medium into its contained flow where as a hangon is not designed to push against as much resistance. That's why that extra chamber space is there. In principle these are interesting alterations but the guys who ,although they haven't thought of everything as filtration continues to develop, they often do think of things WE do not , and we find out what when things go wrong while we are playing MacGyver. And 6 alterations does not mean something is six times more efficient. Just saying. Certainly appreciate you guys though. Interesting and often helpful.
Hey just wondering why don't you use the carbon rocks or those white rocks that take out the nitrates and stuff like that.... Why do you just use sponges? 🤔 🤔
I'd say personally because carbon and "the white rocks" are the biggest waste of money. That includes all other chemical media. All my tanks use just mechanical and biological media. With adequate biological media, water changes gets rid of nitrates and or plants. The aquarium businesses make $$$ selling the useless filter cartridges and other chemical media. Now they all work but it's not ideal, I guess for newbies or someone who doesnt have time to maintain a tank its plausible but in long run it's a waste of money.
"If you like it then you shoulda put a sponge on it!" 😂 On a more serious note, those fucking cartridges made me leave the hobby for a very long time. My first tank was a 55g community and every single time I did filter maintenance my system would crash and I'd lose a ton of fish. And this was back before I knew about planted tanks so every few weeks I was tossing the one thing that kept the house of cards together! Funnily enough, I was a kid so I didn't always have the money to replace the cartridges when I was "supposed to" and it never occurred to me why my tank would be running great for a month and then bomb after I rush out and buy new cartridges thinking I was a bad fish dad if I didn't. I honestly thought fish died because I wasn't doing it ENOUGH. Moral of the story being those things should be illegal. Ten plus years later and I'm finally back in the hobby and I'm so grateful for resources like you who care more about people succeeding than getting that dollar out of my pocket.
When prefilter sponge is lose, put a few rubber bands on the intake tube. It adds thickness and seals the gap. That way the sponge/foam stays in place too.
This guy makes this hobby fun. It is so much more fun fish keeping when you actually know what you're doing and how it all impacts the most important thing, the well being and happiness of your scaly friends.
Yep right before this video I spent quite a bit buying carbon ugh. Is it useless then? I'm inexperienced. Bought biomax and zero carb but hey I bought some sponges too lol
Carbon is really usefull if you want to get rid of fish medication after treatment. The charcoal collects it and you can dispose of the meds correctly and in addition, it gets the meds out completely, which makes it less likely for pathogens to become resistant to the meds you used.
Those "throw away" cartridge filter pads are so sad. Most of my local fish & pet stores here in Canada probably think they'll go out of business if they start carrying sponge filters, filter media bags or anything that even remotely promotes diy, filter mods, or sustainability. Hahaha. Thankfully there's some online sources and Cory to teach people some great aqua-hacks.
This was so helpful, thank you! I had no idea you could do you without the carbon filters. And that the sponge, or surface for growing bacteria was actually the most important for tank filtration! I also didn’t understand about filter media, which you covered very well. Like the ceramic life wheels or whatever they were called, Which I have now purchased. Thank you for the education!
I love this guy, been watching him for years. Straightforward, no nonsense, cares about the well-being of aquatic animals and also helping/informing the people interested in the fishkeeping hobby. #CoryFanClub
In the future please lower the camera angle so we can see what you're doing and not just show it when you're done. Otherwise, thanks for the great tips!
Just remember the more intense the filtration the more resistance against the motor. Especially when working with cheap motors, more load means way more wear. My background is more mechanical than aquatic so you’ve got more experience here, but I’d be weary of using too much or too dense foam.
TheStrawberryAnia I with you, as watching all the fish videos I can possibly muster has saved me from having to buy waist £154 on a tv license! (2 fingers up at the BBC) 😎🤟
Cory, I’m just getting back into fish keeping since quitting back in 1994 when there was no RU-vid. Your channel was the first one I found dealing with aquariums. I can’t thank you enough for sharing your wisdom and experience! I bought a used 80 gallon aquarium which is running with the big Marineland filter you just demonstrated how to optimize... You’re awesome! Keep it up!
@@KatieDeGo Hi, Kate. The fish I got with the 80 gallon tank are all fine. Unfortunately, the tank itself sprang a leak about 2 weeks after I got it, dumped about 40 gallons of water on my Brazilian cherry hardwood floor, and got replaced with a new 75 gallon tank. We had already moved my Red Devil, Bob (the Builder) into his own tank due to his frequent attacks on my Oscar. My new 125 gallon will be set up as soon as the room is finished, the wall needs a few spots patched and painted (MUCH easier to do BEFORE we fill the 125 with water, etc.,) so it should be finished this month.
Kept a tank for 9 years knowing I would use it one day, that day has arrived finally and I must say, you are the absolute most informative. That's to watching many of your videos, I'm learning so much!!!
I’ve had a fish tank for sooo long, got one when I was young, I’m 20 now and looking more into things and glad I saw this video... I spend so much on cartridges so I hope this works! I just don’t get how the bio wheels filter stuff?? Lol
That was an information POWERHOUSE!!! thanks so much..I'm going to put sponges on all my HOB filters..and probably throw out those cartridges I spend a fortune on...I do love my bio-wheel though i have it packed like you did with tons of media but i am going to add a sponge to the intake. Awesome I learned a great deal thank you
I would Cut some trenches across the back of the sponge you stick in the canister filter because they tend to clog up and then the water just flows over the top and most of it is a dead spot, if you can keep the water flowing to the back it will hit more of the foam and get rid of dead spotsAlso in some of them putting some bio rings on the bottom will allow the water to get through better and work its way up through the sponge
If anyone doubts a sponge on the intake... I took mine off to clean it and noticed it was pinched/collapsed. Run for a while, everything is fine, I pull the Java moss out of that intake every so often because java moss... I pull out everything, notice a bunch of trash from the moss....aaaaand a pile of baby fish, just chilling. Glad to have found them, but that wouldn’t have ever been a thing, if I had kept on the sponge!
Fyi..petsmart and many LFS sell the fluval edge intake sponge. It is closed on one end. Yes it is smaller but I run them on all my intakes. On filters from aqua clear 110 to fluval canisters to aqua clear 20. The hole on it is easyally adaptable to all intake sizes (it's stretchable). It's blocks all debris and my discus love eating off it. Best of all..lts 3$ canadian.
Those silly filter cartridges are an expensive waste. If you are on the fence about what is better, go with the intake sponge and stone or ceramic media bag. I built my own custom inserts for my h.o.b. filter and it is so effective and reusable. I rarely use carbon, but have it on hand for emergencies as well as a bottle of beneficial bacteria and good old sea salt. When I bought the store's filters, the fish got shocked every time I replaced it and it was difficult to get the tank's chemistry in balance. Glad I found this video back then, it's a fishy lifesaver.
Dang, I got multiple tank syndrome x4 😐. Seriously though, thanks Cory! I just finished setting up my 4th tank (90 gallons 30 gal sump....I'm going to go to school for marine biology...I have a problem...you guys understand 😂) and I'm turning my 10 gallon into an Indian drawf puffer tank with a whisper 20. Being as it's a planted tank I'm not using carbon. I had some spare fluval foam sitting around so I cut it up and stuck it in my filter and added a sponge pre filter and the filter works amazingly (halfway through the cycle on day 3 😐). Anyways, thanks, Cory! For always enabling a young aquarist with new ideas. 😁
This is so stupidly simple that I've overlooked it. I have large systems. And this principle is customizable to big sump environments. I can't believe I've overlooked such a usable amount of realestate. Thank you!
Problem with changing your filter layout so much is that, one, you're reducing your turnover rate significantly by packing it full of media, two, you're significantly increasing your risk of overflow when that media plugs up, and three, you're changing your filter from a flow through to a flow up or trickle down, which isn't ideal for the design of an hob other than a handful of specialized ones.
I love this video, you could line the bottoms with bio rings and put the sponge on top increasing bio area thus increasing bio load, more sponge is good but i like using them in combination plus a final layer of filter floss
WOW I wished I had watched this last year when I started!!! Thank you so much for this information. This has changed my life & my fishes life to. Great, great video.
I love this idea. I have a 20 gal tall with a aqueon 30 and was getting really tired of the red flashing light on the regular while it was doing a half assed job. I was looking at upgrading to a small canister or something. Instead, I got some charcoal baggies, ceramic media, mesh bag, and some sponge material. The carbon bag fits perfect behind the water pick-up area. I filled the reservoir almost full of the ceramic media in the mesh bag with enough room for the sponge to sit on top. Next is a sponge for the intake. Cheaper than a new filter and could tell a difference in the water clarity within an hour.
