Little Ammonia

[Jerky]

Hey all,

So I had a properly cycled tank with no fish. I changed my HOB water filter media because it was clogged and was hitting the overflow. I did a 20% change and a filter change. A day later I got 4 Harlequin Rasbora and 1 German Blue Barb. 2 days later I tested me ammonia and I am running between .25-.50 ppm. The next day I did another 20% change. Still at .25-.50. I know that's not a critical level but its not good. What should i do next? 50% gravel vac and water change and then just be patient? The fish do not looked stressed and have good coloring.

I am thinking changing the filter media before getting the fish was probably a bad idea.

Thoughts?

 

[Rpeinhardt]

Wait, so you had a cycled tank and removed all your filter media?

Unless you have enough bacteria elsewhere in the tank, you uncycled it.

 

[Jerky]

No no, i replaced the filter media with a fresh one. So there is fresh filter media in my HOB filter.

I thought I needed to replace the filter every 1.5 months or so. It says so in the manual.

I have done it many times before when I had my neons and guppies, but I think I should have only done it once the tank was fully established with the fish already in the tank.

Here is the filter I have.

Aqueon® QuietFlow Aquarium Power Filter 30 | Filters | PetSmart

 

[ImACoolguy]

Wait, so you had a cycled tank and removed all your filter media?

Unless you have enough bacteria elsewhere in the tank, you uncycled it.

+1 unless you just don't use filter pads I doubt the media is clogged. You could have just removed a few to get a more steady flow. Most of your BB live in the media though.


Caleb

Sent via TARDIS

 

[Jerky]

This filter has a filter cartridge. It has the physical filter and then charcoal within it. I am not a huge fan of this filter but I did have my neons and guppies for about 7-8 months without a single issue. So how bad can it be.

Perhaps its time to look for a better HOB filter with separate physical, charcoal, and bio filters.

 

[DaleV87]

I think wait at this point and monitor closely. You removed most of your BB and will need it to reestablish.
Just rinse your sponge with tank water in the future for cleaning so as to not remove your good bacteria.
There are other way more knowledgable on this than myself though.
Good Luck and watch closely.


Gone Fishing,
Dale

 

[ImACoolguy]

The filter itself is fine... The point is you removed media... Which means you removed some of your BB to then added fish. Your BB is not built up enough to handle the fish now that the media was removed and the BB will take time to build up more to combat the ammonia. Keep up with water changes and test often.


Caleb

Sent via TARDIS

 

[Jerky]

So what you are saying is the filter is fine, but i should not have replaced the filter media right before adding fish? I may wait as long as possible to replace the media again at this point. I cant really squeeze the filter out to clean it. Its not designed that way.

I think I just did too much at once. I will do a 20% every 3 days and check ammonia every day at this point.

Thanks for help!

 

[ImACoolguy]

So what you are saying is the filter is fine, but i should not have replaced the filter media right before adding fish? I may wait as long as possible to replace the media again at this point. I cant really squeeze the filter out to clean it. Its not designed that way.



I think I just did too much at once. I will do a 20% every 3 days and check ammonia every day at this point.



Thanks for help!

Yes that's exactly what I meant. as long as you have a filter pad to soak up the particulate waste your media is fine.


Caleb

Sent via TARDIS

 

[IllusionX]

The Aqueon filter have this bio-holster that keeps BB around so that you can safely replace the cart without loosing too much BB.

The cart have built in carbon. I'm not sure you can leave the same carbon in the filter for too long..

 

[Jerky]

The Aqueon filter have this bio-holster that keeps BB around so that you can safely replace the cart without looking too much BB.

Yeah I don't think i lost all my BB. If I lost all my BB I am sure I would have much higher Ammonia.

 

[IllusionX]

Lol I edited my post whole you replied.

Anyways, you are just going through a mini cycle since the bio load is not able to handle the extra ammonia you are injecting in the tank by adding fishes.

 

[Jerky]

No worries, I know what I did, learning experience. Fish seem very happy though. I won't add anymore fish until it's 0 Ammonia.

 

[Mebbid]

So what you are saying is the filter is fine, but i should not have replaced the filter media right before adding fish? I may wait as long as possible to replace the media again at this point. I cant really squeeze the filter out to clean it. Its not designed that way.

I think I just did too much at once. I will do a 20% every 3 days and check ammonia every day at this point.

Thanks for help!

The filter media of any filter only needs to be replaced if its literally disintegrating. For example, my hob filter the media lasted 9 months before it finally started falling apart. To keep these cartridges clean, just rinse them off in a bucket of tank water.

When it gets to the point when its falling apart, pull the old cartridge out, cut it open, remove the carbon, cut the padding into pieces, and then stick it in a filter media bag letting it sit in the open space in the filter.

Doing this you wont lose any of your bb and after 2 to 3 weeks you can safely remove the bag of old filter media.

 

[Tigerbarb12]

Unless youre a fan of carbon, dont change any filter media, ever. Obviously if you like using carbon then replace that, but you should have other filter media for bacteria to inhabit, beit biowheel, bio balls, certain sponges.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[threnjen]

I'm using the aqueon filter in one one of my tanks. I tossed the cartridge and stuffed the cavity with sponge which I can rinse off in old tank water. But yes, don't replace the cartridges, or do what Mebbid said.

 

[IllusionX]

Doesn't the carbon inside the cartridge leech toxin when they can't hold anymore filtration? I hate cartridges for the simple reason that you cannot remove the carbon, or you could if you cut it open...

 

[threnjen]

Doesn't the carbon inside the cartridge leech toxin when they can't hold anymore filtration? I hate cartridges for the simple reason that you cannot remove the carbon, or you could if you cut it open...

Only if it picked up "toxins" to begin with. Like I've heard if you used carbon to suck up leftover meds and then leave the carbon there, it would eventually leach the meds back out (although even then I would be like "meh, so?" If you used the carbon to soak up something legitimately harmful I would be more concerned with getting it out of there.

Carbon is a bad thing to have in your tank all the time, anyway. Another reason that cartridges suck.

 

[Mebbid]

Only if it picked up "toxins" to begin with. Like I've heard if you used carbon to suck up leftover meds and then leave the carbon there, it would eventually leach the meds back out (although even then I would be like "meh, so?" If you used the carbon to soak up something legitimately harmful I would be more concerned with getting it out of there.

Carbon is a bad thing to have in your tank all the time, anyway. Another reason that cartridges suck.

From what ive read about carbon is that it doesnt actually leech back out. Ill try to find the source i saw when i have a few minutes.

Why do you say carbon isnt good to have all the time?

 

[threnjen]

Why do you say carbon isnt good to have all the time?

Anecdotal/"general knowledge", no scientific evidence to present on that. So I will definitely repeal that claim if you are certain otherwise.