Osage_Winter
Aquarium Advice FINatic
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2010
- Messages
- 807
Attempted the weekly water change yet again last night -- let me tell you all how it turned out (as if you couldn't guess)...
After I couldn't get the syphon to work doing the "hold your finger over the open hole of the tube" method, we eventually got it flowing by moving the stupid tube up and down in the water, which, again, caused heavy turbulence in the tank...we drained about 30 to 35% of the water, this time leaving the bubble wands and filters off, and I took this opportunity to do some housekeeping of sorts in the tank -- wiped some algae/black gunk off half of the inside glass, dunked the media from both filters in tank water, wiped some of the salt deposits off the filter plastic...
Yet again, however, this water change is going to cost us money as it always does as this time, it was me who accidentally stepped on one of the glass versa tops I layed on the floor next to the tank on a towel...I was going to check on the status of one of the filters when CRACK! My foot went right down on it, and I snapped the top into shattered, jagged pieces. This will be the SECOND round of glass tops we had to order -- the first time my wife accidentally stepped on the glass and cracked it.
Anyway, let me get back...and so it seems the method of dunking and squeezing out the media into the tank water that was drained may have worked -- indeed, the water turned black after dunking my Aqueon's two cartridges and subsequently squeezing out and rinsing the AquaClear's sponge block. So SOME kind of dirt was released...
However, upon starting up both filters again after the dechlorinated fresh tap water was put back in the tank, there arose more problems -- it seems now that after priming my AquaClear 110, the filter is making a strange noise that I cannot pinpoint or correct...it sounds as if the water is "whirring" from/in the intake tube and the flow of the filter doesn't seem to be what it once was -- is it possible something is clogging the system? This ONLY happened once I did this water change last night, and I didn't do anything different in terms of priming the 110...but now, we're getting a "swishing/whirring" sound as if the filter is "struggling" to pump, although water is flowing in and out...
Oh yes, another thing to be swell about! The diatoms that have consumed by shipwreck sails have spread to the skull ornament, and some of it is even on the AquaClear's intake strainer!
Boy...at least this time with this water change, I didn't burn my carpet or soak the carpets like an 18th century wet rug...spills? Yup. An absolute mess all over the tank? You betcha. New glass top needed now? But of course...
This just gets better and better, eh people?
What do I do now about my filter? Anyone else experience this noise with the AquaClears?
Oh, and yes, one other thing -- I cannot put my light strip on the glass tops because one is shattered, so I can only inspect the water quality by looking at the tank in daylight...from the side, the water appears as hazy and unclear as ever, even after this water change!
After I couldn't get the syphon to work doing the "hold your finger over the open hole of the tube" method, we eventually got it flowing by moving the stupid tube up and down in the water, which, again, caused heavy turbulence in the tank...we drained about 30 to 35% of the water, this time leaving the bubble wands and filters off, and I took this opportunity to do some housekeeping of sorts in the tank -- wiped some algae/black gunk off half of the inside glass, dunked the media from both filters in tank water, wiped some of the salt deposits off the filter plastic...
Yet again, however, this water change is going to cost us money as it always does as this time, it was me who accidentally stepped on one of the glass versa tops I layed on the floor next to the tank on a towel...I was going to check on the status of one of the filters when CRACK! My foot went right down on it, and I snapped the top into shattered, jagged pieces. This will be the SECOND round of glass tops we had to order -- the first time my wife accidentally stepped on the glass and cracked it.
Anyway, let me get back...and so it seems the method of dunking and squeezing out the media into the tank water that was drained may have worked -- indeed, the water turned black after dunking my Aqueon's two cartridges and subsequently squeezing out and rinsing the AquaClear's sponge block. So SOME kind of dirt was released...
However, upon starting up both filters again after the dechlorinated fresh tap water was put back in the tank, there arose more problems -- it seems now that after priming my AquaClear 110, the filter is making a strange noise that I cannot pinpoint or correct...it sounds as if the water is "whirring" from/in the intake tube and the flow of the filter doesn't seem to be what it once was -- is it possible something is clogging the system? This ONLY happened once I did this water change last night, and I didn't do anything different in terms of priming the 110...but now, we're getting a "swishing/whirring" sound as if the filter is "struggling" to pump, although water is flowing in and out...
Oh yes, another thing to be swell about! The diatoms that have consumed by shipwreck sails have spread to the skull ornament, and some of it is even on the AquaClear's intake strainer!
Boy...at least this time with this water change, I didn't burn my carpet or soak the carpets like an 18th century wet rug...spills? Yup. An absolute mess all over the tank? You betcha. New glass top needed now? But of course...
This just gets better and better, eh people?
What do I do now about my filter? Anyone else experience this noise with the AquaClears?
Oh, and yes, one other thing -- I cannot put my light strip on the glass tops because one is shattered, so I can only inspect the water quality by looking at the tank in daylight...from the side, the water appears as hazy and unclear as ever, even after this water change!
