Need help choosing equipment.

J

joel

Guest
Hello,
I've been buying a few supplies for my tank, soon to hold some N.v.v, most likely... And I'm really looking for a screen top and a filter.

Now, the screen top, Is a ridiculous 30 dollars at the petstore, so I intend to craft my own, and am curious what sorts of amterials I should use, can anyone help there?

The filter, I was thinknig of the waterfall type, having it splash onto some rocks to dissipate the current... I've also ehard those "fluval" ones recommended... what should i be looknig for specifically in filters?

Aside from that, I ahve the tank, a temperature guage, and solutions to remove chlorine/chloramine and a solution to add that beneficial sorta bacteria.... anything else that I should look into acquiring?

Look forward to your advice,
happy.gif

Joel.
 
Hi Joel,

I have had good luck with the Whisper internal filters. They don't look like much, but seem to do the job. It has a waterfall type out-put. I do baffle the out-put with a wine glass, and a plate on top of that. This way the water disperses nicely in the tank without much turbulence. I also stuff a bag of ceramic pieces (Fluval prefilter media) for added biological filtration. (There are other medias such as lava rock that you could also use.) I keep these same pieces and rinse only in dechlorinated water and reuse them. I also use the Fluval 2plus, but I they don't have much filter/bio media area, and seem to clog quickly. I am impressed (so far) with a Cascade internal filter. It has a large media area, and good out-put control. I prefer this make over the Fluval. I also use Duettos, very reliable, and they keep running, but they also do not have much media area.

Also, use the larger size gravel. That way you shouldn't have gravel ingestion problems. And look into adding live plants (lots of them preferably). The newts will love the environment, and the plants help to "clean", and balance your tank.

I don't know what size tank you have, but 30 bucks seems exorbitant. Should you make your own, you can make a wood frame with vinyl screen. I would stay away from metals -- although I do have store bought metal screen lids for a couple of my tanks. Someone on this forum should know what metals are safe, and which ones are not.

I am sure that other forum members will have different, and better ideas for you.

Have fun!
happy.gif
 
Hi Joel,

When you say "waterfall" filter, do you mean the internal kind that you hook up to tubing to create a waterfall, or the kind that hangs on the side of the tank? The hang-on kind wouldn't work with a screen lid. If you mean the internal kind, be sure you can attach tubing to it; I know this works with the Duetto, not so sure about the Fluval.

Yeah $30 is insane. Petsmart sells a 10-gallon screen lid for about $6. Larger ones are more, but not that much. I use the metal ones coated in black paint; if they rust, I recoat them with plasticized paint. I made a screen lid for one of my tanks using Velcro and "pet screen" material, but the Velcro wasn't exactly cheap. It's a fun DIY project though, if you're into that.
 
Ah, thank you, Pamela

Yeah, my tank is a 20 gallon, so 30$ for a screen top that looked pretty cheap seemed quite a rip-off to me. Canadian prices, but still... I believe I seen the Whisper filters in wal-mart, and was impressed with them myself.

I've had a fun time looking at filters, I msut say... One store was advertising an (up to) 90% off clearance sale, and their filters (at 50% off)still cost more than an equal filter at Wal-mart.

My other concern is filtration related as well, what types of filter need I put inside the filter device? Should they simply come with the filter, or is that somethig else I need to get?
Are any plants generally okay? Or are there a select few I should stick to?
 
I wasn't actually thinknig of the tubing kind, but now that you mention it, it seems like a better way to do it.
I'll try and look into the duetto and cascade ones, there's not much selection in the stores around here though. Pets Unlimited is our only big carrier of supplies within an hour or two's drive, and they're not exactly cheap. I'm looking at anywheres from 50$ canadian and up for a filter there.

Could you explain this tubing idea to me? I assume it entails hooking the output of the filter up to some tubing, then running it up int a dish above water level or something? That could work to create a nice "bird-bath" sort of effect. I think I really like this idea.
 
Hi Joel,

With the Whisper 20i (an internal basket filter for a 20g tank), it initially comes w/a filter cartridge, and a small, thin, sponge for bio filtration (not much to it, which is why I add my own mesh bag with the ceramic stars). Wal-Mart keeps the filter cartridges in stock. I use the Duettos without the tubing. As far as a bird bath effect, the wine glass, and plate set-up pretty much look like a bird bath. I will have to send you pics of my setups.

Also, I don't know if the shipping costs (to Canada) would make purchasing from Petsmart a feasible idea, but you can order filter systems from them on-line at much less cost than purchasing at a store (even w/shipping costs).

Plants are GREAT -- they keep your tank healthy, and your newts will love them. There is a plant section here with some good info. The elodea plant is my favorite. But I also use hornwort, bacopa, and java moss. I have just started to use water hyacinth, and some smaller floating plants with the same feathery roots as the hyacinth. I am still searching the internet for what these plants are.

Anyway, it is a fun hobby. Good luck.
happy.gif
 
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