Question: External Canister Filter Intake/Return Spray Bar/ Weighted Sponge Filter Location Placement/ BB Transfer

[CaprieW]

I have a 55 gallon long tank filled a little above halfway I’d say -14 gallons out of 55 gallons. I cannot figure out the best placement for my intake and return spray bar. How low do I place the intake as low to the bottom as it’ll go or midway? Where should it be placed for best circulation with minimum flow far left back or front, far right back or front, back side in the middle, front side in the middle, the sides in the corner or the middle of the sides? Where should the return spray bar be placed? Which direction do I put it towards the glass, facing up, underwater, straight down, directly on water surface to agitate it? Where would I place my sponge filter as well once the other filter is in place? Currently the intake is in the far right backside corner midway down and the return is middle backside with the spray bar towards the glass as my lotls got stressed yesterday when I was testing it out for circulation and underwater flow so I stopped messing with it and turned the pressure down as much as possible to ease the flow for them. I didn’t want to over stress them. Speckles wasn’t happy they’re like what is that make it stop nugget stayed hidden in the hideout. Also how do I transfer my BB to my canister filter from my 1st double sponge filter that needs to be taken out asap. I had gotten a better sponge filter approx 3 weeks ago that is weighted for the bottom of the tank instead of the side clinger one. It’s my filter that has the most BB in it and has been in my tank since June. Can I fill up my bucket with water from the tank & squeeze the good brown stuff out of the filters then start my canister filter intake and return in the bucket to suck it up or will it clog my new filter? I just don’t want to crash my tank by accident if my colony is on my double sponges. The double sponge filter has to get out though it’s clogging and causing my nitrates to rise constantly. I’ve done a good shake off in tank water a few weeks ago but the filters honestly needed replaced but I couldn’t really replace them even though I had replacement sponges as I was rebuilding my BB from a partially crashed tank, and didn’t want to remove the BB that I currently had. I do have ceramic balls in the cups attached to the sponge filter though could I just transfer those to the canister filter or do both move the balls and filter the good brown stuff from the sponges to the canister? Any advice would help as I’m doing a water change today. I would consider myself a beginner on aquarium care and axolotls so I’m learning but forums and the Internet searches aren’t helping me as some info I cannot find and others have conflicting opinions/information from users on forums.

P.S. in the near but soon future I am planting my tank so the intake and return placements will need to be for a medium/heavily planted tank. I’m researching the ecosystem from the lake to create a home that can almost mimic their descendants habitat. Also I don’t always have that light on usually it’s dimmed to the lowest setting which makes it barely visible and it’s either orange or yellow at night and turned off during the day unless I’m cleaning the tank or feeding.

 

[wolfen]

normally inlet and outlets are placed at the back at opposite ends ie.. back left corner and back right corner, ensure inlet has a sponge or guard over it to prevent accidents, due to having substrate/sand place inlet around half way to reduce sand being sucked up, place spray bar facing glass at a downward 45° above the water (the spray needs to hit the glass before the water), have it along the end piece of glass (not the back) to allow for good circulation.
filter/bb, keep old filter in tank for a few weeks with the new filter to minimise bacteria disturbance (although squeezing out filter media will transfer some bacteria the majority will be adhered to the media)
nitrates are the end product of the nitrogen cycle and are a sign that the cycle is active, an increase in nitrates is a good sign not a sign of a faulty bad filter, reduction is done through water changes, plants, special media or reactors, it filter is clogging reduce time between maintenance/cleaning.

 

[CaprieW]

normally inlet and outlets are placed at the back at opposite ends ie.. back left corner and back right corner, ensure inlet has a sponge or guard over it to prevent accidents, due to having substrate/sand place inlet around half way to reduce sand being sucked up, place spray bar facing glass at a downward 45° above the water (the spray needs to hit the glass before the water), have it along the end piece of glass (not the back) to allow for good circulation.
filter/bb, keep old filter in tank for a few weeks with the new filter to minimise bacteria disturbance (although squeezing out filter media will transfer some bacteria the majority will be adhered to the media)
nitrates are the end product of the nitrogen cycle and are a sign that the cycle is active, an increase in nitrates is a good sign not a sign of a faulty bad filter, reduction is done through water changes, plants, special media or reactors, it filter is clogging reduce time between maintenance/cleaning.

Honestly thank you I posted here and Reddit and you are the only one to respond with advice.