newbie question

[boxxmann]

I have been working on a 55 that is at my church. It started out having green water. I changed the bulbs, replaced the filter cartridges, and taken out most of the gravel that was filthy. Now the water is cloudy and has been like that for about a month. I have been doing 15-20 gallon pwc once a week with no results yet. There is a Tetra ex70 and ex45 on the back (HOB) which I do not think is enough for the tank. I always thought to cut the ratings in half. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

 

[arcticfirefighter]

Are there fish in there? If not you might be better off taking it down to nothing, giving a really good cleaning (no chemicals) and starting over from the beginning. With both of those filters it sounds like it is plenty to me depending on the bioload you are planning for the tank. If you are concerned you could always replace the 45 with another 70. Good luck and let us know what you decide and how it works out.

 

[jlk]

Replacing the old filter cartridges & removing the gravel threw this tank into back into a cycle because you removed almost all of the good bacteria. The cloudiness is most likely the result of a bacterial bloom because the tank is cycling. Are there fish in there? What kind & how many? Do you have a test kit?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Replacing the old filter cartridges & removing the gravel threw this tank into back into a cycle because you removed almost all of the good bacteria. The cloudiness is most likely the result of a bacterial bloom because the tank is cycling. Are there fish in there? What kind & how many? Do you have a test kit?

+1
Sounds like a bacteria bloom, common in a cycling tank. Preform a 50% water change with temperature matched dechlorinated water. Your tank is cycling and your fish are swimming in their own poison. I recommend getting the API master test kit for freshwater. Do not get test strips they are highly inaccurate. Can you take a water sample to your local fish shop (LFS) to get tested and get them to write down the readings?

 

[boxxmann]

I have already done this and it looked like it just got worse. I was thinking of just slowing down and doing a water change (10 gal) once a week and changing the filter cartridges out after about a week or so (that would be around 3 weeks of filtration on each cartridge. As far as getting another filter, that would be up to church. I can only work with what they have right now. The water is cloudy AND green. There are about 10 small fish in there (someone else put them in there after I told them not to). I do not want to lose the fish. The ammonia and PH are a little high, but not bad. I am thinking that water changes will eventualy clear that up.

 

[boxxmann]

would H2O2 help in any way?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I have already done this and it looked like it just got worse. I was thinking of just slowing down and doing a water change (10 gal) once a week and changing the filter cartridges out after about a week or so (that would be around 3 weeks of filtration on each cartridge. As far as getting another filter, that would be up to church. I can only work with what they have right now. The water is cloudy AND green. There are about 10 small fish in there (someone else put them in there after I told them not to). I do not want to lose the fish. The ammonia and PH are a little high, but not bad. I am thinking that water changes will eventualy clear that up.

I'm missed the part where the water was green. Green water is an algae bloom. What are your lights? Is there any plants? Do fertilizers get used? Does it get direct sunlight? Try doing a black out on the tank. Block all the light from entering the tank using a towel, cardboard or whatever you can find of 2-3 days. A black out will fix the problem for now but we need to get to the bottom of what's causing it or it could come back.
No need to change the filter cartridges. They contain the bacteria used to process the ammonia your fish produce. When doing a water change swish them about in a bucket of tank water to clean them.
I will post a link for you to have a read trough.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html

 

[boxxmann]

I have already done a blackout for a week (which was thanksgiving week). The lights are brand new run of the mill bulbs from Petsmart. It used to get direct sunlight, but I have covered the side of the tank which gets hit in the evenings. I found out that the filters have a smaller cartridge with some of bio-balll material on them. They call it a bio-scrubber. These are the directions on the package (Cleaning the Bio-Scrubber™:



Do not dispose of the Bio-Scrubber™ unless it is damaged. It is a permanent part of the filtration system and not meant to be replaced or disturbed. If your Bio-Scrubber™ should ever become clogged as evidenced by restricted water flow or water to flowing over the top of the Bio-Scrubber™, follow the procedure below.

1. Remove the system's hood and remove the Bio-Scrubber™
2. Gently rinse the Bio-Scrubber™ under cool water to dislodge clogs. Do not use soap or any other cleaner. (Note: Do not remove the beneficial bacteria growing on the Bio-Scrubber™. This bacteria turns toxins into harmless compounds.)
3. Re-insert Bio-Scrubber™ and snap system hood back into place)

Should I do this or leave it until it gets better? I thought that by replacing the cartridges, the new carbon/charcoal in there would help out. Am I wrong?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I have already done a blackout for a week (which was thanksgiving week). The lights are brand new run of the mill bulbs from Petsmart. It used to get direct sunlight, but I have covered the side of the tank which gets hit in the evenings. I found out that the filters have a smaller cartridge with some of bio-balll material on them. They call it a bio-scrubber. These are the directions on the package (Cleaning the Bio-Scrubber™:

Do not dispose of the Bio-Scrubber™ unless it is damaged. It is a permanent part of the filtration system and not meant to be replaced or disturbed. If your Bio-Scrubber™ should ever become clogged as evidenced by restricted water flow or water to flowing over the top of the Bio-Scrubber™, follow the procedure below.
[*]Remove the system's hood and remove the Bio-Scrubber™
[*]Gently rinse the Bio-Scrubber™ under cool water to dislodge clogs. Do not use soap or any other cleaner. (Note: Do not remove the beneficial bacteria growing on the Bio-Scrubber™. This bacteria turns toxins into harmless compounds.)
[*]Re-insert Bio-Scrubber™ and snap system hood back into place)
Should I do this or leave it until it gets better? I thought that by replacing the cartridges, the new carbon/charcoal in there would help out. Am I wrong?

No follow those directions to clean EXCEPT do not use tap water (use tank water) because the chlorine and chloramine in it will kill the bacteria living on it. Most aquarists on this site agree carbon is not needed. If the tank is healthy and has regular water changes there is just no need for it. Is the cartridge white foam/floss with a carbon insert? If so just cut the carbon out and discard. Keep the foam/floss and treat it like the bio media/'bio scrubber'. Bacteria live on it too so if you are throwing it out every 3-4 weeks you are throwing out half your bacteria!

 

[boxxmann]

Is the carbon bad? Can I leave it in there? The water is coming from a well. I use carbon in my reef tank in with my PO4 reactor and I do not see any adverse affects. Not sure about freshwater, that is why I am here.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Is the carbon bad? Can I leave it in there? The water is coming from a well. I use carbon in my reef tank in with my PO4 reactor and I do not see any adverse affects. Not sure about freshwater, that is why I am here.

Carbons not bad. IMO not needed. It only lasts a few weeks then needs replacing. Some say it becomes inert after it's 'full' some say it can leach what it has absorbed back into the tank of not removed. You can use it if you wish but personally I don't see any benefits.

 

[manmythlegend]

Activated Carbon is basically for clearing medications and such from the water and reducing odors. Beyond that it really doesn't do that much in a freshwater setup other than give the good bacteria everyone is telling you you're needing some real estate to grow on. The only way to keep the bacteria on that used up carbon (it's only good for about a month or so) is to leave the pads in place for awhile and let the colonies build up to a useful level. This is why you only rinse the filter pads in some water you have saved in a bucket from when you started your water change. The chlorine compounds that may be present will kill off most of the beneficial bacterial colonies in your filter carbon if you just rinse them off with tap water.
I use a couple of Emperor 400s on my tanks and I have been using the same cartridges for about a year now. When the water flow reduces to an obvious level, I take the pads out, swish them in a bucket of tank water and pop them back in place. My water is crystal clear and the parameters are good and stable while doing this and I save a ton of $$$ by not changing to new cartridges and throwing out all my good bacteria every month or so. Add that to the fact that my plants (the yard kind, not the aquatic ones) LOVE the funky water that results which keeps me from buying fertilizers for the landscaping and you've got a double whammy money saver right there!

 

[boxxmann]

Why do they sell carbon if it is useless?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Why do they sell carbon if it is useless?

It's not useless. It can be used to remove medications, odors and color from water. It's just not needed all the time. Why do they sell anything.... To make a profit.

 

[boxxmann]

So what should I do?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

So what should I do?

It's up to you but if you choose to go without it won't harm your tank in any way.

 

[boxxmann]

So, do I just wait it out for the coudiness to go away, or what?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

So, do I just wait it out for the coudiness to go away, or what?

Get some tank water and hold it up against something white. Is it green or milky white in color? If its white just wait it out. Its a bacteria bloom. If its green it's an algae bloom resulting from too much light. Cut back on the amount of light the tank receives in a day and try and block direct sunlight. Black out the tank again for a few days and see if it makes a difference.

 

[boxxmann]

And if it doesn't?

 

[boxxmann]

I blacked the tank out for 5 days and the water still has a green tint to it. Now what do I do?