should i get a new filter?

Question

my filter on my 10 gallon tank stopped today for no apparent reason, but then started working again, it acted like the propeller thingy was hung up b/c when i pulled it out and set it back in it worked. its done this before, but usuually only when i unplug my filter during maintanence. should i replace it, or watch to see if it does it again?
its a ten gallon salt tank fish only with live rock. filter is an aqua tech 5-15. if i should replace it will it mess with the good bacteria already esablished, or could i replace it with a new one just like it and put the same cartridge from the old filter in it and be okay? it has 20lbs live sand, 5 lbs live rock so far, and all live water. please help i dont want my fish to die! and how many crabs and snails for a clean up crew on ten gallon?

also my fish store said that my tank was cycled so i added two small clownfish. i set itup for a week with all the live rock, water, and sand and all my test were 0, ph 8.2, salinity 30, temp78

my salinity was at a 1.022
and should if i clean the impeller with tapp water will it hurt the tank?

Answer 1

You can replace the filter with no problem. However get rid of the carbon and run the phosphate pads. Carbon isn't a good thing on a salt tank.

Cycled yes mature no. Be very careful when owning a new salt tank. Also your levels will never be 0. Get yourself a good master test kit. Nitrates will always be around 20 or better. Ammonia will waver under .2 with nitrites at around .01. Salt will never be 0 for anything. Your tank is not mature it is only cycled. Be careful what they tell you.

Crabs or clean up crew, one crab is good unless you have an excess of algae and debris. Do not overstock with clean up you have a small tank which at this point is already down to around 7 gallons of water (counting rock and sand displacement)

Answer 2

The filter may just need to have the hole the propeller sits in cleaned out. If there's dust from the substrate, or bacteria and gunk that had built up on it (if it had been used for another tank), it may stop it from turning easily.

If you buy another filter, you can use the same media (if it's the same type of filter), otherwise, just put the old cartridge in the filter or tank to seed the bacteria.

I'm not sure how you're measuring your salinity - do you use a hydrometer? It should be 1.024-1.026. If yours is 1.030, you'll want to lower it a little. You'll be using more salt than you need to for water changes, and if you get any evaporation, it'll increase the salinity even more.

I'm a little concerned that your nitrate is zero. If your tank was cycling, you should go through ammonia and nitrite and have these at zero, but you should be showing nitrates from their conversion. If you only had the tank set up for a week, I doubt it's anywhere near fully cycled. Did you add anything as an ammonia source during that time? If there wasn't an ammonia source (what the bacteria on the rock and in the sand feed on), they may have started to die off. At any rate, I'd keep a close eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels in the next few weeks since the fish will be an ammonia source.

You can add snails at around 2 per gallon, but considering part of your volume is sand and rock, you can go 10-15 total. I'd only add one crab, because these can be territorial, and some will eat fish (including the emerald, arrow types), so I'd be careful adding any.

Answer 3

I get a baby bottle cleaner from the dollar store and clean out the place where the propeller sits. I also clean the propeller as well by running it under hot water and scrubbing it all over really well.

That will fix it. But I woul suggest you pick up a AquaClear filter they are the best for small SW tanks. Buy A size larger than you need. Aquaclears also have plenty of room to add whatever you would like as filter media, and then some.

As far as the Clean up crew you can have a crab for every 3 gallons of water, and a snail per every gallon give or take. The snails depend of if you have enough alge for them to eat. You may need more snails to clean your tank you may need less.

Your 10gallon tank is really not ready. You should have waited a bit longer to add fish. Usually atleast 3 weeks. But the damage is done.

Check here if you have any problems. You can post pictures or ask questions and they will know the answer:

http://www.nano-reef.com

Good luck on your tank

Add:

Cleaning the propeller with Tap water will not hurt your tank in the least.

.

Answer 4

I wouldn't worry too much about getting a new filter. In a marine aquarium, almost all of you bacteria is in the live rock and live sand. I'm not sure what you mean when you say live water, if you are refferring to the beneficial bacteria, it is not waterbourne, it must have a surface to live on. But yea, your bacteria for the most part is not in your filter, so don't worry if you decide to get a new one.

Answer 5

Generally replacing the entire filter isn't needed to cure the problem. Clean the hole that the impeller sits in and replace the impeller itself. Most better stores will carry replacement impellers.

MM

Answer 6

No, this has happened to me too. When this happens, just poor water into where your cleaning block is. Keep pooring until the cleaning block, or crystal holer is full, spin the wheel, and it should power up again. You may not have enough water in it. Make sure it is filled up so when you look through the glass, there is no water line.

-hope this helped!

Answer 7

yes