Time to replace filter system?

Question

I have a 55 gallon tank with very few fish in it (a pleco currently and I want to add community fish like mollies, tetras, platys, etc.). I have not been replacing the filters as I should have been (did not know to) and now my nitrate and ammonia levels are spiked off the charts.

Currently, I have an Aquatech 30-60 filter with no bio wheels. Will one of the newer filters benefit my tank, or should I wait it out and keep adding the water enhancers (loose carbon in bags and AmQuel +)? I don't want to buy filter cartridges for this filter if it is not going to help much.

Possibly not important history: I went to PetSmart last night to test the water and, when the levels were high, the sales girl said that I needed to add the above listed chemicals and replace the filter to a filter that they stock for $150.00. I don't have the kind of money to put into the tank, so I asked last night (on Yahoo questions) if a cheaper filter would work. But now, I know the filter I have...

Answer 1

The filter you have now with no bio wheel will still work yes. At the size given, I'd think adding a second filter would help you out some. DO NOT USE THE CHEMICALS. They'd love to sell you that AmQuel crap, and the only thing thats going to do is screw up your readings, and mislead you. Yeah it'll move ammonia to ion form, not lethal, but it's still going to be in the tank, and I say you don't use that crap unless it's an absolute emergency only.

I'd reccomend supplimenting your current filter with an Aquaclear 20 or 30. That has bio max on the top, it is not very expensive at all, easy to maintain as well.

I hope the answer I gave you last night helped.

JV

Answer 2

Sweetie its time to change your water. The filter sounds adequite to me. If it has a place for wheels get the wheels for the filter. Get some ceramic bio-beads to fill your filter. You can also use 100% polyester fiber fill (can get it at wal-mart for under $3) and put that in the filter. This things give a place for the beneficial bacteria to live. Replace the fiber fill once a month. Never replace bio-beads, just rinse off in a bucket of tank water once a month. If ammonia and nitrite are high you must start changing that water before you fish start to die. Sounds like you have a new tank going through the cycle. Ammonia spikes, nitrite spikes, then ammonia starts to fall, then nitrites and you have nitrates present. Nitrite and nitrate are two different things. Nitrate in the system indicates the tank is almost complete in the cycle. High nitrates do not accompany high ammonia unless something is really out of whack. Two things come to mind. You have confused nitrite (harmful) with nitrate (not so bad if under 20 ppm). Or you are using white carbon (zeolite) and salt together, which is a big no no. Remove zeolite and change out all of the water. The petco will cause you to go broke especially if you have no clue as to what the problem is. The sad fact about these pet stores is they are in the business of making money selling product, not trying to secure a good home for pets. They know you will spend a lot of money before you learn how to do it, asking them is not a good idea. You are better off asking questions here, and even here is not so good of an idea. Its a buyer beware market and you are right to be sceptical of their advice. No you don't need the $150 dollar extra filter. You need to educate yourself so you don't have to rely on their advice. You must do your own homework I'm afraid.

Answer 3

Your filter system is adequate for that tank even with some additional small community fish in it. Activated carbon is good because it will remove odors from the tank and provides a good base for large amounts of beneficial bacteria.

What you need to do is start doing weekly partial water changes and bi-monthly (right side first, then the left side the second time) gravel siphoning. This is what reduces the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Regular partial water changes are the most important thing you can do to keep your fish healthy and happy and the water in pristine condition.

Adding chemicals to bind up the toxins does not get them out of the tank and the more chemicals you add, the more chances you have of something going wrong in the tank. Water changes are foolproof and easy with one tank. I have 25 tanks and they all get water changes every week to 10 days with the fry (baby) tanks getting one every 4 days. Gravel siphoning is very important, too. Much waste and uneaten food gets down in the crevices of the gravel and decays into ammonia.

I have tanks that have been set up for over 6 years without a teardown using the above described procedures. The fish are healthy and happy and spawn regularly, so you know they are feelin' good.

Hi Jon...

Answer 4

you dont need to buy anything, except a test kit. API master freshwater test kit is the best. test strips (which most chain pet stores use) are unreliable. i tested water with strips and then with the API liquid tests, and the differences were unbelievable.

you should never ever change the cartridges (media) inside of the filter. this is where the majority of the beneficial bacteria grow. the ONLY time you ever need to change it is if it is literally falling apart. (to change filter media, you need to put the new cartridge inside the filter behind the old one. give it a few weeks to build up beneficial bacteria. if you just take out the old one and put in a new one without doing this, you will start a mini-cycle, and have to go through that entire process again.)
ive had cartridges for many many months, some years, without ever changing them.
to clean it, when you do a water change, take out the media and swish it around in the old tank water to remove debris and such.

the carbon isnt necessary unless you're trying to remove meds from the water.

amquel reduces the toxins in the ammonia. but this isnt necessary, and i have never used it.

http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-cycling.html

to keep ammonia and nitrite down, frequent water changes is whats needed. nothing else. since the tank is still in the cycling stage it will take a long time. you need to test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate everyday. whenever ammonia or nitrite gets over .25, or .50 at MOST, do a 50% water change. replace with dechlorinated water at the same temp.
ammonia will spike and then nitrite will spike, then nitrate will start to show up. when nitrate is constant under 40, but above 0, with NO ammonia and nitrite for one week straight, the tank is cycled.

email me if you need help!

Answer 5

It sounds like you haven't cycled your tank filter. Replacing your filter media will only make your ammonia and nitrite readings worse. Filter media needs to be matured in order to process these chemicals. You need to clean your filter media cartridges in old tank water to remove the gunk and make sure your filter doesn't become blocked. The idea is to ensure the media becomes colonised with the necessary bacteria needed to digest ammonia and nitrite into nitrates. It would be beneficial if you read up on the nitrogen cycle in aquariums. Carbon will not remove ammonia, nitrites or nitrates.

Your filter is rated for 60 US gallons max so your tank is at the upper end of its capacity. You don't need to buy a new filter but it may be beneficial to get a larger one or run a secondary one in your tank. With regards to improving your water quality, you need to conduct frequent water changes (perhaps 50% every few days) replacing the tank water with fresh dechlorinated water from the tap. Once your filter cycle has been sorted out, you can reduce the amount and frequency of your water changes (e.g. 25% every week-fortnightly). I recommend you buy a water test kit and test your own water as it usually works out cheaper in the long run and is much more convenient. Never do 100% water changes.

I recommend against the use of chemicals to improve your water as water changes are much more efficient and cheaper. Two possible exceptions are a small amount of salt to reduce the effects of nitrite toxicity (a few tea spoons dissolved in a glass of water - your fish will dislike it but they dislike nitrite poisoning even more) and an ammonia-locking product. The latter should only be used when your ammonia is off the charts and with the caveat that water tests will still read this 'locked-up' ammonia.

A final word on your choice of fish is that mollies do much better in harder water whereas fish like tetras and plecs are soft water species.

Answer 6

Like everybody on here already said, you don't need to buy a filter for $150, they are just trying to rip you off
Do regular water changes with the siphon, like 25% a week, more if your ammonia is down the train, but no more than 50%
Exchange the carbon with every waterchange and you should be fine, It might some time to get your levels on chart, but no chemicals is the healthier way to do it

Personnaly I mix "Diamond Blend" into the loose carbon for the cartridges it helps to remove Toxic ammonia, chloramine and Impurities for fish safe water (it doesn't look that much different then the regular black carbon, just that it has the black carbon as well as 80% of the stones are grey)
here is an exact discription of it
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441776896&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030141&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1183047191013&itemNo=0&In=Fish&N=2030059+4294966860&Ne=176#detail

Hope that helps
Good luck



EB

Answer 7

Ditto to both 8 in the corner and Jon V. You system is adequate and PetSmart want to make a sale. The regular water changes recommended above and the care taklen to your filter should be enough unless you get quite a fish load in the tank and in that case I would follow Jons suggestion of adding another small filter to the tank.

MM

Answer 8

i would worry, keep the filters changed and get a penguin bio-wheel 350, they filter for 70g for $38, shipping is high but so are all interent buys. just get a big pack of filters, dont change the bio-wheel part, that stays, if it stumbles and the such shake it in aqaurium water, thats it, change the cartriges every month, change one side every two weeks. and when you get the new filter run both filters for about a week or two together. oh the site is www.fostersmith.com, dont add the chemiclas, do a 30% water change and a week later do a 20%, than got to 10% weekly from there on out. and it helps to have your own test kit, and do research and ask questions, to many of those petsmart people are 16 and had one goldfish for a week. one kid told me that table salt was fine to add to my reef tank, and they will try to make big sales, alot of places are like that.

Answer 9

Regular water changes will help you most;

Why not clean your existing filter and try replacing the existing carbon with loose carbon or better still Zelote packs;

I wouldn't add chemicals to be honest - I would stick to regular water changes and replacing the carbon/recharging the Zelote Packs