AquaClear 70, Charcoal pack floating?

[mkat]

Hi I just am setting up my 55 gallon tank to cycle it and I have the filters running. They are aquaclear 70... the sponge is on the bottom then the charcoal then the other rocks on top...I have the same filter but the size 20 version on my 10 gallon tank but everything jams in there tighter and nothing floats.

I think it might be the power of the water pushing them up off the sponge... It is causing some of the water to overflow and come out the side where the water intake tube is..but it all still goes into the tank. Is this a problem or should I figure out a way to keep the packs stuck down?

Thanks.

 

[BBradbury]

Your Hagen Filter

Hell mkat...

The sponge is completely covering the bottom of the plastic media tray. So, you're right, there's no place for the water coming into the filter to go. Unplug the filter and remove the sponge, take a pair of scissors and cut off some of it. Place it in the middle of the u-shaped tray and put everything back into the filter. Plug it back in and adjust the flow lever to the middle position. This should help the water flow more smoothly.

At some point, you may want to remove the chemical (carbon) part of the filter media, it's not necessary. Replace it with some poly fiber cut to fit media from Acurel. The ammonia padding is the best for keeping the water cleaner and clearer.

Once the tank is cycled, get into the habit of changing half the tank water weekly, to maintain pure water conditions for the tank inhabitants.

B

 

[Fresh2o]

How often are you rinsing the sponge? I have an AC50 and when I don't attend to the media for a while, I will see the "uprising". Usually the sponge is packed with detritus by this point. A simple rinse in the tank water removed from a WC and it's good to go.
The same thing happens when I put floss in the filter chamber. If it gets clogged, the water comes out from the intake side.


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[mkat]

Fresh2o: It is brand new and clean.

BBradbury: So what you are suggesting is shortening the width of the sponge? In a way so that when it is in the U it is not touching the two upright sections of the U? If that is what I am understanding, How much should I cut? Something like 1/4" to leave 1/8" on either side?

Also if I remove the carbon part and put some of that fiber in its place do I still leave the cylinder shaped "bio-max" insert on top of it?

Thanks.

 

[mikem691]

Fresh2o: It is brand new and clean.

BBradbury: So what you are suggesting is shortening the width of the sponge? In a way so that when it is in the U it is not touching the two upright sections of the U? If that is what I am understanding, How much should I cut? Something like 1/4" to leave 1/8" on either side?

Also if I remove the carbon part and put some of that fiber in its place do I still leave the cylinder shaped "bio-max" insert on top of it?

Thanks.

Do not eliminate the bio media. My ac 70's have the sponge then the bio media that came with it then I add another 110 bio media on top of that. The charcoal I just leave in the bag in the box. Also do not cut the sponge either its not in right or something else is wrong. The only time it will lift the media is if the sponge is clogged as stated above.

 

[mkat]

mikem691:

So to be clear your suggestion is to take the charcoal out, put the bio media rocks where it was and then buy the rocks for the size 110 and put it on top of all of that?

The only other way I could put the sponge in is to rotate it but then it wouldnt cover the base of the U in the front and back fully and would stick up higher than those little triangle marks that show where it should end...it was a tight fit to jam it down the first time and i kind of had to shove my finger in the edges and pull the sponge to unspring it and get it to contact the walls of the filter properly.

Thanks.

 

[mikem691]

mikem691:

So to be clear your suggestion is to take the charcoal out, put the bio media rocks where it was and then buy the rocks for the size 110 and put it on top of all of that? This is correct.

The only other way I could put the sponge in is to rotate it but then it wouldnt cover the base of the U in the front and back fully and would stick up higher than those little triangle marks that show where it should end...it was a tight fit to jam it down the first time and i kind of had to shove my finger in the edges and pull the sponge to unspring it and get it to contact the walls of the filter properly.

Thanks.

With the media holder out of the filter place the sponge all the way at the bottom. You want the entire bottom covered by the sponge or you will have a huge bypass of unfiltered water. Next close the sides against the sponge and insert into filter. You may have to wiggle the holder side to side as you push it down. Then add as much bio media as possible just to the point that it will always be covered by water.
When cleaning the filter just squeeze the sponge in a bucket of old tank water and swish the bio media in the same tank water. Never clean the media in tap water. The carbon you can save and use if needed to clear meds after treatment other than that I never use carbon.
Hope this helps some.

 

[BBradbury]

Your Hagen Filter

Fresh2o: It is brand new and clean.

BBradbury: So what you are suggesting is shortening the width of the sponge? In a way so that when it is in the U it is not touching the two upright sections of the U? If that is what I am understanding, How much should I cut? Something like 1/4" to leave 1/8" on either side?

Also if I remove the carbon part and put some of that fiber in its place do I still leave the cylinder shaped "bio-max" insert on top of it?

Thanks.

Hello again m...

Cut an inch or so off the sponge with scissors. You want there to be a little gap on either side of the filter media to allow the tank water to flow evenly through the media. If you plug the bottom of the u-shaped basket, the pressure of the water coming into the filter will push everything to the top.

All you need is a few pieces of the poly fiber cut a bit smaller than the U-shaped plastic basket and the bio-max filter bag on top.

Remember this, the filter equipment is mainly to move the water's surface to mix oxygen into the tank water and allow carbon dioxide to escape (gas exchange). You'll still need to remove and replace the tank water weekly, to remove dissolved fish wastes and to maintain healthy minerals in the water.

Constant filtration removes important nutrients from the water, so they must be replaced through a large, weekly water change. Changing out half the water weekly isn't too much.

The more water you change and the more often you do it, the healthier the tank inhabitants.

B

 

[Fresh2o]

Hello again m...



Cut an inch or so off the sponge with scissors. You want there to be a little gap on either side of the filter media to allow the tank water to flow evenly through the media. If you plug the bottom of the u-shaped basket, the pressure of the water coming into the filter will push everything to the top.



All you need is a few pieces of the poly fiber cut a bit smaller than the U-shaped plastic basket and the bio-max filter bag on top.



Remember this, the filter equipment is mainly to move the water's surface to mix oxygen into the tank water and allow carbon dioxide to escape (gas exchange). You'll still need to remove and replace the tank water weekly, to remove dissolved fish wastes and to maintain healthy minerals in the water.



Constant filtration removes important nutrients from the water, so they must be replaced through a large, weekly water change. Changing out half the water weekly isn't too much.



The more water you change and the more often you do it, the healthier the tank inhabitants.



B

I don't understand how there can be even flow through the media with the gapping you have suggested in the sponges.
Are you saying the bio filtration is negligible or unnecessary in the filter? Sounds like it. I should remove the ceramic media in all of my filters. However, I wonder at the end of the week why I can detect nitrates and not ammonia. Is there some type of magic occurring?
What nutrients are being removed through constant filtration? This is important. I do not want to harm the fish and plants using constant filtration.


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[Brookster123]

Hello again m...

Cut an inch or so off the sponge with scissors. You want there to be a little gap on either side of the filter media to allow the tank water to flow evenly through the media. If you plug the bottom of the u-shaped basket, the pressure of the water coming into the filter will push everything to the top.

All you need is a few pieces of the poly fiber cut a bit smaller than the U-shaped plastic basket and the bio-max filter bag on top.

Remember this, the filter equipment is mainly to move the water's surface to mix oxygen into the tank water and allow carbon dioxide to escape (gas exchange). You'll still need to remove and replace the tank water weekly, to remove dissolved fish wastes and to maintain healthy minerals in the water.

Constant filtration removes important nutrients from the water, so they must be replaced through a large, weekly water change. Changing out half the water weekly isn't too much.

The more water you change and the more often you do it, the healthier the tank inhabitants.

B

Go to time out b, telling people to cut the sponge in an ac is blasphemous. Do you understand how they work? That would allow all the water to bypass the sponge, it would make the floating carbon worse.. man...taking deep breathes over here..
Op- happy new year, now please disregard the cutting nonsense, if you've already im sorry.. the sponge is your coarse filtration, it will take all the large particles out of the water, wait a week and ring it out in a bucket of tank water, you'll see what I mean. The carbon is really only useful for removing meds and bad smells. I leave mine in the bag for those occasions. I set my ac ' s up like so (5 of them) sponge, cut to fit poly fiber pad, rocks or biomedia. The pads can be found at your pet store or lfs. Buying an extra bag of bio max to hold it all in place won't hurt ether, more space for the good bacteria to grow and clean your water.

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[BBradbury]

Hagen Filtration

Hey Guys....

Okay. We're not on the same page. here. I can see that. The Hagen filter doesn't need the sponge, you have the Acruel cut to fit padding to take its place. The padding is there for the bacteria colony just as it is with the sponge. You can keep the sponge if you like, just cut away a bit of it, so the water that's drawn into the filter can move more smoothing through and out the filter. If you completely block the plastic tray, the tray will be pushed to the top and the lid can come off the top of the filter. This can cause a water overflow problem and a real mess. Been there, done that.

The bio-bag stays on top of the poly fiber media to also house the good bacteria. I've used these filters for more than 10 years and the cut to fit poly fiber works much better, because it doesn't get as clogged with organic material as the sponge.

If you have a better solution, then by all means use it. This is what works in my tanks. The poly fiber filter material and the large, weekly water changes.

B

 

[Brookster123]

Hey Guys....

Okay. We're not on the same page. here. I can see that. The Hagen filter doesn't need the sponge, you have the Acruel cut to fit padding to take its place. The padding is there for the bacteria colony just as it is with the sponge. You can keep the sponge if you like, just cut away a bit of it, so the water that's drawn into the filter can move more smoothing through and out the filter. If you completely block the plastic tray, the tray will be pushed to the top and the lid can come off the top of the filter. This can cause a water overflow problem and a real mess. Been there, done that.

The bio-bag stays on top of the poly fiber media to also house the good bacteria. I've used these filters for more than 10 years and the cut to fit poly fiber works much better, because it doesn't get as clogged with organic material as the sponge.

If you have a better solution, then by all means use it. This is what works in my tanks. The poly fiber filter material and the large, weekly water changes.

B

Ok, so the ac 20,30,50,70 i run, all with stock sponges, un-modified, a poly fiber pad on top and bio media on top of that.. all those filters running flawlessly for months,.some over a year.. I'm just lucky?? The plastic trays should pushed up and out by now? I clean them once a week, maybe that has something to do with it. The water enters through one side, if you cut said side than the water will by pass up by the sponge. The sponge is an excellent form of coarse filtraion, works splendidly, why would you want to limit it's effectiveness?

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[mikem691]

With the media holder out of the filter place the sponge all the way at the bottom. You want the entire bottom covered by the sponge or you will have a huge bypass of unfiltered water. Next close the sides against the sponge and insert into filter. You may have to wiggle the holder side to side as you push it down. Then add as much bio media as possible just to the point that it will always be covered by water.
When cleaning the filter just squeeze the sponge in a bucket of old tank water and swish the bio media in the same tank water. Never clean the media in tap water. The carbon you can save and use if needed to clear meds after treatment other than that I never use carbon.
Hope this helps some.

Op re read this and what brookster said. B go some where else. And no don't eliminate any bio rings. Add more if anything.

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[mikem691]

Hey Guys....

Okay. We're not on the same page. here. I can see that. The Hagen filter doesn't need the sponge, you have the Acruel cut to fit padding to take its place. The padding is there for the bacteria colony just as it is with the sponge. You can keep the sponge if you like, just cut away a bit of it, so the water that's drawn into the filter can move more smoothing through and out the filter. If you completely block the plastic tray, the tray will be pushed to the top and the lid can come off the top of the filter. This can cause a water overflow problem and a real mess. Been there, done that.

The bio-bag stays on top of the poly fiber media to also house the good bacteria. I've used these filters for more than 10 years and the cut to fit poly fiber works much better, because it doesn't get as clogged with organic material as the sponge.

If you have a better solution, then by all means use it. This is what works in my tanks. The poly fiber filter material and the large, weekly water changes.

B

Bb the mechanical filtration is the course sponge. Most all the bacteria is on the bio rings. If you cut or remove the sponge all particles will bypass the sponge and cause the bio rings to get all gunked up causing less contact with the biological filtration. Make sense?

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[treemanone2003]

Hello again m...



Cut an inch or so off the sponge with scissors. You want there to be a little gap on either side of the filter media to allow the tank water to flow evenly through the media. If you plug the bottom of the u-shaped basket, the pressure of the water coming into the filter will push everything to the top.



B

I've used HOB's in the past and have never encountered what you're referring to. As well, I've never modified other than not using carbon and replacing the empty space with more biomedia.

Bb the mechanical filtration is the course sponge. Most all the bacteria is on the bio rings. If you cut or remove the sponge all particles will bypass the sponge and cause the bio rings to get all gunked up causing less contact with the biological filtration. Make sense?

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I agree totally mike.


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[mkat]

Well it looks like a started a discussion...

I took out the sponge from both filters, checked the fit it seems all good and I put them back. For now I put the charcoal pack back and the bio media rocks on top... Overnight they seemed to have stopped floating and are mostly contacting the sponge... maybe there was air trapped in the fine mesh of the charcoal pack? Anyways the general consensus seems that if the sponge fits don't modify it, the charcoal isn't needed but the bio media is...

So we have PetSmart or PetLand here... I looked online... So in place of the charcoal would this product be the right one? Pisces Pro (formerly HBH) CUT TO FIT POLYFIBER PAD

From my understanding it's basically a thin pad???

So now that I am trying to "seed" this tank apparently I put the old sponge from my aquaclear 20 in one of my filters? Is just sitting on top of the big sponge that is in the 70 with the bag of biomedia rocks holding it down the right thing to do?

Thanks.

 

[mkat]

Thank You everyone for all of your time and help. It has gotten a little confusing though. This morning I woke up and the charcoal pack was no longer floating, possibly the fine mesh bag it came in was trapping air that took time to come out?

Anyways to summarize it seems like the general consensus is saying to do this...

1) Leave the sponge as it is as long as it is all the way to the bottom of the U shape bracket and all the way in.

2) (Unless of removing medicine), Replace the charcoal with either more

A) Bio Media(This? http://petca.imageg.net/PETNA_36/pimg/pPETNA-5081999_main_enh.jpg )

OR

B) Filter pad (This http://www.petland.ca/media/catalog...ure2o_polyfiber_cut_to_fit_filter-300x300.jpg ) with Bio Media on top

3) Everything is good as long as; Everything is all the way down and touching each other and nothing is floating inside the filter and it's all always covered with water inside the filter???

4) When I do a 25% - 50% water change weekly, I take apart everything from the filter, swirl it around in a bucket of water I have removed from the tank, then put it all back together???

Does all of the above sound like I am understanding right??? And if so I have taken the old sponge from my AquaClear 20, put it on top of the sponge of one of these AquaClear 70 filters and then put the bag of biomedia on top of that to help "seed" my new aquarium... Is that the proper place to put that sponge even though now that is all that is in that filter? Or should i cut out the section in the 70 size sponge that is the same size as the 20 size sponge and put it in there (so that it takes up the same amount of space but the sponge is peiced into the bigger one)? Or just leave it like I have it but add more bio media on and around it to fill up the space in that U bracket in the filter?

Thanks for all of your help, sorry for the long questions but I'm just trying to get this right as best as I can without making a big mistake in the cycling.

 

[mikem691]

Sounds like you got it down. Remember if you use the poly fill its for polishing the water and will clog way sooner than the sponge. Also when I used poly fill I just threw it away weekly and replaced it. How often you will need to clean the filter will depend on what's in the tank. Plant debris or plecos make a huge mess and will plug the filter faster than guppies and fake plants for example.

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[Paul1792]

Bypass

AquaClears are well known for all their bypass problems:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f60/aquaclear-bypass-issues-292796.html

I have an AC50 that I use duct tape on the side holes & top to get water to flow through all the media. I delete the carbon and use floss. Doing this means it runs at 75% if caoacity but 100% of water gets filtered.

OP - Recommendation if you can: Not sure where you got your new AC70 ..... but if you can take it back .... just tell them it doesn't work and get a Fluval C4.

No bypass issues and much more efficient filtration for about the same price. I have three Fluval C's all of which are flawless and far better filtration & efficiency than AquaClears.