filter question......

[bigford84]

i have a 50 gallon piranha tank,in it are 14 baby red bellys. the filter is a magnum 350. i want to clean out the filter, but before i do.....all my good bacteria..(cant spell) is in the 40lbs of sand rite??? will it hurt to clead out the filter??? also is that a good filter for a 55 gal? i also have a fluval 305,and a fluval 304 i could use if they are better.. thanks for your time

 

[Fishguy2727]

That many piranhas will outgrow that tank very quickly.

No, the bacteria will live where the conditions are best for them and that will be in the filter since it has so much more flow (providing more oxygen and food). However, as long as you clean the media in tank water it won't kill all you bacteria.

I would swap out the Magnum for the two Fluvals (or keep them all running).

What is the nitrate concentration?

 

[bigford84]

i know its too many, but there was a minumum order amount and i got a great deal.. im going to trade almost all of them to my lfs for credit... nitrate are almost undetectable.. as i do pwt every other day

 

[Mark Hewitt]

i have a 50 gallon piranha tank,in it are 14 baby red bellys. the filter is a magnum 350. i want to clean out the filter, but before i do.....all my good bacteria..(cant spell) is in the 40lbs of sand rite???

No there's compartively little in the sand, they mostly live in the filter.

will it hurt to clead out the filter???

As long as you clean it out in tank water, then no, it should be fine

 

[BigJim]

Cleaning the filter is a major part of maintaining a tank. Rinse the filter media out in a bucket of old tank water or dechlorinated water.

Your nitrifying bacteria live on pretty much all the surfaces in your tank. They're in the highest concentrations in your filter because of the highly oxygenated water.