no its doesnt look like hair thats moving like a wormish, its like this thick whiteish gooey stuff i recently cleaned it off but i took a few pictures of it i will try to show them to you
african cichlid setup.. please help, Qestions!!
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I suppose you do a weekly water change of at least 25%. I suggest you to vacuum the substrate every 2 weeks, using a good siphon as Python or something similar. If you vacuum the substrate putting the siphon's wide tube in a 45 degree angle, you will not suck up sand or maybe a very little amount of it.
I'm suggesting you this, because this way you will control more efficiently the nitrates and organic detritus in your tank; so that algae will be more under control, at the same time.
I'm sorry I haven't responded to that question about the gooey stuff, too. I'm sure what you are talking about is just the filmy white-ish algae that forms on the filter outlet, also in the foam or mesh of the cartridges, and in the intake tubes.
When I clean my filter I wipe that stuff off and use a flexible brush (made for cleaning tubes and hard to reach areas) on the intake tubing, and down where the impeller goes, and on the impeller blades, because eventually that gunk builds up.
My Aqua Clear 70 HOB filter has a three stage filtration system. A foam block, a carbon bag, and a bio-ball bag.
When I clean my filter, I gently rinse the bio balls in old tank water that I've siphoned out, and I really squeeze and work out the goo on the foam block, also in the old tank water.
The foam block can get really clogged, but I only want to get the gunk out but not kill off any bacteria that is in it. The bioballs I have never replaced, yet... I just keep rinsing them gently in old tank water.
In an Aqua Clear you are supposed to replace one of the three filtering components on rotation. It comes with a foam block on the bottom, a carbon bag in the middle and a bio ball bag on the top.
I don't use the carbon all the time, but if I do it loses it's action after a couple of weeks anyway and becomes a good surface media for the bacteria, too.
If I need to replace the foam block because it is too gunked up to get fairly un-gunked, then I do replace it, but I rinse the new one out in tap water, then put it in a bucket with some tank water and Prime, and make sure I've removed any chlorine that might be in the block.
I have room in the top of the basket to stuff some extra polyester foam, or another bag of bio-balls, just in case I need to seed another tank with healthy bacteria.
I hope this helps on the goo and filter cleaning question.
You've come to the right forum to ask about African tanks. These guys are pros and have awesome tanks.
When I clean my filter I wipe that stuff off and use a flexible brush (made for cleaning tubes and hard to reach areas) on the intake tubing, and down where the impeller goes, and on the impeller blades, because eventually that gunk builds up.
My Aqua Clear 70 HOB filter has a three stage filtration system. A foam block, a carbon bag, and a bio-ball bag.
When I clean my filter, I gently rinse the bio balls in old tank water that I've siphoned out, and I really squeeze and work out the goo on the foam block, also in the old tank water.
The foam block can get really clogged, but I only want to get the gunk out but not kill off any bacteria that is in it. The bioballs I have never replaced, yet... I just keep rinsing them gently in old tank water.
In an Aqua Clear you are supposed to replace one of the three filtering components on rotation. It comes with a foam block on the bottom, a carbon bag in the middle and a bio ball bag on the top.
I don't use the carbon all the time, but if I do it loses it's action after a couple of weeks anyway and becomes a good surface media for the bacteria, too.
If I need to replace the foam block because it is too gunked up to get fairly un-gunked, then I do replace it, but I rinse the new one out in tap water, then put it in a bucket with some tank water and Prime, and make sure I've removed any chlorine that might be in the block.
I have room in the top of the basket to stuff some extra polyester foam, or another bag of bio-balls, just in case I need to seed another tank with healthy bacteria.
I hope this helps on the goo and filter cleaning question.
You've come to the right forum to ask about African tanks. These guys are pros and have awesome tanks.
yeah thanks for taking your time to write all the steps out too, whats concerning me a little now is that my water never clears up its always cloudy, i was thinking it could be because of the sand and or the rocks that i have inside my tank, or maybe i have to replace my blue carbon cartridge since it says to replace it everymonth...
is there a way to make the water within side my tank clearer?
is there a way to make the water within side my tank clearer?
I would like to know if your tank has been without fishes for some time. You said nitrite is at 10ppm. Have you checked the ammonia level?
i havnt checked the ammonia but it should not be a problem because every water change i add amquel to remove the amonia and chlorine and according to the test strips the chlorine is at 0 so the ammonia should be too im guessing,
and the tank has had fishes since i got it,
but idk why its saying that i have over the top nitrite level
and why my water is so cloudy... you can tell whenever i turn on the lights more
and the tank has had fishes since i got it,
but idk why its saying that i have over the top nitrite level
and why my water is so cloudy... you can tell whenever i turn on the lights more
Cloudiness may be due to ammonia or nitrite spikes. Keep doing daily water changes until the readings get back to normal. Try to buy liquid test kits as it has been said.
