To keep old media in the filter?

[Part Of Your World]

Hi there, on Oct 9th, I got a 20-gallon tank with 8 neon tetra & 4 skirt tetra. I set up a 20-gallon tank with 8 neon tetras and 4 skirt tetras. On October 14th, I went to PetSmart to get used cartridges to add beneficial microbes to my fish's tank. I went to PetSmart to get used cartridges to add beneficial microbes to my fish's tank. I squeezed some of the cartridges into the tank water and the rest in with the current cartridge and filter that came with my tank kit. Oct 18th replaced my filter with a new HOB that has more space for media. It now had Bio balls, carbon, Sponge, and old cartridge media in it. I was as careful and thoughtful as I could be, making sure not to lose any good microbes in the transfer process. I removed the old filter and placed it aside for future use. Oct 19th, I put the whole bottle of Tetra Safe Start Plus into the filter media. Oct 20th, I got my 1st 0ppm of ammonia, but now the Nitrite is rising.25, Oct 21tst, ammonia is still 0ppm, but the nitrite went up to .50. I did a 25% water change. Oct 22nd, now it's consistent that the ammonia is 0ppm, but the nitrite is .25. I did a 50% water change, leaving very little opportunity for Oct 23rd (tonight's nitrite to be above .25), we'll see!
Obviously, my tank's water has been filthy since Oct 14th. Could the old media be hurting the successful quantity of microbes that eat up the nitrite? Or is this just a new fish owner kind of question?

 

[Aiken Drum]

No. Keeping the old media is helping. The only time you should be replacing filter media is if it's falling apart. I've got sponges that are 10 years old, and ceramic media can last decades. Just periodically give it a rinse using water taken from your aquarium during your water changes.

You are a couple of weeks into what can easily take a couple of months. You need to have a lot more patience. Just let your cycle establish in its own time.

 

[Part Of Your World]

No. Keeping the old media is helping. The only time you should be replacing filter media is if it's falling apart. I've got sponges that are 10 years old, and ceramic media can last decades. Just periodically give it a rinse using water taken from your aquarium during your water changes.

You are a couple of weeks into what can easily take a couple of months. You need to have a lot more patience. Just let your cycle establish in its own time.

Ok, I can do this. But how do I clear up the water? its so filthy particles floating everywhere.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Can you post a photo? Are you sure its floating particles, and not coloured water?

Water changes will remove floating particles, replacing dirty water with clean water.

As long as you have sufficient filtration circulating the water, then the sponges should pick up and remove any floating detritus. If the sponges are getting clogged up, then give them a rinse using water taken from your aquarium during a water change.

You could try adding a fine floss layer into your filter set up. This will trap very fine particles. It's OK to throw away and replace fine floss as needed.

If your aquarium is suffering from a lot of detritus thats a separate issue to your cycle and should be looked at separately. Are you feeding too much? Is your filter circulating the water sufficiently? Are you changing enough water? Are you vacuuming over the substrate when you do a water change?

 

[Part Of Your World]

Can you post a photo? Are you sure its floating particles, and not coloured water?

Water changes will remove floating particles, replacing dirty water with clean water.

As long as you have sufficient filtration circulating the water, then the sponges should pick up and remove any floating detritus. If the sponges are getting clogged up, then give them a rinse using water taken from your aquarium during a water change.

You could try adding a fine floss layer into your filter set up. This will trap very fine particles. It's OK to throw away and replace fine floss as needed.

If your aquarium is suffering from a lot of detritus thats a separate issue to your cycle and should be looked at separately. Are you feeding too much? Is your filter circulating the water sufficiently? Are you changing enough water? Are you vacuuming over the substrate when you do a water change?

I'm currently not at home, but I can post a pic this evening. What is coloured water? It's all floating particles. different sizes, but all small. I had no floating particles until Oct 14th, when I put the used media into the tank and into the filter. I've done multiple water changes since then to keep Nitrite and or ammonia levels down. It's definitely been more than the whole 20-gallon tank size at this point. It's always the worst after I change the water; it settles a bit after a few hours, but so much is still floating around. I always vacuum through the gravel during water changes. And also, in the decorations and artificial plants.

I only feed once a day, normally at night. I've been scooping the tank water into a cup I've been using for the water and placing the tiny floating granules into the cup. It's always a few shakes of food, and only one pore is open on the food bottle. I pour the water back into the tank to keep them all from floating because the skirt tetra will eat up all the food before the neon's get to it at the bottom half of the tank. I can literally see the fish eating all the food granules like it's a race! As far as I can see, the HOB filter is doing a wonderful job circulating the water. I do have it on a slightly lower flow because the tetra doesn't like a strong water flow directly into the tip of the tank. My filter and media came together. I have the Fluval AC30 power filter, and the media that came with it is a sponge, bio balls, a carbon packet, and a pre-sponge for the end of the intake tube, plus the used cartridges made of a fine kind of coarse floss or cotton material.

 

[V227]

The pre-filter sponge should eliminate the majority of the suspended particles in the water column.

Be sure to sqeeze out the pre-filter sponge once a week.

 

[Part Of Your World]

The pre-filter sponge should eliminate the majority of the suspended particles in the water column.

Be sure to sqeeze out the pre-filter sponge once a week.

I will do this as soon as I am home today. I will also be cleaning the remaining media in the filter with some tank water. Maybe this will help some.