Filter help

[NewTanker]

My 9 year-old son got a fishtank for Christmas....which he had been wanting for a long time. He is a very smart little boy, as he specifically asked for NO FISH so that he could do his own fishless cycle. We set up the entire tank on December 27th with organic soil, gravel, five plants, a decoration, filter, heater, air stone, ect. We began our fishless cycle on the 28th. The cycle actually went very smoothly, and after three weeks, our cycle was complete. Yesterday, we brought home 8 new neon tetras and added them to their new home. Everything is going great so far...

So here is my question. We did a lot of research and took the time to do the tank the right way....so I want to make sure we don't ruin anything. I have read that you want to seed a new cartridge before removing the old one. We have a Penguin 100 filter. Can I just shove a new filter behind the old one for a week or so?

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Brookster123]

Excellent! You really do not need to replace those monthly nor should you, just carefully swish it out in a bucket of tank water, I found with the marine land filters they fall apart pretty quick (2 months) so if you do need to change you had the right idea! Make sure the mesh is touching.

 

[Old Scales]

Welcome NT

Welcome to the AA forum NewTanker,
You have found a great site full of good people ready to help each other. I can't even begin to tell you how much these people have helped me get back up to speed in knowledge of this great hobby. You'll find in time you will make some good fishy friends in here.
How wonderful it is that you and your son have this to share. And it sounds like you have one bright young man there. Have him come on and introduce himself and tell us what part of the fishkeeping he likes best. We would love to encourage him and you.
Here is a picture of some cut to fit filter pad material that is much cheaper than the stock pads and works great. I got mine for about $8 at Petsmart. Its about a 30" by 24" sheet and can be washed out in tank water and reused many times. Many people have lots of cost saving tips in here.
Congrats on your adventure together and good luck. OS.

 

[Fishperson]

If it's an HOB just clean it every 3 months or whenever it gets clogged by washing it gently in a bucket of tank water.

Only replace it if it's literally falling apart, and in that case just put it behind the old one I think.

 

[NewTanker]

Thank you all for your advice! I stuck a replacement filter behind the old one for now so that hopefully when I need to get rid of the old one, the new one will be seeded. So far the tank is going great....Andrew added 2 peppered Cory Cats a few days ago and they adapted immediately. One of our plants looks like its not doing so hot, but the other four look great. I will certainly have Andrew introduce himself. He is very proud of his tank and even made a two minute video of it which I posted on facebook. It was so funny!

 

[Brookster123]

Thats great! So cool he's into it! Cory's like groups of 5+, they'll be way more active and goofy if you up the numbers mine are like little rockets all over the tank, way fun to watch!

 

[NewTanker]

Thanks Brookster! I actually took him yesterday to get two more Corys (a panda and a malina -not sure on spelling) as well as two cherry shrimp. I was afraid to overstock, but I think they will be fine. We are not going to add anything else to this tank. Everyone seems happy. We were pleasantly surprised to see the shrimp turn more red just after an hour or so in their new tank. Thanks!

 

[Caliban07]

Thank you all for your advice! I stuck a replacement filter behind the old one for now so that hopefully when I need to get rid of the old one, the new one will be seeded. So far the tank is going great....Andrew added 2 peppered Cory Cats a few days ago and they adapted immediately. One of our plants looks like its not doing so hot, but the other four look great. I will certainly have Andrew introduce himself. He is very proud of his tank and even made a two minute video of it which I posted on facebook. It was so funny!

Remember, you can always use the extra seeded media for other things such as starting a fresh tank, helping someone else start a fresh tank or instantly cycling a quarantine tank. Fingers crossed you never have to.

Welcome to AA

 

[Ian086]

My 9 year-old son got a fishtank for Christmas....which he had been wanting for a long time. He is a very smart little boy, as he specifically asked for NO FISH so that he could do his own fishless cycle.

What a clever little lad. He could teach some adults a thing or two...haha.
Welcome to AA

 

[NewTanker]

Haha, I know! He's such a smart little guy. Much to my shame, I had to google it to figure out what he was talking about . We are both learning a lot and having a great time. I can certainly see how people end up with multiple tanks!

On a separate note, do you think our tank is overstocked or ok? We have a 10 gallon tank with soil and gravel substrate, five live plants, and have stocked the tank with 8 neon tetras, 2 peppered corys, a panda cory, a milena cory (not sure on spelling), and 2 cherry shrimp. For the record, we do not plan on adding anything else and everyone seems happy.

 

[Old Scales]

IMO your stock level is good. Enjoy! OS.

 

[NewTanker]

Thanks!