What Is This Thing?

[Tolak]

They always overrate air pumps, and you can always bleed off some air. Rena are supposed to be one of your more quiet pumps, though all air pumps will make some noise.

 

[indir-emir]

Okay cool ill try to get my hands on the Rena 100 at a store for her

Thanks everyone,
Indir

 

[LauraFrog]

You should see if you can get some bio-ceramics at your LFS and replace the carbon (the black stuff) with them. Then you can change the floss every month or so when it gets dirty, as with only one betta changing half the filter media at once is fine. From the photo it looks as if there's a little plastic thing in the top that you would fit a piece of air tubing onto. If that's the case, the supply from the pump goes directly into it. Otherwise if there's just a wide tube leading down, you will need to buy an airstone and put that on the end of the tubing. If there is no cap to hold the airstone down you'll need to tie it in with cable ties. If the airline attaches directly to the filter this won't be a problem.

As the air rises, the water in the tube it rises from will be sucked up with it. This creates enough suction to draw water across the filter media through the slats in the sides. It's not a powerful filter even if you ram a huge amount of air through it, so it's ideal for a betta but not for a fully stocked tank.

 

[indir-emir]

Yeah i was going to give it to my girlfriend for her betta tank so it should be fine. Ill have to find a cheap pump so that it will work well lol.

By the way, what does bio ceramics look like? Ive got a whole bunch of things that i dont know what they are

Regards,
Indir

 

[Tolak]

It's not a powerful filter even if you ram a huge amount of air through it, so it's ideal for a betta but not for a fully stocked tank.

If you run 3 lpm of air through one of those it will be neck & neck with a power filter. Get past 4 lpm and it will beat a properly sizes hob.

They filter a 29 gallon as well as an AC50, for less initial cost and less cost to run. I got rid of all of the Aqua Clears in my fishroom, all replaced with box filters almost identical to the round ones pictured. My pump puts out 85 lpm, at 2.18 psi, running many of these. Ramming a huge amount of air is no problem, they are a common filter for centralized air systems with larger pumps. Most of my tanks are beyond fully stocked.

 

[indir-emir]

I run an external fluval in my 20 gallon tank, but this was just so that she didnt have to go out and buy a filter since i have one here.

Regards,
Indir

 

[Tolak]

That's why I suggested the smaller pump, which runs about 1 lpm. That should be more than enough for a betta tank, they don't like a lot of flow.

The ceramic bio media will look like a stone sort of ball, or hollowish noodle. Some look like smallish rocks, the difference being they are very porous, giving much more surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize. They are very light weight, similar to lava rock, aquarists have used lava rock for bio media.

 

[indir-emir]

Ahh cool well i have a small amount of those hollow noodles so ill replace that for the betta tank.

Thanks,
Indir

 

[Inchworm]

It's not a powerful filter even if you ram a huge amount of air through it, so it's ideal for a betta but not for a fully stocked tank.

If you run 3 lpm of air through one of those it will be neck & neck with a power filter. Get past 4 lpm and it will beat a properly sizes hob.

They filter a 29 gallon as well as an AC50, for less initial cost and less cost to run. I got rid of all of the Aqua Clears in my fishroom, all replaced with box filters almost identical to the round ones pictured. My pump puts out 85 lpm, at 2.18 psi, running many of these. Ramming a huge amount of air is no problem, they are a common filter for centralized air systems with larger pumps. Most of my tanks are beyond fully stocked.

I never knew that! I did the same thing. Sometimes the old fashioned way is the best. After replacing impeller after impeller due to sand getting sucked up or burning out the motor when it didn't restart when the electricity flickered on and off, I just gave up on them. I've never regretted it. Two or three will do fine on even a well stocked 55 gallon tank.

You should see if you can get some bio-ceramics at your LFS and replace the carbon (the black stuff) with them. Then you can change the floss every month or so when it gets dirty, as with only one betta changing half the filter media at once is fine.

All you need is the filter floss and it will last a long time. Just rinse it out in tank water when the flow starts to slow down and put it back into the filter. It will eventually stain dark, but as long as it's not clogged, you can use it until it literally falls apart. Since your beneficial bacteria is in it, never replace the whole thing at once.

 

[Tolak]

Yea, it took me a couple of years of listening to older aquarists, along with an ever growing tangle (fire hazard!) of filter cords, to finally realize this was the way to go. I thought they were dumpy looking things, almost a step below ugf, until an older guy showed me what happens when he shut off the bleed from his pump.

He usually bled off quite a bit of air when people were around, just so you could talk at a normal volume. World of difference, I'd never go back.