cycling trouble

[Steelhawke]

Also, if you plan on doing away with the under gravel filter, buy your new filter first and get it set up and running for a couple weeks to get it seeded before you tear down the tank, it will save you from having to cycle a new tank.

 

[terryeckel]

i don't want to tear down the whole tank. i'll start 5% water changes today and try to fine so sort of adapter to siphon from the undergravel riser. i'll keep you all informed of the progress.


thanks

 

[terryeckel]

hi, i've been doing 5% water changes every other day and the water is getting better. i bought the test kit phranque suggested. next 2 questions, how often do i change filters ? i have a bio wheel filter, do i change the filter and leave the bacteria on the wheels ? what's the pros and cons to live plants and snails ?

 

[LyndaB]

You should be able to just rinse out the filter media in used tank water (never tap water). Although, if you've never changed it at all, this may be part of your high nitrate issue. The filter media gets gunked up. I don't have an under gravel filter, so am not familiar with how they even work. I've just heard that basically they don't.

For my canister and HOB (hang on back) filters, I rinse out the media every week when I do my water changes. I only replace sponges/floss media maybe 3-4 times a year, not every 30 days, as the manufacturers recommend (they just want my hard earned money). My biomedia I don't change out as it doesn't disintegrate like the other media does.

 

[terryeckel]

so your saying take tank water out of the tank ? weekly and rince the filters in that water ? replace filters every 3-4 months. do i leave the bio wheels alone ?

 

[LyndaB]

The bio wheels will have to be rinsed, too. I never had much luck with bio wheels. They kept getting stuck and wouldn't spin properly.

When I hook up my python water changer, I do so at the bathroom faucet, so I just take my filter media in while the water is draining into the basin and rinse it off that way utilizing the tank water. Does that make sense?

 

[Phranque]

so your saying take tank water out of the tank ? weekly and rince the filters in that water ? replace filters every 3-4 months. do i leave the bio wheels alone ?

Still do your daily or every other day water changes as you have been, just rinse off your mechanical filtration either weekly or every other week in the bucket of water that you removed from the tank (never rinse it in tap water). You're likely stirring up a lot of crap if you're vacuuming or pulling from the under-gravel upright, so you want to keep your filters rinsed to keep decaying material from further contributing to the nitrates.

As far as your earlier question regarding plants & snails, I would refrain from adding anything until you get your tank back in line. Plants, in sufficient quantities, will help consume nitrates, but they shouldn't be used as a means to an end.

Bringing a tank back from OTS really isn't hard work, just takes a lot of patience and slow progress....

 

[terryeckel]

what's the reason for rinsing filters in tank water only ? i use a python siphon system so my tank water is mixed in with the tap water.

 

[blert]

what's the reason for rinsing filters in tank water only ? i use a python siphon system so my tank water is mixed in with the tap water.

Chlorine in the tap water will wipeout your bio-filter. Depending on your filtration, the majority of your bio-filter may reside on your filter media.

I have not used a Python device but I think you can shut the tap off after the siphon is going strong.

 

[terryeckel]

dumb question, what stops the chlorine from doing that to the filter when you add water back after water change ?

 

[LyndaB]

You add a good dechlorinator like Prime.

 

[terryeckel]

i do use prime, i assume the direct contact with tap water is what destroys the media ?

 

[shellieca]

dumb question, what stops the chlorine from doing that to the filter when you add water back after water change ?

Plus I think that turning off the filter while doing a PWC until you add the Prime will help keep the chlorinated water from entering the filter. At least that's my thinking which could be totally wrong.

 

[LyndaB]

Yes...... because you are treating your tank for high nitrates, every time you do your partial water changes, be sure to dose with Prime for the full water volume of the tank, not just for the water you are replacing.

 

[terryeckel]

thank you, i've only been treating for water replaced. i'll start turning off the bio wheel when doing water changes also

 

[terryeckel]

hey all, update on my tank. as i said before i bought that nice test kit and started using a full dose of prime when doing partial water changes every other day. the nitrate was a little high, 60 ppm i'm guesing. the test card only had 40 and them 80 ppm and it was kinda in between. everything else looks good,
thanks for all the help. i'm definatly going to keep involved in the forums. i think i'm going to go get me 3 corys.

 

[terryeckel]

i'm getting pretty good on my water tests. i've never had any algea form in this tank. does anyone know why that is ?

 

[shellieca]

i'm getting pretty good on my water tests. i've never had any algea form in this tank. does anyone know why that is ?

Glad things are going well for you. Are you talking about the cloudy water? I'm not sure that you'll always get the algae. One of my aquariums took 2 weeks into cycling to get it & the other just a week. So far I haven't lost any if my 6 fish so I'm feeling pretty fortunate but I know I've got to keep vigilant.

 

[terryeckel]

my tank has been set up for over a year and it's never had any visible algea.

 

[Phranque]

Glad to hear it's going good, but I still wouldn't go adding anything for a while, especially corys.... they can be pretty sensitive to water conditions. I wouldn't add any additional stock until you are maintaining less than 20ppm for about a month or two. Plus, whatever you add is going to contribute to the bioload that you're currently fighting to bring under control..... be patient.

As far as the algae, how long do you run the lights during the day (or evening). Light is one of the main components that algae require, so if you just ran your lights for a couple hours in the evening, it may not have had a chance to develop.....