Ich-x turned my sponge filter blue? Is my filter big enough?

[Splishspash]

I got my first fish yesterday, six white cloud mountain minnows, and I'm currently using the med-trio. I don't think this is a huge problem, but the ich x turned my filter blue, and I was wondering if I should replace it when the treatment is over, or if it could somehow hurt something?

My filter is a DIY filter. I made it based off of a video from King of DIY, and its surprisingly good for what it is, I have a 29 gal aquarium. I was wondering if it's powerful enough? I mean it's only six white clouds, so it probably won't be an issue, but if there are a bunch more in the future, should I make a second one? Maybe put it on the other side?

I'm new to this forum, and forums in general, so if I'm doing something wrong with this post, please inform me!

 

[Sicklid]

Nope. It is fine, unless you don't like the shade of malachite green you've got going on. LOL, I like it.

Eventually, it will turn brown anyway, with the mulm and bacteria in there... this would have happened even when it was white, which may have been even more unsightly (my opinion.) This is why I always use black sponges!

 

[Sicklid]

Also, that sponge is a good supplemental filter design, and will definitely help with nitrates, but it doesn't get my nod as a great standalone filter... It doesn't create anywhere near the flow that a sponge filter with an uplift tube creates, and is restricted by the lava rock. I save rock for the chambers of my power filters, where the water is forced through the lava rock with a mechanical pump.

 

[Splishspash]

Thanks for the input! It has air line going into it, so there's some airration, though maybe not as much as most sponge filters I've seen. I don't know though, I may add another tube. I will add some photos to the main post, but I can't in replies for some reason

 

[Sicklid]

No no, I'm sorry if I am not explaining myself correctly. When I describe a tube, I am not talking about the airline tubing, I mean a lift tube. There can be aeration INSIDE the rock filled chamber, but the bubbles meander through the spaces haphazardly, here and there getting trapped, even... in a true internal filter, the rock is surrounding a perforated lift tube of some type, where an airstone creates an upward current that is water pulled by the unrestricted rising bubble column. No meandering about it, LOL. It goes up, fast, and PULLS the water through a media filled chamber, in your case a rock filled chamber, and prefiltering sponge.

It's not a bad design at all, but it's not nearly enough to support much more bioload than the white clouds you've got now as a standalone means of filtration. It also won't make much in the way of flow around your tank, leaving many "dead spots," or areas which aren't really being filtered at all.

If I was going to run that filter on a 29 (and I have in the past, before I realized how weak it really is, and how often I had to remove it and disassemble to clean the intake sponge,) I would leave it in as supplemental chemical filtration and add a simplehang-on-back (HOB) filter with an extension tube to get the intake down low (29’s are tallish) or even a smaller canister such as Marineland HOT Magnum, depending on your bioload and needs. The canisters make a lot of flow, so you'd have to be choosy about the placement of the outflow tube so as not to frustrate the minnows with too much current.

Hope this helps!

 

[Brookster123]

I'll give you $6 for the custom sponge!! I was rocking the green silicone seams for a while.

 

[Splishspash]

Oh, I see, that makes sense! Thanks, this helps a lot I couldn't sleep last night, so my brain isn't at %100 lol. I'll plan on getting a better filter when I can, but for now I'll make due with this one and the few plants I have, since there are only a few white clouds, though I will keep a closer eye on ammonia and nitrate levels. Again, thanks for the help!