Cycled Tank!

[xamy_valox]

Hi there, after months of heartache and stress, I have FINALLY got a cycled tank! 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrates, 0 Nitrites =D
However, I have had my filter media in the filter since I initially set the tank up, which was just over 3 months ago, and according to my tank manual (I've got a Fluval Edge) I should be thinking about changing my media.
I am a bit apprehensive to do this, as the sponge isnt exactly disgusting, and I dont want to loose any of the good bacteria that I have finally managed to balance out!
How should I go about changing the filter media, and should I even be thinking about changing it yet, or wait a bit longer?
Thanks, Amy.

 

[Assaye]

Don't change it. Fluval just want your moneyz. If it is dirty, gently rinse in a bowl of matured tank water.

Keep up with the ammonia additions until you can add fish. You say you have 0 nitrate? Have you done a large water change? A cycled tank should have a nitrates present.

 

[Dan-CR4]

What they said ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[xamy_valox]

Don't change it. Fluval just want your moneyz. If it is dirty, gently rinse in a bowl of matured tank water.

Keep up with the ammonia additions until you can add fish. You say you have 0 nitrate? Have you done a large water change? A cycled tank should have a nitrates present.

Unfortunately for me, I did a fish in cycle, (not knowing I could do a fishless one until venturing onto this site) so I havent been adding any ammonia, as the fish have been producing enough of that themselves!
I had been doing large water changes for a while as my ammonia levels were huge, but now I am back to doing 20% ones. I had 0 Nitrites and Nitrates yesterday, but I tested it just after I had done a water change so there might be some present now.
Amy

 

[Shelby]

Never replace your media unless it is totally disintigrating (spelling) otherwise you through out all the good stuff you worked so hard to create!

 

[Assaye]

Don't change it. Fluval just want your moneyz. If it is dirty, gently rinse in a bowl of matured tank water.

Keep up with the ammonia additions until you can add fish. You say you have 0 nitrate? Have you done a large water change? A cycled tank should have a nitrates present.

Unfortunately for me, I did a fish in cycle, (not knowing I could do a fishless one until venturing onto this site) so I havent been adding any ammonia, as the fish have been producing enough of that themselves!
I had been doing large water changes for a while as my ammonia levels were huge, but now I am back to doing 20% ones. I had 0 Nitrites and Nitrates yesterday, but I tested it just after I had done a water change so there might be some present now.
Amy

Ah! That makes sense.

 

[Fantail_John]

Hi there, after months of heartache and stress, I have FINALLY got a cycled tank! 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrates, 0 Nitrites =D
However, I have had my filter media in the filter since I initially set the tank up, which was just over 3 months ago, and according to my tank manual (I've got a Fluval Edge) I should be thinking about changing my media.
I am a bit apprehensive to do this, as the sponge isnt exactly disgusting, and I dont want to loose any of the good bacteria that I have finally managed to balance out!
How should I go about changing the filter media, and should I even be thinking about changing it yet, or wait a bit longer?
Thanks, Amy.

Well done

Been following your posts and know you were having troubles with your ammonia, hope it's works ok for you now and keep the 6 hourly water checks and hope it keeps stable for you all week and then it's just the weekly changes

But never throw away for media unless it's roting away and then keep some of the old media in your filter and don't change everything in one go in you have bio rings or any other media.

John

 

[waterdrop]

I've read many posts over time that attest the the fact that many experienced aquarists on TFF keep using their biomedia for many years, until it breaks down (if its a sponge), or sometimes for a lifetime in the hobby (if its ceramics or plastics.)

A good filter-media cleaning schedule (rinsing it out in the tank water that was just removed during a gravel-clean-water-change) for beginners is at the one month point (or perhaps two weeks for those with small filters.) But the objective is to learn to adjust this to be more frequent or less frequent depending on feedback from the tank. If your nitrate(NO3) continues to creep slowly upward then you may want to clean the filter a little more frequently.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[xamy_valox]

Hi there, after months of heartache and stress, I have FINALLY got a cycled tank! 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrates, 0 Nitrites =D
However, I have had my filter media in the filter since I initially set the tank up, which was just over 3 months ago, and according to my tank manual (I've got a Fluval Edge) I should be thinking about changing my media.
I am a bit apprehensive to do this, as the sponge isnt exactly disgusting, and I dont want to loose any of the good bacteria that I have finally managed to balance out!
How should I go about changing the filter media, and should I even be thinking about changing it yet, or wait a bit longer?
Thanks, Amy.

Well done

Been following your posts and know you were having troubles with your ammonia, hope it's works ok for you now and keep the 6 hourly water checks and hope it keeps stable for you all week and then it's just the weekly changes

But never throw away for media unless it's roting away and then keep some of the old media in your filter and don't change everything in one go in you have bio rings or any other media.

John

Aww thanks John, thats really nice.
Yeah I am over the moon that it finally seems to be keeping down! And will continue with my water checks. I think I am gonna leave the media as it is for now as like I said, to look at it, it doesnt look all green or gungey and I dont want to undo the work that I have done so far!
Thanks for the replies everyone!
Amy xx

 

[OldMan47]

On the subject of cleaning a filter, I was dismayed yesterday to find that I had no flow from a cartridge filter that got fairly regular cleaning. When I looked into it, I found a clump of who knows what lodged in my inlet tubing. The filter media had been rinsed out regularly over the last several years, the pump impeller got cleaned every time I cleaned the media, but I had overlooked the inlet tube until it plugged and would no longer pass water. 15 minutes of cleaning the inlet tube got me back in business but please examine all areas of your filter that could plug up. Learn from my mistake and you won't need to make that mistake yourself.

 

[waterdrop]

Good point OM! I just now finished cleaning my filter and once again I'm struck by how useful it is to have the right size brushes. I can make very quick work of cleaning my entire impeller assembly!

~~wd~~

 

[Shelby]

I use an childrens paint brush or an old toothbrush to clean my pipes out. Works very well!