Cycling Problems.

[Luketendo]

Din-dins ready, so quickly: I'd overfilter if I were you - always best unless the resultant flowrate was daft.

Andy

Yeah another good thing it has a 90 degree angle on the nozzle so you can change the outlet direction and you can reduce the flow too.

It's actually an amazing filter I don't know why I chose to use the crappy Stingray. Just because it looked a bit better.

 

[Underwurlde]

There's a lesson then - looks ain't everything in design, but matters alot when it comes to flogging stuff. That's the design engineer in me speaking...

I like an uncluttered tank, the less crap in it the more natural it looks the better.

So, take a small amout of cycled ceramic rings from the filter you have running on your exisiting tank that is set up (certainly, replace the ceramic rings that you removed with some of the new ones you have) and add them to the sponges (nearer to where the water comes IN). Don't bother adding the new ceramic rings, to the new filter: no point (obviously).

Andy

 

[Luketendo]

There's a lesson then - looks ain't everything in design, but matters alot when it comes to flogging stuff. That's the design engineer in me speaking...

I like an uncluttered tank, the less crap in it the more natural it looks the better.

So, take a small amout of cycled ceramic rings from the filter you have running on your exisiting tank that is set up (certainly, replace the ceramic rings that you removed with some of the new ones you have) and add them to the sponges (nearer to where the water comes IN). Don't bother adding the new ceramic rings, to the new filter: no point (obviously).

Andy

So then I cut the sponge and put the rings on the bottom where the water comes in and the sponge on top?

 

[Underwurlde]

Yep. Why cut the sponge, doesn't it squish down, it's a sponge after all?
Andy

 

[rabbut]

As underwrlde surgested, you need to strip and re-clean the tank. Use 1part bleach to 10parts water, and soak all overnight, before scrubbing the lot, and replacing the filter/filter media. I would change to the fluval, due to increased flow rate, and greater amounts of media. Rince all like crazy after the bleach soack, as any trace of that remaining will kill the filter bactiria. use the venturi device (air thingy) on the fluval, to boost DO levels in the tank, and promote the growth of the bactiria. also, crank the temp up to arround 32 centigrade, to aid quicker bactiria growth. The film and smell combined would surgest to me that there may have been a lock of DO (disolved oxygen) in the water, caursing the death of the airobic bactiria you want, and anairobic bactiria forming. These breakdown nitrAte, supporting the drop from 10ppm to 0 as you mentioned earlier, and give off small amounts of oxygen, nitrogen and some other bad smelling chemicals. Surface agitation will remove the smell after a while, and release the nitrogen into the atmosphere. If this film appears again, position the fliter outlet so that the surface is agetated by the outflow of the filter. This may mean tilting the fluval.
HTH
rabbut

 

[Luketendo]

Hmm I'm not sure about the bleach seems a bit dangerous to me. I doubt I'd be able to remove it all.

Well the sponge isn't really a sponge it's a foam pad thing.

 

[Underwurlde]

Crikey, he summed that up spot on!

I've heard of using bleach before - use it to sterilize the tank first. Good advice IMHO. Then rinse rinse rinse rinse.

Andy

... rinse rinse rinse rinse...

edit: I know, foam pad, still squish down though...

 

[Luketendo]

Crikey, he summed that up spot on!

I've heard of using bleach before - use it to sterilize the tank first. Good advice IMHO. Then rinse rinse rinse rinse.

Andy

... rinse rinse rinse rinse...

edit: I know, foam pad, still squish down though...

I don't mind about cutting it I have plenty of spares.

About the Bleach, my parents have some Milton's Fluid that you use to sterilize babies milk, would that be any good, because it's safe for babies, wouldn't that mean it'd be safe enough for fish?

 

[Underwurlde]

Re: Miltons fluid: God knows.

Re: 'I have loads of spare': BUT, you're not going to replace the old filter with a new one. Are you? (hint, the answer is a resounding NO!).

Andy

 

[Luketendo]

My Fluval 2 Plus has been out of water for over a year so surely it wouldn't matter, whatever I'll try and squeeze it all in.

I googled Miltons Fluid and Fish and it came up with some British Aquaria Society and on their Goldfish breeding page they said something about sterilizing tanks with Bleach, Dettol or Miltons Fluid.

Another site says it's safe for snakes (lol.)

 

[Underwurlde]

The use of pure old simple bleach is the only one i've heard about. Personally, I wouldn't use dettol.

Sorry, I misundrestood you re: filter. Yeah, use a new one & squish it in - I wouldn't use the one that's been in there for a year - god knows what's in it now. Also clean that filter before use.

(I had read it that you were going to cut filter, put the ceramics in & then, when the cycling had completed, replace the whole lot with a new filter!).

My bad.

Andy

 

[Luketendo]

Ok, well Miltons Fluid stuff sounds safer to me, since I have little confidence that I'll be able get rid of all the bleach.

 

[Luketendo]

Ok they're actually Sterilising Tablets and the ingredients are:

Sodium dichloroisocyanurate
Adipic Acid
Sodium bicarbonate

It says ideal for disinfecting the kitchen and stuff, sterilising babies stuff etc.

Are these safe + any good?
Only other thing they safe is don't place metal objects in with it.

 

[Luketendo]

I really don't want to use anything not safe for the fish because I don't think I'd be able to completely get rid of it.

Also the active ingrediant is Sodium dichloroisocyanurate and has 400mg of it per tablet.

 

[Underwurlde]

Ahhhh, wiki:

Sodium dichloroisocyanurate is a stable source of chlorine - so dechlor will get rid of that if you rinse off with water with a lot of dechlor in it.
Sodium bicarbonate - that's safe - ppl add that directly to tanks to up the KH.
Adipic Acid - E355 food additive (flavourant and gelling aid)! So I guess that's safe too!

Looks like it is 'safe' then.

Good find mate.

Andy