sponge filter + HOB filter = cloudy water?

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Wired76

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Apr 20, 2017
Messages
7
I did a water change last night in my 10 gallon tank. I also cleaned out the intake valve and inner tube of my Top Fin Power 10 HOB filter and replaced the carbon filter. (I didn't remove or rinse the bioplate.) I added a sponge around the intake tube for the first time, since I felt like my water had gotten less clear than it used to be and could use some additional filtration. I tested the water after the change, and everything was normal (20 ppm nitrates as usual, 0 ppm nitrites, 0 ppm ammonia). However, this morning, my tank was extremely cloudy and the ammonia had increased to 1.0 ppm. I removed the sponge filter (which had absorbed a lot of sediment), did a 20% water change, and added 2 mL of Seachem Prime, which I thankfully had just bought!

I'm confused about what happened. I didn't rinse out the bioplate, so I don't think I killed any beneficial bacteria. (I did remove it from the tank. Does it need to have water running over it constantly?) Did the sponge basically block the filter? As I said, it had a lot of sediment in it. Any thoughts would be appreciated! (I also noticed my female platy was now a male, which is another post in a separate thread. It's been an eventful 12 hours!)
 
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