Sponges & feeding...

Dan D' Man · Post by **Dan D' Man** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 3:29 pm

I'm a long-time fishkeeper, but new to Zebras, so I would appreciate any help. I got 7 small Zebras (about 1.2") in a 12 gal tank and another 6 Zebras (1.2" to 2.5") in another 30 gal tank. The tanks are connected to a central filtration system; therefore the inflow tubes cycle the tanks about 6 times per hour. The aquariums are drilled to drain, so the out-flow is PVC tubes that end with strainers on the surface. I read somewhere here that if you put sponges, the Zebras can grace of all the collected food on the sponges. I can use 90 degree angles to bring down the PVC tubes & replace strainers with sponges. Questions: what distance from the bottom should the sponges be placed? How much is enough feeding? I read somewhere that people feed twice a day. I'm feeding once at night, Kevin Korotev's formula, which has a lot of small particles & it creates a swirl with so much current. I feed about 1/2 a teaspoon on each feeding. I do find some leftovers in the mornings, which I vacuum off. Is my feeding enough? too much for their size? Thanks. Dan

valhallan · Post by **valhallan** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 4:30 pm

Hey Dan,

I think you'll run into problems if you add a 90 degree elbow facing down into your tank from the drilled hole. The overflow will only work if the level of the water entering the strainer/sponge is at or higher than the level of the hole itself. It might work if you created a siphon in the outflow pipe, but then you run into problems if the power ever goes out, ie. your entire tank will empty down to the point at which you have the outflow tube.

I'd say your best bet would probably be to grab an air powered sponge filter or something similar and use that instead

Val

Dan D' Man · Post by **Dan D' Man** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 4:50 pm

Val, you're right about the syphon..had a lot of near-empty experiences with that...LOL. How you solve the problem is by drilling holes right at the 90 degree elbow, thus breaking the syphon effect. The inflow tube is higher, so the water level will always be at the drilled hole level, even with power outages. So, the effect is that part of the water being pushed out comes from the end and part from the top holes on the elbow. I have a similar setup with my 600 gallon above-grownd pond and it works like a charm.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 5:07 pm

hi Dan

I made a thing called a Durso Standpipe. It works by allowing the water to pass over the actual overflow height.

Here's a quick photo.

As Val points out youmust ensure that you do not get a syphon effect, this can be achieved by drilling a hole in the top of the Tee.

The set-up is comprised of the following
Tee ( capped at top)
1 Elbow

Downpipe with Slats cut for waterflow.

You must be careful to ensure that the total surface are of the slats is greater than the surface area of the cross-section of the pipe, otherwise you will restrict the flow.

The Hole on top of the Tee should be drilled little at a time until syphon stops.

It does work well and greatly reduces the noise of the system. It is a bti of a nightmare to work out however!! I have a sponge on the bottom tank outflow like you suggested, and it works a treat.

Have a look at this and see what you think.

http://www.rl180reef.com/180/pages/stan ... e-menu.htm

have fun

Rob[/img]

valhallan · Post by **valhallan** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 5:43 pm

Looks like you've got it figured Dan

I would assume those holes on the elbow would also act as a siphon break if it came to that. I did something similar on my wet/dry system, but that was on the return instead of the overflow.

Val

Des · Post by **Des** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 6:39 pm

Dan D'Man,

Can't help you with your filtration, But I find that zebras are happy to eat off the floor so to speak. What substrate do you use, if any?.
The sponge idea was I believe to stop the food from escaping into the filter, which the fish then feed on.
Could you tell us a little about Kevins formula? in order to answer question on feed quantity.
I too, most of the time, feed a home made frozen mix (McEves recipe shown elsewhere on this forum as a sticky) , that I find stays compacted if fed frozen, But disintegrates and goes everywhere if thawed prior to feeding.
Regarding feed timing,I started feeding my zebras late at night when I first got them but as I fed them earlier and earlier, they have tended to come out to feed during the day, which they quite get used to.
My one week old babies are on two feeds, one in the morning and one in the evening.

Regards,
Des.

Dan D' Man · Post by **Dan D' Man** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 6:52 pm

[quote="Rob"]hi Dan

I made a thing called a Durso Standpipe. It works by allowing the water to pass over the actual overflow height.

This is a great idea...never saw something like it. Too bad it won't work for me,...you see I drill my tanks on the sidewalls, about 1" from the top. They told me that most new tanks have tempered glass on the bottom, so I stay away from it. Having slits along the pipe might help, though. Once I had 12 tanks in a three-tier level, when I used to breed Discus...it work well. It did sounded like Niagara Falls, but I just love the sound of moving water

Dan D' Man · Post by **Dan D' Man** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 7:07 pm

Des wrote:Dan D'Man,

Can't help you with your filtration, But I find that zebras are happy to eat off the floor so to speak. What substrate do you use, if any?.
Could you tell us a little about Kevins formula? Des.

Hi Des; I use coarse white sand (as opposed to fine sand). My rationale behind it is because it is part of their natural environment & my Zebras have a lot of growing to do before I think about bare tanks. I've observed that under the driftwoods, they dig their own "private spots", instead of going to caves at this early age. Seeing them digging holes is beautiful...they use their fins like wings and move them as fast as hummingbirds. It seems like something they like to do, plus it gives them exercise. I think it is a psychological plus. Now, cleaning sand is another story...

About Kevin's formula...I can't tell you what's in it, but I can tell you what it looks like: imagine finelly chopped marijuana with micro red/pinkish-hot dogs

. It is dried & I keep it in zip-lock bags. He told me not to put them in the fridge, but on a cool area. He used to use lamb, as his secret recipe and the zebras would go crazy on it...but he stopped using it, because he wasn't sure if it was good or not for Zebras. I think I'll ask for his formula & post here, with his permission. That's the only thing I feed all my Zebras, I think there are more than 7 ingredients involved.

Dan D' Man · Post by **Dan D' Man** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 7:42 pm

Des wrote:Dan D'Man,

What substrate do you use, if any?.
Des.

One thing I forgot to tell you....my larger Zebras are original, wild-caught (not tank raised)and they just love to dig holes, so I must assume that this is a natural behavior. Please pm me if you want to know how I know they were wild caught. On my older Zebras I use coarse sand and on my 1.2" Zebras I use fine sand....the babies dig holes just the same!

KenW · Post by **KenW** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 8:36 pm

Hi Dan,

You should try using a PVC T instead of the 90 degree at the drilled hole location so you can still bring it down to the bottom. You should have one opening pointing straight up and the other to the bottom. This will not siphon since it will only drain to the level of the hole. Infact this will give you a back up overflow if the bottom sponge is clogged.

Ken

Dan D' Man · Post by **Dan D' Man** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 10:00 pm

KenW wrote:Hi Dan,

You should try using a PVC T instead of the 90 degree at the drilled hole location so you can still bring it down to the bottom. You should have one opening pointing straight up and the other to the bottom. This will not siphon since it will only drain to the level of the hole. Infact this will give you a back up overflow if the bottom sponge is clogged.

Ken

Hummm, now we're getting creative! I like the idea of a "T", but I also like my outflow to act as a surface skimmer. I think I can take the "T", one opening pointing down, one pointing parallel to the surface and one to the bulkhead. So the one pointing to the surface ends up with a strainer...& skims the surface. I got to try it to see if it has enough suction power to pull from the bottom end w/sponge....here goes experimenting...

KenW · Post by **KenW** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 10:59 pm

Dan,

Never tried it that way. I don't know if it will have enough suction for the bottom. Give it a try.

Ken

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 11:14 pm

If you do keep the top of the tee open, make sure that none of the down pipes are on the horizontal or this will cause a backlog of air which will cause a flushing effect.

Rob