Cichlids by Sanderling

The Fluval G Series Hydrotech is here…

// November 19th, 2009 // 8 Comments » // Equipment Reviews, Filtration, Fluval G Series Canister Filter

The latest ‘must have’ addition to the fish room is the new Fluval G- Series  filter. We recently aquired a new G-6 model for an independant technical review  in our fish room.

This compact little unit is rated for superior filtration performance on a 160 gallon (600 L) at a flow rate of  265 gph (1000 L/hr). It offers the traditional mechanical and biological filtration that all fishkeepers know and love, in addition to chemical filtration, with the ability to remove nuisance compounds like nitrates and phosphates. Of particular interest is an onboard processor and sensor array that measures conductivity and temperature of the system water, storing up to 48 days worth of historical data for trending purposes. The liquid crystal display also includes counters to advise when it is time to perform maintenance on the chemical, mechanical or biological filter media.

Fluval claims that the bio-media requires maintenance at six month intervals and packages it deep inside the highly compact, low power consumption enclosure. The chemical and mechanical filter media is easily removed from access wells located on the top of the unit, eliminating the need to dismantle the filter and disrupt the bio-media. All in all the G Series looks impressive and  recently there has been a lot marketing hype on the internet and the trade show circuit. Fluval has been ‘talking the the talk ‘as the next  generation in aquarium filter technology- but does it ‘walk the walk?’

Over the next couple of days Sanderling will be putting this product through it’s paces, first with a documentation and set up review and then in the days and weeks that follow, we’ll measure performance, maintainability and post comments from other users. Make sure you check back on a regular basis as we drive what looks like a thoroughbred filter around the performance track !

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Theo 400 Watt Heater Failure Could Have Been a Major Disaster

// October 29th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Equipment Reviews

I purchased a couple Theo 400 Watt submersible heaters by Hydor  about  a year ago and was impressed by several things; the wattage, its reputed unbreakable glass reputation and something Hydor refers to as PTC which I believe stands for ‘power temperature control’. In my recent vertical bio-tower project I included two of them set up a couple of degrees lower than my set point temperature so that they would kick in after major water changes to rapidly restore the system temperature.

Like so many other heater brands this type has proven it can fail so that the heating element remains energized, no matter what the water temperature is and depending on the volume and heat loss characteristics of your system, can cause  runaway temperature, ultimately ending in the death of your fish. My system is sealed in order to prevent heat and humidity loss into the fish room and as a result, even at 400 gallons, can over heat as a result of a defective 400 Watt heater.

I discovered one this morning  in ‘runaway mode’  and measured my water temperature at 40 degrees Celsius-way too hot! As luck would have it, it seems I only lost 2 fish.

Here are a few things you can do to avoid a heater ’cook off ‘ killing your fish;

1. For larger tanks and systems over a 100 gallons, take the total number of heating watts required for your system/tank and divide by three. Round this number up to the nearest wattage size of a good quality heater and use three units instead of one. If one fails so that it won’t heat, your temperature may drop a couple of degrees, which won’t kill your fish but you will be alerted to a possible problem with your heaters.  For smaller setups, divide by two.
2. Check your heaters at least once every six months and more often as they get older. Remember, most heaters will fail in a mode that has them running continuously, waisting energy and potentially killing your fish!
3. Consider installing a high temperature alarm to alert you if there is a problem. Failing that, use the old hand in the water test at least once a day.
4. Always use ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) receptacles or circuit breakers to feed your heaters in case they break and expose live conductors to the aquarium water. Remember electricity and water are poor companions!