Help with my big tank please- filter advice.

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jennieandrudds

Aquarium Advice Newbie
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Jan 4, 2014
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Hi all. We have a 550l tank that has been running about a year and is fully stocked with tropical community fish (tetras, guppies, swords, silver dollars, clown loach-incl 2 huge ones, corys, kulis, gouramis, mollies, shrimps and kribs.

It is very well planted and we have 2 heaters either end and a 600 l external filter.

We tend to do a 25% water change every 2/3 months or so and change the filters less than that. All the fish are very healthy and happy- about 6 months ago a couple had a few small patches of fungus and we treated it with medicine and they were fine after. At that same time we lost one to Droopsy. only had 2 other fish die which i think was just old age or something.

The water is quite clear although sometimes can see 'bits' floating- like tiny specks. Sometimes the filters show its a bit cold and show 'low flow' other times they are fine??

My main question is I think we are suppose to clean them out more?? How often should we do this and how much water out? And how often are we suppose to change the filter media?

Also would it be beneficial to add another external or internal filter?


Anything else you think we should do or should not do?

Thank you :)
 
Ten percent water changes a week with bigger 25-30% changes every 4 weeks or so will keep your water healthy and stable. When you do your bigger ones, you should vacuum your substrate and do some filter maintenance. For suspended particles in the water, change your activated carbon or add some floss to the filter. If your water flow is inhibited through the filter, rinse your media in the bucket of tank water you remove to get rid of the debris, but never run tap water on it as tap water has chlorine that will kill all your beneficial bacteria. You shouldn't have to replace most of your media except activated carbon every couple of months. I always suggest two filters in case one fails and to have one already established in case you need to set up a hospital or quarantine tank. With such a large tank, a second canister may be the best way to go, in which case someone else will have to advise you on which one since I still use HOB. With that said, a big Aquaclear or Marineland would be a relatively inexpensive way to increase surface movement and filtration. Finally, you definitely need an API liquid test kit for your water ASAP so you can see where your parameters are, and you should test the water at least every couple of weeks, preferably weekly. Keep a very close eye on ammonia, nitrites, and PH (which is less likely to change but can be a killer if it does). Sorry about the long diatribe and if I'm just telling you things you already know. Also, I will be glad to hear what the members more experienced with larger tanks will say. Thanks.

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Hi and welcome! The one thing that jumps out at me is your water change schedule....25% every month or two isn't nearly enough. Have you ever tested your water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate with a good liquid test kit? I imagine your nitrites at least must be pretty high which can be detrimental to the fish in the longrun. Also do you vacuum the substrate regularly? I would increase the water changes to 50% every week or two, especially if it's heavily stocked. As for the filter, I never change mine out; I rinse it in old tank water every month or so during a water change, but never replace it. I have a canister filter (Eheim 2215 on a 40 gal), so it might depend on what filter you have and the media inside it. In case you haven't seen it, this guide has some basic info: Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice
 
Most people regularly do water changes of 50% weekly. This is going to keep their nitrate right in the sweet spot at 40ppm or less giving fish the healthiest possible water. If you don't have a test kit I would suggest going to a lfs with a sample of your water to get it tested as soon as you can.

I agree with the statements about cleaning out your filter media occasionally. It's usually a monthly practice for people to clean out their filters which tends to keep them flowing nicely despite any buildup of debris that occurs between cleanings. I would like to point out that many people use purigen in leiu of carbon because the purigen can be recharged and doesn't have to be replaced every other week to keep maximum effectiveness.

An extra filter wouldn't hurt to help clear up any cloudiness or detritus in the water that your canister might have missed.
 
Thank you so much for all taking the time to reply. Some really useful information. Most of it I will have to look up as it sounds like a foreign language to me! We did buy a very expensive (so I presume good!) water testing kit where you add the drops to samples of water and compare the colours but it is impossible to tell what colour it actually matches to as they look so similar so thats no good. I will take a sample of water to our local fish shop tomorrow to have it tested.

Yes we hoover the muck off the floor when we clean them out. I will be changing half the water every week now (I'm sure the fish will be much happier and thank you for advising me!) Do I need to add the tap safe stuff everytime I do that? Also should it be warm water if I'm changing 50% at a time?

Also I've read that bog wood can be good for the water- is this true?

Thanks again
 
Yes, you will need to add dechlorinator every time you add new water to the tank. Most of us here use prime as it's really cheap and efficient. When you change the water just try to get the fresh water you're adding as close to the temp of the tank as you can. I use a python water changer and siphon the water straight into my sink and refill through the hose as well. It might be worth looking into for a larger tank. If you end up going that route just dose dechlorinator for the entire volume of the tank.
 
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