If you get readings that concern you it is always a good idea to test the tap water......it is surprising how much it varies, and it can be the case that a water change can do more harm than good. I wouldn't have thought any detrius leaving the filter would lead to a nitrite spike, but am no expert on such things. After all, the same comes fom the gravel, returns from the filter in a soluble form and is present there anyway. I guess taking it away from the filter could cause any beneficial bacteria to suffer away from the water flow??
Are You Supposed To Clean The Filter?
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waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
Agree with essjay and GVG's comments about filters up there and elmo's comments about comparing tap test results with tank test results.
The bacteria will attempt to build their biofilm structures virtually everywhere but the colonies will thrive and do the best where there is a steady flow of water with the main raw materials, ammonia and nitrite, that are needed for the life cycle. A good filter provides lots of that. The pump moves a steady supply of water that has ammonia and other waste materials from the fish and excess food. The media slows down that flow, allowing larger bits of organic debris to be trapped and to stay there breaking down further inside the filter and providing a still richer environment for the bacteria. The biofilm structures are complex, containing small channels built of calcified material to better channel the nutrient flow to more of the colonies of cells. Filter media is chosen to provide large amounts of surface area for these colonies and modern materials such as sponge, plastic scrubbies and ceramics not only do this but also can last a lifetime or at least a long time.
Squeezing out or jiggling out excess organic debris into tank water from your biomedia will help to keep the little flow paths clear within that media. There can be huge ranges of difference in when and how much this clearing action is needed in different filters and tank systems. As an aquarist it is a good idea to try and learn what your normal flow looks and feels like coming out of your filter. Be aware when you sense reduced flow. That's one of the signs that a filter clean may be necessary. For beginners we often suggest a starting point of performing a filter clean once a month, basically every 4th weekend water change or so. With many modern external cannisters you may find they can go much longer between cleans, but again, good maintenance has its benefits, sometimes feeling like nothing was really needed but in fact keeping you from reaching a point that would not have been as good if left too long.
Whitish, grayish "ammo chips" are sometimes sold to beginners but carry a hidden potential problem. A system where this "chemical media" is keeping the ammonia down will go and go until one day, quite suddenly, the ammo chip media will no longer have the capacity to remove any ammonia and an ammonia spike will occur. All ammonia spikes carry the possibility of gill damage and in bad cases your fish can die. Carbon, another media that falls in to the "chemical media" category is more benign and can serve as a somewhat poor biomedia material - poor in the sense that it gradually crumbles away, not lasting as long as sponge or certainly ceramic. As a chemical media it only typically lasts about 3 days and then is ready to be replaced, so most aquarists like to have it on the shelf for special needs but not in the filter on a regular basis. So, as someone stated early in this thread, most of us will fill our filters with coarse, medium and fine "mechanical" media (for example, ceramic rings for coarse, sponge or dish-scrubbies for medium and floss pads for fine) to simply "trap" debris. Then, within the framework of this set of mechanical beds we will expect the "medium" media, the sponge or ceramic gravels, to do the lions share of biological function, forming the ideal surfaces for the biofilms.
Personally, I really found it quite exciting to slowly realize that there was a lot to learn about filters. And TFF was a great place to slowly learn it. They are both complex and simple. They are both under and over done by hobbyists. They are both over and under maintained by different individuals and you can readily see evidence of that here in our beginnrs section.
A well maintained tank that is understocked in a healthy way can really run nicely on quite small old-fashioned filtration. That's kind of a cool lesson to learn. But another interesting thing is that the nice big modern cannisters that many of us use now can really provide a big and stable biological filter that just goes and goes and the capacity is such that things will keep running ok even during those stretches of too many holiday getaways in a row!
Don't forget that filter maintenance involves not only cleaning but also a sharp eye on all the materials and mechanicals. The seals should be examined and perhaps recoated with seal lubricant. The impeller and shaft should be cleaned and examined and the hoses should be examined.
Ah, that was a satisfying type, sorry to go on if there were any readers out there, lol. Hope everyone has a good evening, ~~waterdrop~~
The bacteria will attempt to build their biofilm structures virtually everywhere but the colonies will thrive and do the best where there is a steady flow of water with the main raw materials, ammonia and nitrite, that are needed for the life cycle. A good filter provides lots of that. The pump moves a steady supply of water that has ammonia and other waste materials from the fish and excess food. The media slows down that flow, allowing larger bits of organic debris to be trapped and to stay there breaking down further inside the filter and providing a still richer environment for the bacteria. The biofilm structures are complex, containing small channels built of calcified material to better channel the nutrient flow to more of the colonies of cells. Filter media is chosen to provide large amounts of surface area for these colonies and modern materials such as sponge, plastic scrubbies and ceramics not only do this but also can last a lifetime or at least a long time.
Squeezing out or jiggling out excess organic debris into tank water from your biomedia will help to keep the little flow paths clear within that media. There can be huge ranges of difference in when and how much this clearing action is needed in different filters and tank systems. As an aquarist it is a good idea to try and learn what your normal flow looks and feels like coming out of your filter. Be aware when you sense reduced flow. That's one of the signs that a filter clean may be necessary. For beginners we often suggest a starting point of performing a filter clean once a month, basically every 4th weekend water change or so. With many modern external cannisters you may find they can go much longer between cleans, but again, good maintenance has its benefits, sometimes feeling like nothing was really needed but in fact keeping you from reaching a point that would not have been as good if left too long.
Whitish, grayish "ammo chips" are sometimes sold to beginners but carry a hidden potential problem. A system where this "chemical media" is keeping the ammonia down will go and go until one day, quite suddenly, the ammo chip media will no longer have the capacity to remove any ammonia and an ammonia spike will occur. All ammonia spikes carry the possibility of gill damage and in bad cases your fish can die. Carbon, another media that falls in to the "chemical media" category is more benign and can serve as a somewhat poor biomedia material - poor in the sense that it gradually crumbles away, not lasting as long as sponge or certainly ceramic. As a chemical media it only typically lasts about 3 days and then is ready to be replaced, so most aquarists like to have it on the shelf for special needs but not in the filter on a regular basis. So, as someone stated early in this thread, most of us will fill our filters with coarse, medium and fine "mechanical" media (for example, ceramic rings for coarse, sponge or dish-scrubbies for medium and floss pads for fine) to simply "trap" debris. Then, within the framework of this set of mechanical beds we will expect the "medium" media, the sponge or ceramic gravels, to do the lions share of biological function, forming the ideal surfaces for the biofilms.
Personally, I really found it quite exciting to slowly realize that there was a lot to learn about filters. And TFF was a great place to slowly learn it. They are both complex and simple. They are both under and over done by hobbyists. They are both over and under maintained by different individuals and you can readily see evidence of that here in our beginnrs section.
A well maintained tank that is understocked in a healthy way can really run nicely on quite small old-fashioned filtration. That's kind of a cool lesson to learn. But another interesting thing is that the nice big modern cannisters that many of us use now can really provide a big and stable biological filter that just goes and goes and the capacity is such that things will keep running ok even during those stretches of too many holiday getaways in a row!
Don't forget that filter maintenance involves not only cleaning but also a sharp eye on all the materials and mechanicals. The seals should be examined and perhaps recoated with seal lubricant. The impeller and shaft should be cleaned and examined and the hoses should be examined.
Ah, that was a satisfying type, sorry to go on if there were any readers out there, lol. Hope everyone has a good evening, ~~waterdrop~~
OP
OP
Wanderer
Fish Fanatic
When i cleaned my filters out last night, the sponges i squeezed into the tank water i took out turned the water very dark. I am assuming this is the colour of the excess debris and sludge, not the beneficial sludge. I still need to clean some of the tubes back there. Would tap water be ok for cleaning the tubes? I think the glass sides of both filters also may need sealing. I hope if it is leaking that it can still work. Yikes.
OP
OP
Wanderer
Fish Fanatic
Anyone know if the stuff in the sponges which turns the water dark when you squeeze them is the good stuff or the bad stuff coming out?
I got some Miramo balls in the mail today from eay which are bigger than the previous ones, which are being pre-soaked....there is a lot of dirt coming out of them- making the water a similar colour to the filter sponges I squeezed out- not sure if this is the algae spores or if it is absorbed debris?
Anyone know if these "Moss Balls" help keep the tank healthy/ clean, or if they make it dirty?
I got some Miramo balls in the mail today from eay which are bigger than the previous ones, which are being pre-soaked....there is a lot of dirt coming out of them- making the water a similar colour to the filter sponges I squeezed out- not sure if this is the algae spores or if it is absorbed debris?
Anyone know if these "Moss Balls" help keep the tank healthy/ clean, or if they make it dirty?
phantomlink
Fishaholic
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The moss balls are ok to squeeze out to clean them, and they dont harm your tank. Think of them as a good type of algae that some of your fish might like to pick at once in awhile.
Your sponge will also make the water a darker colour but the bacteria you need for the cycle is all microscopic anyways. As long as you dont let it dry out or rinse in chlorine you will still have the bacteria you need
Your sponge will also make the water a darker colour but the bacteria you need for the cycle is all microscopic anyways. As long as you dont let it dry out or rinse in chlorine you will still have the bacteria you need
I've always assumed the brown slimey stuff on the surface of the sponge is a combination of fish poo, uneaten food and bits of dead plant. I always wash it off and have never had a problem with my water stats. But you don't scrub the sponges to try and get them the colour they were when they were new. My sponges started out white, they are now pinkish brown coloured and I don't try to get them white again. That would damage the bacteria colonies. The blue sponges I've had in the past turn purple.
The bacteria live in the biofilm that coats the surface of every bubble in the sponge. The inside of the sponge is full of bacteria. Washing the goo off the surface won't remove more than a few bacteria. You'll still have plenty left inside the sponge.
Well, that's my understanding of things!
The bacteria live in the biofilm that coats the surface of every bubble in the sponge. The inside of the sponge is full of bacteria. Washing the goo off the surface won't remove more than a few bacteria. You'll still have plenty left inside the sponge.
Well, that's my understanding of things!
OP
OP
Wanderer
Fish Fanatic
Well, mine felt gooey inside so I squuezed them and this turned all the water I emptied out of my tanks the other night (about 160 litres) very dark in colour, I used buckets of tank water at first but the stuff kept coming and coming. I do have an overstocked tank but then I was inexperienced and believed that these spa system tanks were especially designed for safely keeping large groups of garra rufa fish together. (I'm trying to rehome some of mine). I didn't get mine to use for a business endeavor by the way....I only got them because I fell in love with them.....a place near me closed down and I managed to acquire a large group of them cheaply with no carriage to pay.
Aquascaper
Fish Aficionado
The gooey brown stuff is composed of particulate debris & organic waste and needs removed. Yes, it will contain bacteria (everything does) so regular cleaning prevents mini-cycles when this is removed. If it is left to build up too much then removed it can cause a mini-cycle so attention needs to be given to that.
Frequency of cleaning is very much tank dependant and something only trial and error will sort out. All that is need is to squeeze the sponges in old tank water until clear, no washing/scrubbing required.
HTH
Frequency of cleaning is very much tank dependant and something only trial and error will sort out. All that is need is to squeeze the sponges in old tank water until clear, no washing/scrubbing required.
HTH
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