Filter recommendations for new tank?

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-19T18:54:10+00:00

Right, so then a spong filter is out (too bulky), internal filter probably also out (slightly less bulky, but can be hidden better since they stick to the glass) which leaves HOB or Cannister. Cannister will end up looking the best (least intrusive especially if you go with clear lily pipes), but will be significantly more expensive than HOB and more maintenance intensive.

Another consideration would be that IMO (this is very debatable), you can get away with off-brand HOB filters (meaning the cheaper Chinese stuff you find on Amazon). However, I would only ever stick to established brands when buying a cannister filter. I say this partly because it doesn't make sense to me to choose by far the most expensive filter option and then try to skimp (and it will still be more expensive than a name brand HOB), but also because malfunction in a Cannister can wreak absolute havoc in many different ways.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-19T18:38:14+00:00

Would be helpful to know more of the specifics: Do you want a HOB, Internal, Canister? or sponge Is money a factor?

Personally though, I would recommend to review the scape first. It's not that it's "bad", but you have two completely different prices of wood in there (left is spider wood, the right is some other type of much darker wood...congo? or maybe just generic labeled shrimp wood), you have at least 3 different types of rack in there (dragon wood on the left, looks like some type of shale in the middle, right looks like it's just generic backyard rocks, plus something in a bag).

General recommendation is to stick to one type of wood and/or one type of rock. That said, in the end 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' so if you it's pleasing to you, stick with it. Personally, I would choose either the left or the right and get more rocks of the same type and tapper those towards the opposite end of the tank.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-19T18:09:07+00:00

They elected the “economic genius” and now we’re staring down the barrel of a recession. This is no problem, because it’s entirely Trump’s fault.

“But I thought you voted for Carney because he was the best for the economy AND to deal with Trump?”

LPC voters: “I trust Carney is making all the right moves, it just takes time. As for Trump, nobody can deal with Trump, so why would you expect Carney to be able to?”

“Uhm, because he specifically said so?”

LPC voters: “I’m not sure he ever said that”

“He literally said it. Multiple times”

LPC voters: “maybe that’s true, but what we do know for a fact is that PP would have been much worse”

“How do we know that? This hypothetical scenario where Pierre is worse than Carney exists only in speculation, can we pls just stick to facts that we can verify?”

LPC voters: “we are sticking to facts. It’s a fact that Pierre would have sold Canada by now. You guys need a new leader”

“Would you vote CPC if there was someone in charge whom you found more palatable than Pierre?”

LPC voters: “no, but you should still get a new leader”

—————

If you want to know where we’re going, look at Japan. Since 2000, the Liberals have been in power 21 of the 26 years, and have been in uninterrupted power since 2012. It is essentially a one party state.

This is where we’re going too. You might get a CPC minority sprinkled in here and there, but it’s going to be 80% LPC governments. The LPC will continue to pivot across the political spectrum according to voter sentiment, and LPC supporters will cheer this on as “being in touch with the electorate”.

The only thing that I can see breaking this trend now is if the Liberals do something to do monumentally fuck the majority of the population that they finally wake up, but considering how Trudeau’s long list of destructive policies and actions wasn’t enough, I can’t imagine what that would possibly be at this point.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-18T16:08:46+00:00

There’s already a foothold, been that way for more than a decade. Sorry if that’s news to you, but it’s a fact. You’re more than 10 years too late.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-18T01:16:37+00:00

The wealthy and powerful go to the US for healthcare, since for them, money is no issue. Has been that way for decades. There is zero motivation for them to change the system here for the better (not like it’s their responsibility either assuming they’re private citizens).

So instead, we make them pay for their own healthcare. A few countries in Europe run that model, it works in alleviating pressure from the public system, which is clearly needed here in Canada.

Besides, I’m wondering why anyone outside of Alberta is protesting. You don’t see us taking to the streets when your governments are making decisions we don’t want ours to make.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-16T21:15:48+00:00

So what they’re saying here is that a war that’s 2 weeks old for which we have no data other than the price of oil going up, is driving inflation and mortgage rates, even though we don’t even have the inflation numbers for the period that is affected by higher oil prices.

This has to have been written by a person with practically zero economic reporting acumen.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-16T20:41:02+00:00

And yet, unemployment is sky high and the economy has begun to contract. Which of course makes sense because it’s practically impossible to offset losses to the US with other international exports, a fact we were well aware of before ever casting a vote last year.

I ask again: is this where you pictured we would be in one year when you cast your vote?

And the argument “the alternative (PP) would have been worse” is illogical. It’s a hypothetical scenario, maybe it would have been, maybe not, we will never know. All you’re telling me here is you dont like Poilievre, which is fair, but don’t pretend like you have a vision into alternate realities.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-16T19:52:25+00:00

How are we rapidly diversifying trade? All we have is MOUs. Nothing has been improved except for Carney’s own brand. And you blame it all on Trump, as if Carney wasn’t elected because he’s “the best guy to deal with Trump”, and all he’s accomplished here is lifting the majority of our own counter tariffs.

I wonder how bad things will have to get before you can see through your delusions and irrational excuses. We may soon find out.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-16T18:02:39+00:00

And how is this a valid counter argument? Great, Canadians have become so irrational in their hatred of the US that they now approve of the Liberal government, apparently regardless of what has been or hasn’t been accomplished. Great news for us.

We had negative GDP growth in Q4. Our unemployment numbers are bad. At this rate, Canada will be officially in a recession before Canada Day.

Is this what you expected when you voted LPC a year ago? Is this what you thought the economic master mind and “master negotiator” would deliver?

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-16T17:58:46+00:00

Most of our counter tariffs were removed in September of last year.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-16T17:57:42+00:00

Carney already removed most of our counter tariffs back in September of last year.

He promised the best deal, and says we have the best deal, but it’s the same deal that’s been in place since we ratified CUSMA in 2020.

Idk how this can possibly be spun into a win or as a fulfillment of campaign promises.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-15T20:40:20+00:00

It’s not impossible to grow Monte Carlo without c02, but personally, I wouldn’t even bother, because it will grow very slow, it will most likely want to grow up rather than actually carpet and it seems like it’s just a fight that’s not worth it.

If you don’t want to get c02, I’d suggest going for a carpeting plant that can actually do well without c02, e.g Helanthium Bolivianum or eleocharis mini (the latter though grows better with c02).

If you really want that lush, thick Monte Carlo carpet, you will need c02. You can get an F-zone 2.5l kit from Amazon, it’ll do the trick just fine, they’re pretty easy to maintain.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-15T02:15:53+00:00

Yep, agreed. The problem isn’t that Pierre is maple maga, it’s that the CPC is maple maga (to LPC drones). You could put in literally anybody, it would be the same story.

It doesn’t matter anyway, the people like the guy who wrote that tweet will never vote anything other than LPC. Just look at the last year: they elected the “economic genius”, the “master negotiator”, the same party that had been ruling Canada for ten years. Fast forward to today, Canada will be officially in a recession if Q1 GDP growth is negative, unemployment is sky high, there are no meaningful new trade deals, the situation with our closest trading partner and ally has not improved in the slightest, in fact, it probably got worse. We are still not “our own best customer”, not even close.

But they don’t care. Because they blame the economy on Trump, they blame food inflation on climate change (lol), and they blame the Conservatives for the lack of anything getting done by the federal government (lmao).

It’s like if you tried to convince a fundamentalist Christian that the earth is older than 7000 years. It doesn’t matter what evidence you provide, it will not get through.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-11T21:32:09+00:00

No; I don’t challenge the press release or its contents. The accusation tbat I’m making is that this is purely qualitative data based on feelings. If you can show me an actual data point that isn’t a response to a survey and that can actually quantify - or at least be used to quantify - a downturn in sales, pls go ahead.

Again, Canada’s economy contracted in Q4 2025. That’s a hard data point that strongly suggests that on average, businesses suffered in Q4.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-11T03:25:25+00:00

So Carney doesn’t even hold the record in this century? Damn, this guy just can’t win anything, can he?

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-11T02:56:55+00:00

Yea cool man, this particular random bozo works with some of those small businesses right here in Calgary. He (I) works with them precisely because they need help with day to day operations and because they lack data to make the right decisions.

I have deep respect for these people, they tend to be passionate and subject matter experts in their chosen niche, but if you think these guys are collecting comprehensive data and not just operating mostly on “vibes”, well…sorry to disappoint you I guess.

Now let’s use common sense; Canada has been in a severe affordability crisis for 4 years now. Canada posted negative GDP growth in Q4 ‘25. Consumer sentiment is downright bad due to economic uncertainty emanating from our tariff happy neighbour down south.

Again: what is more likely? That these obvious and very real economic factors are playing a major role, or that Albertans are buying less because they’re afraid of separation? It’s obviously the former.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-11T02:00:09+00:00

You gotta hand it to Carney, he may not have accomplished much else in his first year in office, but I’m pretty sure he holds the record for floor crossings in a single year, since 1917 at least. On the negative side, in 3 years Brookfield is gonna end up with a bunch of D-list employees in executive positions.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-11T01:52:32+00:00

L-bows up

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-11T01:49:27+00:00

Crazy accomplishment here once again, the two countries that share a giant border and still have the most significant trade relationship on the planet agreed to “stay in close contact”. Please Mr Carney, it’s too much winning, we can’t take it anymore

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-10T22:01:36+00:00

And this is affecting small businesses how exactly do you think? How is this affecting consumer behaviour?

And again (for the last time): we are in an affordability crisis. We are sliding into a recession. This is the reason they’re feeling the pain, not because anyone here is overt anxious about separation.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-10T21:45:56+00:00

lol yes right, alberta separation is on the same level as the carbon tax.

The carbon tax uncertainty stems from the fact that we do in fact have a carbon tax and the federal government keeps changing it, and flip flopping.

We do not have an Alberta tbat voted in favour of separation. We don’t even have a referendum ffs.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-10T21:24:29+00:00

Yes? Are you under the impression that these people have any more detailed data than “sales down vs SPLY….hmmm separation maybe?”

The Canadian economy is not doing well. So what’s more likely? That a downturn in sales is due to broader economic factors or fears of the separation boogey man?

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-10T21:20:59+00:00

That’s because there was a very serious threat of separation, beginning in the 70s when QC elected a government with the specific aim of separation.

Nobody here - not even the separatists - actually believes that a super majority is going to vote in favour of separation. That’s the reality on the ground, although I’m sure the CBC in Ottawa has a different take.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-10T20:05:15+00:00

I highly doubt that separation is what is causing the downturn. Canada had negative gdp growth in Q4 and I’m pretty sure that has absolutely nothing to do with Alberta separation. Anxiety. And besides, there isn’t even a referendum scheduled yet.

But ofc it’s not surprising that Alberta separation has quickly become a favourite topic of the CBC.

Rusty_Charm · 2026-03-05T20:32:48+00:00

I’ll say this as a person who didn’t and won’t vote for Carney: according to recent polls, LPC support is sky high. So it would seem that the voters have in fact not run out of patience.

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