will cleaning out a power filter help with ammonia spike?

Question

i currently have a new 90 gal freshwater tank which has 2 power filters. one filter is brand new, and the other has been running in an established tank for years. i just had an ammonia spike, but was wondering if cleaning out the "older" filter will help or just worsen it by removing bacteria?

Answer 1

The filter is where about 1/2 of your bacteria live. If you clean it they will be gone and you will see an even larger spike. Wait several days until the new filter is seeded and then give the older one a light cleaning.

MM

Answer 2

During the cycling of a new tank, 30% water changes every three days are a must if you have fish you want to keep healthy. The constant partial water changes will keep the toxins at a safe level as each of them spike in this order over the first 3 weeks: ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.

Remember, ammonia burns the fish's gills and is cumulative, meaning once the damage is done, it is not reversable.

The reason for the spikes are that the bacteria that break down each of them are multiplying to try and keep up with the amount of ammonia and nitrites that build during the cycling. It take the bacteria a while to multiply to numbers that will handle the toxins so the toxins increase until the bacteria catch up with them.

There is no bacteria that eats the nitrates, so that is the reason for the weekly 25-30% water changes when the cycle is complete. Weekly partial water changes are the single most important thing you can do to keep your fish healthy and happy.

There is a product you can add that will speed up the cycle, it is called "Cycle". Basically it is beneficial bacteria in a bottle that increases their numbers immediately rather than waiting for them to multiply on their own. I used this myself when I was first starting my fish room, now I just take water from one of my "mature" tanks and use a filter that has been in or on one of the other tanks for a while to start up a new one. Mature filters are the best thing to use to start a new tank. There is huge numbers of bacteria in the filter media.

Answer 3

If the filter material is clogged up, I'd rinse it in old tank water then put the media back in. I wouldn't replace media during an ammonia spike because like you said, you'll lose all of that good bacteria.

What will help with that spike is a large water change.

Answer 4

magicman is right. the ammonia spike will be from overfeeding or a dead fish, or even adding too many fish when a tank is not ready. wait for the ammonia to go down on its own. it should in a few days to a week. it sounds like your tank is cycling. you should see ammonia, then nitrites, then nitrates, then you do your water changes when your nitrates rise.

Answer 5

i might recommend the AquaClears. for my area, they're between the superb HOB clear out on the industry. you basically exchange one media at a time (i does no longer propose changing the organic and organic media), which ensures a persevering with inhabitants of beneficial micro organism. With a Bio-Wheel, the bio wheel ought to get caught and various the micro organism might die once you may restore it. i'm no longer announcing that Penguin's filters are undesirable, i'm basically announcing that the AquaClear is the superb bang to your greenback. email me for any questions! ZTM

Answer 6

no, do a water change. a large one. don't clean the filter and change the water on the same day. tank will crash.

Answer 7

clean it it may be part of the problem

Answer 8

sorry dont know