Fluval g3 questions

[Drew1987]

Hello!

So for our 75 gallon discus tank, it came with a fluval g3. I rinse off the mechanical filter every 7 days, every month I clean the filament that is in the chemical cup(not running carbon) but I have not, in the 3 months we’ve owed it, touched the g-node bio stones. What’s good practice with those? Also the ones on the tank floor? I can see wanting to rinse them but I fear damaging the cycle aka killing good bacteria

Hope to hear from you all

Thanks

 

[fishwonder]

You want to be careful of cleaning your filters and media too thoroughly. You are washing all the good bacteria down the drain.

 

[Tank20]

You can rinse them in a bucket of water from the tank when you do any sort of water change. Don't change any more than 1/2 of the g-nodes every 6 months. Sometimes it's just best to leave them as is and clean the container for them in tank water that is changed out. This will help keep the good bacteria.

 

[Drew1987]

Thanks! Just a gentle tumble in a stainless mixing bowl of aquarium water? That was my plan but quite unsure. We’re having a random nitrite issue and it’s caused to examine all of our practices. Everyone is ok:normal except our pigeon blood discus “pinkie pie” as she was affectionately named by our kids. She has some fin rot and was acting weird. Got her meds (maryacyn oxy) per our local expert’s recommendation and she’s eating normal and acting 90% normal other than appearing to “social distance” (seriously). This caused us to look at ammonia and nitrites, ammonia is 0 nitrates are hovering 0.25-0.5. Were doing water changes dead in the middle of the med applications. Scary stuff.