fluvial 304 died... toxic filter?

[sudz]

Hey guys,

Just wanted some confirmation that I did the right thing here... came back from work last night and went to feed the fish. Noticed the water/plants weren't moving right. Turns out my fluvial 304 stopped pumping.

I remember reading how stagnant filters become toxic, so I unplugged and washed it throughly with tap water. I have a power head in there, but I need a replacement impeller, shift and cover. Culprit was probably snails. I'm lightly stocked in my 75 gallon, so I'm hoping to avoid a cycle just because the tank is very natural. Live plants, not uber clean or anything.

Should I have started the filter back up after it sat for an unknown length of time?

 

[sudz]

Well, checked stats this morning, no nitrite or ammonia, but Nitrates are higher than I've ever seen them. When I turned the pump back on, all the crud from the ribbed water lines spewed into the tank. Nitrates were at 30-40ppm. I'll do another water change tonight. My Nitrates are normally under 5ppm.

 

[sudz]

Well, 2 days now, seems like a I Dodged a bullet... Still keeping an eye.

Nitrates down to ~5 ppm.
No Nitrite or ammonia.

... Considering the number of Unanswered posts I respond to I was kind of surprised to get zero feedback. ( I kind of make a habit of viewing unanswered posts and responding to any recent ones I might be able to make a contribution to)

 

[Masha]

Sorry, can't help you myself- maybe post in the freshwater "general" board? People seem to check that more often.