Need more filtration, but the fx5 wont fit! Whats next?

[Rachel0001]

I've got a 100 gallon African Cichlid tank with two canister filters- a Rena Filstar xP3 and a Fluval 405. They're nowhere near enough filtration for my tank - if I don't do a 50% change every week I'm looking at 80 nitrates.

I just came back from vacation and the parameters were: pH: 8.0, Am: 0, NO2: 0, NO3: 160 at about 15 seconds after starting the timer. That was 10 days after my last 50% change. I left the food measured in baggies so they wouldn't get overfed.



Don't know how much this matters but here is my current stock:
1 Rusty
4 Cyrtocara moori (blue dolphins)
3 Placidochromis sp. Phenochilus Tanzania (Star Sapphires)
1 Xystichromis Phytophagus (Christmas Fulu)
3 Protomelas taeniolatus, Likoma Island (Tangerine Tigers)
3 Cynotilapia afra (Cobue)
1 Cynotilapia afra (Chewere)
1 Aulonocara kandeense
2 aulonocara Rubescens albino
7 yellow labs

That makes a total of 26 but at the moment they're all under 3 inches, except for my gigantic peacekeeper rusty (he's full grown). The Cynotilapias, Protomelas and the yellow labs are probably all under 1 1/2"-2". I had many, many more large (5-6"+) cichlids previously and had the same problem...I'm surprised it didn't improve because I decreased the bioload substantially (about 2 months ago).


Ideally I'd get at least one FX5 and ditch the smaller canisters but the cabinets under my tank stand are only 9 3/4" each so that beast wouldn't fit through them to get under the tank. Since the mere mention of moving the tank and stand to get it in behind it also generated the death glare and the threat of permanently sleeping on the couch, it looks like that isn't an option for me either.

Can anyone tell me if the canister for the FX5 is flexible? If it will bend I might get one under the tank. The thing looks like a garbage can!

What's the next best thing? I can't fit a third canister so it would have to replace one, probably the Fluval because the Rena kicks butt. I noticed Rena is now API and they've got a newer filter, has anyone tried that?

Thanks!

 

[jbird79]

What media r u running in ur filters. I have that many fish in my 55 with just a hob and my nitrates dont get that bad. And i probably overfeed my alil. How often do u clean ur media

 

[Rachel0001]

On the bottom level of each filter are 1-2 large pore sponges, then comes a fine/small pore sponge, next level is charcoal and on top is biomedia. Once a month I clean the filter media with tank water (I alternate the filters so I'm doing one every other week).
One thing I've done is use less media to get more water turnover. Sometimes I'll leave a level empty, other times I'll use only one sponge instead of filling it with 4.
Do you think having the media is more important than the water flow?

 

[jbird79]

What biomedia r u using. Ive read of people saying bio balls can be nitrate factories. So i would think a spouge would do the same thing( someone correct me if im wrong)

 

[Rachel0001]

Hmm...just the ones that came with each filter. The Rena's are little black stars and the Fluval's are white cylinders. How's that for a technical answer? I've got one pack in each filter.
I was wondering about that!

 

[jbird79]

R u rincing the bio media too.

 

[Rachel0001]

Yeah. I also replace one or two sponges at a time so I'm keeping most the old media but also replacing something each time. I almost never bother to rinse the polishing pad so I usually toss that one and cut another and then half the time I replace a larger pore sponge too.

 

[jbird79]

Sounds good there. What kind of substrate r u using

 

[foster53]

Yeah. I also replace one or two sponges at a time so I'm keeping most the old media but also replacing something each time. I almost never bother to rinse the polishing pad so I usually toss that one and cut another and then half the time I replace a larger pore sponge too.[/QUOTE
The sponges in the Rena don't need to be replaced, just rinse in tank water. Run all 4 sponges in the bottom basket. Fill the rest with bio media Ceramic rings seem to work the best. Rinse the polishing pad in tank water, and keep using until it starts to deteriorate. I have two XP-3's on a tank with about 30 Rainbows in it, and they do a great job. I also do a 50-75% water change once a week, my nitrates are always under 10 PPM. I service the Rena's once every 4-6 weeks. Alternating weeks for each one, so both aren't serviced at once.

 

[Rachel0001]

I'm using a sand like cichlid sand, just not that exact brand. Its a natural sand, I know that. Some crushed coral I believe but its very fine. Much more so than my old "aquarium sand" from petco.
I know I shouldn't change out the sponges that much...I guess I've been sort of lazy (I HATE trying to rinse all the crap out of them). Initially I started changing some sponges each time because I hoped it would help decrease nitrates, I was thinking maybe I wasn't getting everything out. The last few times I don't have an excuse, just tried for about 2 minutes then decided a new sponge or two sounded fabulous. Lazy, I tell you!
Thanks for your responses, both of you.

 

[foster53]

No being lazy where your fish are concerned They count on you for thier environment to be healthy

 

[jbird79]

Thats right. But more or a better filter isnt goin to solve ur issue. Goole how to reduce nitrate. There are alot of things u can do.

 

[Beengirl]

I have a fluval 406 and I rinse ALL the media every week with my water change. I usually will also change out 1 item each week, for instance I did PWC Sunday and rinsed all bags of chemipure (changed 1), rinsed all biomax (shaking it up some to release any trapped particles), remove and rinsed/squeezed the large black foam, rinse and squeezed polishing pads(I replaced one last week), removed and squeezed/rinsed 3 of the long foams-replaced the other long foam. Then poured out water that was in canister itself and put it all back together. Primed the canister and started it up. It takes me less than 10 minutes to do this all, and I have the water from the PwC already in a bucket, so it's easy. Rinsing canister media once a month isn't enough. I think that's what the manual says, but the filter is collecting all sorts of food and poo and whatever else that has been floating around. All of that will break down inside your canister and turn to nitrates, then tour canister is just spitting the nitrates back into your tank. They have to be removed every week before they have a chance to break down. My nitrates ate usually 10 or less, and some might call my tank overly stocked. And if you have 2 canisters, I would do both every week. If you stick to doing this, who knows-maybe you could go down to 1 filter at some point. Good luck!! Hope it works for you too!!

 

[Rachel0001]

No being lazy where your fish are concerned They count on you for thier environment to be healthy

I know!! I'm usually so meticulous...I just realized I was trying to get it done more quickly instead of doing it right when I was writing it out. Not cool!!

 

[Rachel0001]

I have a fluval 406 and I rinse ALL the media every week with my water change. I usually will also change out 1 item each week, for instance I did PWC Sunday and rinsed all bags of chemipure (changed 1), rinsed all biomax (shaking it up some to release any trapped particles), remove and rinsed/squeezed the large black foam, rinse and squeezed polishing pads(I replaced one last week), removed and squeezed/rinsed 3 of the long foams-replaced the other long foam. Then poured out water that was in canister itself and put it all back together. Primed the canister and started it up. It takes me less than 10 minutes to do this all, and I have the water from the PwC already in a bucket, so it's easy. Rinsing canister media once a month isn't enough. I think that's what the manual says, but the filter is collecting all sorts of food and poo and whatever else that has been floating around. All of that will break down inside your canister and turn to nitrates, then tour canister is just spitting the nitrates back into your tank. They have to be removed every week before they have a chance to break down. My nitrates ate usually 10 or less, and some might call my tank overly stocked. And if you have 2 canisters, I would do both every week. If you stick to doing this, who knows-maybe you could go down to 1 filter at some point. Good luck!! Hope it works for you too!!

I used to do that, but then read several threads with crashed tanks and people saying don't clean out your filters so often that it made me a bit nervous so I cut back to 1x a month. But it's obviously not working for my tank.

I rinsed all my filter media (both filters) in tank water last night and am going to do it again on one of them next week, then start alternating - every week I'll rinse a filter's sponges so I'm doing each filter every other week. Maybe that will be the magic combination. I think I'm also going to replace my Fluval with an Eheim. I've read so much about them and I've never been really happy with the Fluval so I might as well.

I changed 15% water last night while I was doing the filters and I'll check parameters tonight.

Thanks you guys!

 

[foster53]

If you give your fish a nice live, or frozen treat, I am sure they will forgive you How about another XP filter. Then you only have to buy one kind of filter supplies instead of two seperate types

 

[Rachel0001]

I love my XP. I was looking at the Eheim only because of their reputation and the higher flow rate. But I hadn't thought about your point regarding the media. Another good reason to go with

 

[Rachel0001]

I love my XP. I was looking at the Eheim only because of their reputation and the higher flow rate. But I hadn't thought about your point regarding the media. Another good reason to go with

Er....dumb iPad, lol. I was going to finish that sentence!

 

[foster53]

I think that way because I'm cheap---- er I mean frugal I use the same polishing pad until it absolutely falls apart. I still have the same sponges that came with the XP's

 

[Rachel0001]

A couple weeks ago I replaced the Fluval with a new Rena xP4, hoping that with the combination of new hoses (the Fluval's were so gross no matter what I did), better turnover, more media space and weekly rinsing of the media, I'd have my Nitrate problem under control. Last Friday I changed out 60% of my water when my nitrates showed 80ppm. 4 days later? Right back up to 80ppm!
I don't get it.
I'd rinsed Rena #1's filter media 4 days before. I fed 1x/day those four days but I watched my fish eat everything in put in the tank. All other parameters are steady (am:0, no2: 0, pH: 8.0) I can only get the No3 down under 40 for a couple of days.