Getting there slowly - a few more questions

C

Charlie-NY

AC Members
Jun 26, 2006
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Got the 46 bow up and running. It will be a FOWLER tank initially.

Water declorinated
Instant Ocean salt added - Hygrometer reading 1.021
40lbs of agra-live Fiji sand added without rinsing
Temp adjusted to 79 deg
AquaClear 300 running with sponge, Chemi-pure & bio media
Dropped in large shrimp yesterday
Placed 10lbs LR with heavy purple coraline coverage into tank

Just received a used Eheim 2227 Wet/Dry which I bought on Ebay. Filter was loaded (both trays) with Eheim substrate, apparently used for some period but now clean and dry.

I tested the filter with a big bucket of tap water. Here is what I noticed: The filter will discharge at a fairly slow rate for several minutes. Then a tall float will rise and cause the pump to pump FASSST for about 10 seconds. Float drops and pump runs rather slow for several minutes again.

Few questions:

1. Is this the way the Eheim 2227 Wet/dry is supposed to work?
2. Should I use the original substrate or buy all new media?
3. Should I use only substrate in the two baskets or should I be using sponges, carbon or anything else in the Eheim/
4. How often will I need to open the Eheim for routine maintenance?

Appreciate you help - Charlie
 
1. I am not familiar with this filter and the operation
#2. and #3: The old media contains God-knows-what. Probably a bunch of dead organisms and their death matter. Here are some ideas to help keep your costs down. Purchase panty hose or some sort of bag that will allow water to flow through it. I get my panty hose (dont laugh!) at the local drug store for .99 a pair of knee-highs. Pour yourself about 1-2 cups of activated carbon and you are set. For the filtering media goto the LFS and get the bags of polyester filter fiber. IMO toss the old stuff and start clean.
The purpose of carbon is to absorb toxins in the water (I.E. Ammonia). It is not absolutely necessary but with FOWLR a little help does not hurt. Purchasing as much live rock as possible will help too. The live rock help with the waste from the organisms.
4.The filter itself serves as a biological filter and a physical/material filter. It should "filter" out the solid materials as well as help process the nitrogen cycle. IMO start up the filter with new media. Wait a month and try to replace parts that only are absolutely necessary. Dont worry about water changes now but a way to help clean the media would be to empty a few gallons of water in your bucket and "rinse" out as much solid waste as possible.

Try the best you can to not mess with your tank in the cycling process. It will be nasty and may even smell horrible. Just be patient and wait well over a month. I personally like to use Damsels, the cheapest possible, put them in the water and let nature do its thing.

~BE PATIENT~
 
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