[FlyingSheep]

Alright, so I've been going around looking for ideas and just generally exploring when I came across some shrimp specific tanks.


Picture one: http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll191/ewells2420/Fish Tank/2011-08-16_13-38-31_524.jpg

Are those black disks sponge filters? I assume the three little pipe-like ordeals are just for hiding purposes.

Picture two:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=47073&d=1336450294

What exactly am I looking at? I'm rather puzzled as I'm trying to look at this logically. Is that just an extra tanking hanging off the side? I assume the little ball on the left is just for show. More of the black round... things. I'm really convinced they're sponge filters.

And the last exhibit:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33694&d=1313132351

A gravel filtration method?

 

[h4n]

1st = black tubes are cermanic shrimp breeding tubes.

2nd = the hanging thing is a marina breeder box, people use them to selective breed shrimps. The balls are usually some sor tof mineral balls made by a various of companys.

3rd = is indee a under gravel filter system.

 

[creekbottom]

pic 1 - The large black things in both corners are sponge filters, the grey/black disks connected to the green pipe are suction cups on the outside of the tank holding the ehiem pipe in place.

pic 2 - The 'look don't touch' box is a HOB breeder/refugium kind of box. This looks like a shrimp only tank so not sure what it's doing there.

pic 3 - no idea.

of course I could be completely wrong, I've never used any of that equipment. lol.

 

[niko]

1-st picture is an example of the most commonly used sponge filter. The kind that you have to clean on a regular basis because waste builds up in it and the water can't flow through it very well.

There is a sponge specifically designed for fish farming that does not plug up and allows for a biofilter to develop properly without having to be disturbed for cleaning. It is more expensive and that is one reason it is not widely used in the US. The filters on the picture can be had dirt cheap - $3 or so.

2-nd picture - yes, shrim apartment complexes, and mineral balls

3-rd picture - this looks more like one of the ingenious plumbing projects built to inject fertilizers inside the substrate - so they end up right around the roots. There have been a few design implementations like that. It doesn't give any real time advantage over just using rich subsrate.

 

[FlyingSheep]

Wow. My sponge filtration system is actually a sponge. That I bought at my LFS.

I feel so cheap... With my square white... square. And I knew those were suction cups! But thanks. ;P

As for the underground filtration, is that really necessary? I can see the benefits, but I assume you would need two pumps, or a rather unique set-up of pipes to get going.

Also, do you really need the tubes for shrimp to breed? Because I have none and my shrimp aren't breeding.

 

[GeToChKn]

Wow. My sponge filtration system is actually a sponge. That I bought at my LFS.

I feel so cheap... With my square white... square. And I knew those were suction cups! But thanks. ;P

As for the underground filtration, is that really necessary? I can see the benefits, but I assume you would need two pumps, or a rather unique set-up of pipes to get going.

Also, do you really need the tubes for shrimp to breed? Because I have none and my shrimp aren't breeding.

No you don't need tubes. Some people use them, some don't.

The UGF system, again, some use it, some don't. Basically it's just PVC connected to the intake of a canister filter, so instead of the canister pulling water through the intake, it pulls through the substrate, therefore pulling more debris from the substrate and also most people put bio material under there as well to turn the substrate into a live biological filtration bed.

 

[FlyingSheep]

I see, any benefits/risks to the biological bed? Any reason to not have one?

 

[Neatfish]

That breeder box is pretty cool. Wonder if I could get some neon tetras to breed in one.