My 65 Gallon Low Tech Planted Tank Journal

[dragonfisher33]

I'VE FOUND THE CO-CONSPIRATOR!!!!!!!! So i just did a massive water change and when i filled it up slowly, the water is so sparklingly, so clear. I was so happy. UNTIL I TURN MY EHEIM 2217 BACK ON!!!!!! The outputting tube where the water exits the hose creates a current, WHICH APPARENTLY IS TOO STRONG AND STIR UP THE SH%T IN THE SUBSTRATE!!!!

I'm so frustrated right now. and no, i do not want to turn down the filter strength. just need a way to bypass everything

 

[dragonfisher33]

here you go

 

[dragonfisher33]

One more

 

[dragonfisher33]

Darn thing won't let me post all pictures at one time

 

[dragonfisher33]

Round 3 of this nonsense

 

[dragonfisher33]

And round 4

 

[dragonfisher33]

Final round with emphasis on the DW

 

[dragonfisher33]

The main concern with my cloudy fish tank is that the particles might be blocking sufficient light penetrating to the bottom of the fish tank thus hindering the growth of the plants. Anyone can chime in?

 

[Billbug68]

The main concern with my cloudy fish tank is that the particles might be blocking sufficient light penetrating to the bottom of the fish tank thus hindering the growth of the plants. Anyone can chime in?

I wouldn't worry about it too much. It'll clear in time, and your plants should be fine until then. What are you running in your filter?

 

[dragonfisher33]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. It'll clear in time, and your plants should be fine until then. What are you running in your filter?

i have alter the way in which the outflow jets out, but there seems to still be enough water agitation to stir up the debris.

the eheim filter has a good media that i've used with the last fish tank. it's got three layers of white pads with white "stuffs"(carbon maybe?) between each layer of pads.

do you think filter floss will work?

 

[Billbug68]

Not really sure what you're referring to as white "stuffs" but carbon is only good for a few weeks then needs to be replaced. Purigen is good for removing excess organics and filter floss or polishing pads might help. But really, it's probably something that just needs time and patience to pass. I didn't read too far back in to the thread, but is this tank still cycling? Is there any ammonia source? Any live stock in the tank? It could be a bacterial bloom.

 

[dragonfisher33]

Not really sure what you're referring to as white "stuffs" but carbon is only good for a few weeks then needs to be replaced. Purigen is good for removing excess organics and filter floss or polishing pads might help. But really, it's probably something that just needs time and patience to pass. I didn't read too far back in to the thread, but is this tank still cycling? Is there any ammonia source? Any live stock in the tank? It could be a bacterial bloom.

the water parameters are spot on because i've been using the filter media from an established tank. actually the eheim is the filter that i used for the other tank. Last night when i was doing the massive water change, the water was pristine clear UNTIL i turn on the filter. the water from the spray bar created enough current to stir up the particles from the Flourite substrate. Yesterday i added one cory and two loaches, but obviously after the water parameters checked out.

 

[Zimmanski]

If you keep replacing the poly fill stuff I would think eventually it would get it all out. My suggestion is if you're still using water clarifier don't add any more, my understanding of it is that clump together and sink to the bottom. If the particulate are floating around eventually they'll get sucked up and stuck in the filter floss. I've had two tank with nothing but flourite before and it was cloudy for a few days or so(hard to remember how long) but eventually my filter did its job

 

[dragonfisher33]

If you keep replacing the poly fill stuff I would think eventually it would get it all out. My suggestion is if you're still using water clarifier don't add any more, my understanding of it is that clump together and sink to the bottom. If the particulate are floating around eventually they'll get sucked up and stuck in the filter floss. I've had two tank with nothing but flourite before and it was cloudy for a few days or so(hard to remember how long) but eventually my filter did its job

so what kind of filter floss did you use? would the ones from Wal-Mart be OK? and how much do i add? I have this silly thought: if i add too much filter floss into my Eheim 2217 and it blocks the flow of water so much that the motor will die faster and the top of the filter might pop right off.

 

[Zimmanski]

I buy the poly-fill pillow stuffing from Walmart, works great and crazy cheap. Just put in a handful, you don't need to pack a ton of it in there but I wouldn't worry about anything crazy happening haha

 

[dragonfisher33]

this is what i was able to find in my local Walmart. i hope it works. is there a difference in result depending on the location of the placement of the polyfil? i put a handful of it on top of the canister, right underneath the motor.

Poly-Fil Premium Polyester Fiber Fill - Walmart.com

 

[Zimmanski]

If you put it at the bottom of the eheims its just going to clog up faster, at the least you want it after some sort of coarse foam or in the eheims case after the mech rings.

 

[dragonfisher33]

If you put it at the bottom of the eheims its just going to clog up faster, at the least you want it after some sort of coarse foam or in the eheims case after the mech rings.

ok, let me elaborate a little. the intake of the filter is on the bottom of the Eheim 2217. i have biomax and activated carbon on the bottom of the filter. as the water comes from the intake and travels upward, the bad stuffs from the water are been filtered out. after all of these filtration, the water is met up with the poly fill at the top, just right underneath the motor that also serves as the cap of for the filter.

 

[dragonfisher33]

and when you said "clog up faster", is that a good thing or bad? it sounds like a bad thing but it might be good since that's what i'm trying to do: trap and clog the particles as quickly as possible

 

[Zimmanski]

and when you said "clog up faster", is that a good thing or bad? it sounds like a bad thing but it might be good since that's what i'm trying to do: trap and clog the particles as quickly as possible

You did it right is what I was trying to say. Trapping particles is good, clogging is very bad so you want the rings to trap the large particles so by the time the water flows through the polyfill it won't be clogged by the large stuff and it can trap the very fine particles. Polyfill before or after biomedia or chemical media probably doesn't make a difference but you want it to be the last stage of mechanical filtration.