I have a HOB power filter, and would like to know how it should be maintained as far as replacing carbon goes, and anything else. The tank is almost a month old, and is finally cycled after using biospira. It is a 10 gal tank.
filter maintenance question
- Thread starter tetramoon13
- Start date
Well I have a hob and I have the carbon filters, but some say the carbon is not really necessary unless you are removing meds. If you want to use carbon feature then you should buy new filters every 2 weeks. On mine I cut the tops of the blue filter stuff and pour out the carbon and use the filter as a mechanical filter (it has some biological filtration also). In that case then just rinse out the filter when you do a water change. I rinse mine out in the bucket of removed tank water and get all the crud off.
cyberbeer65
Scratch Glass!
Carbon is not needed,I haven't used carbon in any of my tanks in over 2 years.
Carbon is useful for removing medications and tannins from water,but that's about it.Also after the carbon is used up,you can just leave it in your filter for a place to harbor benificial bacteria.
Carbon is useful for removing medications and tannins from water,but that's about it.Also after the carbon is used up,you can just leave it in your filter for a place to harbor benificial bacteria.
filter maintenance/recommend medication
So I should get rid of the carbon, and what about the bag that contains it, and there is a very thin rough black sponge in front of the filter bag. Exactly where in the filter are the bacteria held? In the bag, or the black sponge? I don't want to remove the bacteria, my tank just got finished cycling. It seems like cut up DIY sponges are the way to go in terms of efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
This brings me to my next question(s). 3 of my 6 neon tetras are beginning to show signs of tail rot, tails are looking ragged and like they may have been nipped... If treating the whole tank is the thing to do, then the filter will need to be removed if an antibiotic is required. If this is the case, how long will the filter need to be removed, for the duration of treatment? So should I use a Qtank, or treat the community tank? Other inhabitants currently show no signs of illness.
I would like to purchase a small Q tank for them (maybe like a 5g) but of course the tank would need to be cycled, so I'm not sure what to do. If I could treat the tank, I could at least begin preparing a Qtank for future use. I read in the article by Harlock that a sponge could be placed over the filter intake of the main tanks filter, that way some media would be prepared ahead of time. Anyone else do this?
10 gal community tank
6 neon tetras
2 platies
1 African dwarf frog
current readings:
temp 82F
ph 7.2
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 10
So I should get rid of the carbon, and what about the bag that contains it, and there is a very thin rough black sponge in front of the filter bag. Exactly where in the filter are the bacteria held? In the bag, or the black sponge? I don't want to remove the bacteria, my tank just got finished cycling. It seems like cut up DIY sponges are the way to go in terms of efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
This brings me to my next question(s). 3 of my 6 neon tetras are beginning to show signs of tail rot, tails are looking ragged and like they may have been nipped... If treating the whole tank is the thing to do, then the filter will need to be removed if an antibiotic is required. If this is the case, how long will the filter need to be removed, for the duration of treatment? So should I use a Qtank, or treat the community tank? Other inhabitants currently show no signs of illness.
I would like to purchase a small Q tank for them (maybe like a 5g) but of course the tank would need to be cycled, so I'm not sure what to do. If I could treat the tank, I could at least begin preparing a Qtank for future use. I read in the article by Harlock that a sponge could be placed over the filter intake of the main tanks filter, that way some media would be prepared ahead of time. Anyone else do this?
10 gal community tank
6 neon tetras
2 platies
1 African dwarf frog
current readings:
temp 82F
ph 7.2
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 10
tetramoon13 said:
No the carbon is not bad, so if it is in the tank now leave it in. It just doesn’t do much after two weeks.
The bacteria are everywhere, but mostly in your filter media. The carbon filter itself, and that sponge are probably housing a ice bacteria colony. Sponges and bio balls are typically the best places to house bacteria, depending on your filter. If you have more space in the filter you can add a bigger sponge to provide more room for bacteria.
There are also bacteria elsewhere in the tank, but the bacteria colony needs to have water flow to stay healthy. That is why they do well in a filter.
To cycle a Q-tank many people keep a extra sponge in their filter. Just take the sponge out and put it in the Q-tank filter before adding fish. It doesn’t guarantee a full cycle, but it dose give you a jump start.
When you use meds, the meds can kill your bacteria. So, it doesn’t do much good to cycle hospital tank. If you do use a sponge from your old tank to cycle a hospital tank throw it out, or clean the sponge before putting it back in the old tank. Generally everything from a hospital tank should be bleached ad the rinsed with water and de-chlorinator after a round of treatment.
That is a great idea. I will purchase some filter sponge, and cut one to fit. There is a small amount of space behind the carbon bag, so I will do that. So do people usually rely on water changes to keep levels down in a Qtank, if there's no point in cycling it due to meds?
Water changes are defiantly good (you still have to worry about ammonia and such), but you have to be careful. Remember you'll be removing meds with each water change. And you do still to have a filter running. You could eve add some media to start a cycle, just do not rely on it staying alive.
PS: Sponges and filter media does get clogged after a while. So make sure to occasionally give it a gentle rinsing in old tank water. If my media gets really junked up I will rinse one piece the wait a few days before rinsing another. This way you will make sure not to kill off all your bacteria.
PS: Sponges and filter media does get clogged after a while. So make sure to occasionally give it a gentle rinsing in old tank water. If my media gets really junked up I will rinse one piece the wait a few days before rinsing another. This way you will make sure not to kill off all your bacteria.