Help please

6

69steveo69

AC Members
Jan 20, 2009
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Ok, so I have a 55gallon and I am using a Top Fin 60 filter. (It came in a kit together.) I am having 2 issues.

1) Every 3 days my filter is so clogged that it starts pushing the water through the middle more then through the filter. I am using the filter cartridge that has the media sponge with it also.

2) I am having issues with my Nitrites at 3.0-5.0 per my test strips.

My tank is 5 or 6 weeks old. I have numerous live plants and 14 small fish in the tank, not all put in at once, about 3-4 fish were added a week.

Just talk to petsmart and I told them I was doing a 15-30% water change every 3 days and she told me to change it to a 10% water change once a week. Is she right and anyone have any idea one the filter situation.?
:help:


Here is the link to the specific cartridge.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752308
 
i have the same tank . the filter that comes with it is just not good enough . i put 2 aquaclear 70s on the tank and all the problems went away.
 
1st - get rid of the strips and purchase a good water testing kit - many on this site (including myself) like the API kits. The strips just really aren't as reliable.

2nd - did you also test for ammonia?

3rd - a bigger filter is probably a good idea, like smellslikesish said.
 
I havent tested ammonia. Ill get a kit today. I may have to wait a few days to get the money for a filter. Do you reccomend getting one large filter or 2 smaller ones?
 
I always like getting a bigger filter. Like the emporor 400 with the spray bars... It's my next filter im going to get. :)
 
For a 55g I would recommend a canister filter. They don't cost much more and you can keep the filter that you have. Marineland makes a fine C-series/Rena & Fluval have gotten some good reviews here and of course--Eheim canisters. The problem with the filter that you have is that when you change the filter cartridge you are destroying most of your biological filtration. The bacteria are removed with the cartridge and the sponge provided does not keep up with the demands of the tank.
 
I can't afford a canister filter so is there a brand that anyone recommends that is not as expensive as the Emperor 400 but is very good?
 
You won't be able to get any accurate idea of what is really going on with your water until you purchase a liquid reagent test kit. I use the API kit, as do many others here. The filter that came with your tank is not really adequate for a 55 gallon IMO. Adding another filter would help, but make sure that you keep the TopFin filter running along with the new filter for at least a couple weeks to avoid throwing away whatever beneficial bacteria you already have in there. A canister filter is great if you have the funds for it, but not necessary. If you want to keep the filter you already have, I'd recommend adding an Aquaclear 70 on the other side of the tank. The Emperor 400 is a good filter, but uses proprietary cartridges and is loud in comparison to other brands IMO (and no, I don't mean from the splashing, I mean the filter itself).

The advice you hear from Petsmart is rarely worth listening to. If your tank is in fact still cycling (which you won't know for sure until you purchase a liquid test kit), you will need to change enough water to keep ammonia and nitrite levels under 0.25 ppm. Sometimes this means every couple of days, sometimes it means multiple times a day. The test kit will let you know how much water to change; for example, if you get a result of 0.25 for nitrite, then changing half the water will cut that level in half. Hope that makes sense, but if not, try browsing some of the articles on the site.

And welcome to AC! :)
 
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