Filter changes

[momopoms]

Hi,
I wonder if someone can advise me about how often to change filters. I have a 29g (actually two of them) one with a Regent HOB with two filters, and a bag of Zeolite in one side also.

The other tank has a Whisper 30-60 also has two filters, and sponges also, no Zeolite.

The tank with the Regent and the Zeolite has been up a month, am having a rise in nitrites, up to 4.0 daily and necessitating daily large volume water changes to get nitrites down to less than 0.25. This tank has 22 fish, two of which are large goldfish. Also in residence, 3 pink gouramis, 4 cory cats, 10 bloodfin tetras, one bala shark, two clown loaches.



The second tank with the Whisper has been up 3 weeks, and ammonia has only been registering for about a week, at 0.5-1.0 and then only every two to three days, no nitrites at all yet here.
Residents in this tank are 5 guppies, and 10 black skirt tetras.

[Rocketman]

You should never change the filters while cycling, (unless it is unaviodable and you are willing to sacrifice the cycle.) It will generally take 2 weeks for bacteria to seed in the filter media, so if you have something like an aquaclear and you would like to change part of it after 2 weeks, you can if it is absouletly neccesary.

Under normal conditions, however, you will want to change the filters whenever they become so clogged that they are interfering with the amount of water passing through the filter. In a Whisper, for example, once water starts overflowing, (it will happen near the intake,) you may want to consider changing the filter.

[momopoms]

You have been very helpful RocketMan!

Appreciate all the wonderful, helpful members here, you are great!!

Momopoms

:cool:

[Dtman]

I very rarely change filter media or cartriges. I have Aquaclear sponges that are 5 years old. I think many will agree that it is best to just rinse them out in tank water while doing water changes. Every time you change a cartrige or sponge, you are removing beneficial bacteria.

Just a quick question. When you do your water changes, are you also vacuming the gravel? You would be suprised how much gunk works its way down there.

Along the lines of what Rocketman was saying...Dont do the deep gravel vac until your tank is cycled. Best of luck.

[momopoms]

Ok, so now that I am confused, lol...
Do I, or don't I vacuum the gravel?

The tanks are not completely cycled, and I HAVE been vacuuming the gravel with the water changes, but I know there is plenty left for me if I had enough water to vacuum all of it out, as it is, I am using the Python, and going to the glass with the siphon, so guess that qualifies as deep vacuuming.

Any how, I was planning on ( providing the time is right) to only replace one side of the filter at a time, and leaving the old one in the tank for a few days so the beneficial bacteria will be able to establish in the new filter.


Thanks again....

:cool:

[carpguy]

Hi Momopoms,
Like Dtman, I just rinse the sponges and any envelope-type filters in the change bucket using water on its way out. I work them until the gunk is gone.

Ideally, it'd be nice to leave the filters maturing in peace. This may not be possible with your very heavy bioload. If the gunk is starting to impede waterflow through your filter, then your filter isn't really functioning the way it's supposed to. This isn't what you want to have happen.

For the time being keep them clear, in the future keep them clean, but there is no need to replace them on a regular basis. Treat them like kitchen sponges… just rinse them clean unil they start to go, then swap them out in stages.

Another litle tidbit that may help with both this problem and the nitrites… the amount of waste being produced by the fish is directly related to the amount of food they're processing -- feed lightly and maybe even every other day until you finish the cycle. This isn't going to be bad for the fish and will make the whole process less stressful for both you and them.

Edit: likewise the gravel. The decaying material is another source of ammonia and nitrogen. You don't want to do a deep scouring type of cleaning, but it would be good to get as much of that stuff out of there as you can. Try leaving the gravel alone and just pulling the gunk up from above the surface of the substrate.

You're stuck in the middle of a less than ideal situation, you're not going to find an ideal solution… you'll need to work out some compromises. Lesser of two evils sort of thing.

HTH (hope that helps) and good luck… :)

[Matt W]

Originally posted by momopoms
Ok, so now that I am confused, lol...
Do I, or don't I vacuum the gravel?



Personally, I wouldn't vacuum the gravel during cycling. If there really is a lot of trash in the gravel, just very lightly touch the python to the top of the gravel and let it suck some of the trash up.

Even once the tank is cycled, I wouldn't deep clean the entire tank at once. Do half each water change and you should be OK.

[OrionGirl]

During a fishless cycle, you should be cleaning out as much waste as you can. If there are measurable amounts of ammonia and nitrites, there is plenty to encourage the bacteria to grow. Removing waste beford it can decompose prevents high spikes, which will injure your fish.

I clean the entire substrate of my tank with each cleaning. Vacuuming will not remove the beneficial bacteria, all it will pull up is wastes. Since your goal should always be to provide the best water quality for your fish, leaving waste in the system makes no sense.

[Rocketman]

Yeah, as I recall we had this conversation about whether to vacuum during cycling or not a few months back...I think the conclusion was "to each his(or her) own" because although we decided it would be best to get waste out of the tank and vacuuming would not suck up and bacteria, we also came to the conclusion that by turning over the gravel, you are moving what was previously exposed as a top layer, (and receiving oxygen from the water,) into a bottom layer, and killing off the bacteria.

I worded that all wrong, lemme try again.

If you do Vacuum, you will move gravel that was receiving oxygen into a layer that possibly isn't receiving any oxygen, which will kill off the bacteria, impeding your cycle.

If you don't Vacuum, you run the risk of a spike, as OrionGirl stated, and besides the water quality, your tank just looks crappy too.

[OrionGirl]

You don't have to completely churn up the gravel to remove solid wastes on the surface. I never disturb the lower layers of sand in my tanks, but vacuum weekly. Without a UGF pulling things down, very little waste should get very deep into the substrate.

Everything ends up being 'to each their own".

[125gJoe]

Originally posted by carpguy
...... .... If the gunk is starting to impede waterflow through your filter, then your filter isn't really functioning the way it's supposed to. This isn't what you want to have happen.
.... ......
... .... You need to watch the filter and clean it before it starts clogging - as carpguy said..... Look for your filter 'floss' to get dirty. That may take 3 weeks, or 2 months; each aquarium is somewhat diffferent on this.. After awhile you will know when too much debris has accumulated.

[anonapersona]

Originally posted by momopoms
I have a 29g.....[snip].... has been up a month, am having a rise in nitrites, up to 4.0 daily and necessitating daily large volume water changes to get nitrites down to less than 0.25. This tank has 22 fish, two of which are large goldfish. Also in residence, 3 pink gouramis, 4 cory cats, 10 bloodfin tetras, one bala shark, two clown loaches.



Cyclling a tank with 22 fish in 29 gallons? and two of the fish are large goldfish?? Amazing they aren't all sick and dying yet.

Get the goldfish their own tank, the two of them will need about 40 gallons at maturity, but 29 gallons for the two of them would be sufficent now, as long as there are no other fish in the tank, none, nada, zip, no cats in particular.

You probably need another tank for some of the others, too, but it can probably wait.

[momopoms]

Ok, I already knew that 22 was too many, but there was a reason I had them all in this tank, so I will share it.

I purchased a used but cracked tank, I had no idea it was going to leak, and had just purchased the fish, so had to put them somewhere, the bucket I put them in while trying to repair the tank was, to me, too much to endure for the time it would take to fix the tank, turned out wouldn't be repaired, so tried to locate a specialist, but being in the boondocks here, no specialist, and actually I sent my daughter on her day off to a glass repair place that said (over the phone) that they could repair it, but after she dropped it off, got a phone call that they cannot, and will not take responsibility for repairing it, so another trip of 100 miles wasted.

The fish are where they are because I cannot return them, and didn't want to have them in a bucket while waiting for the time when I could purchase another tank for them.

Nuff said, any way, I, being a newbie did not know that those cute goldfish would be poop engines, and when I can, they will be the sole inhabitants of another tank. The cats, are peaceful, and so far, my fish are doing ok, I check the levels of ammonia and nitrites daily, and change water nearly every day.