Filter Advice

[poveyt]

Hi - I have a small (10g) tank with a simple filter (a Fluval One) . The problem is that it gets clogged up with gunge frequently and stops working. I have been turning the filter material around when this happens, but not sure if that is the right thing to do and having to do this every other day at the moment. If I leave it for more than a day, the water and tank get very dirty. Not sure if there is something I can do - if I try and clean the filter sponge, I will get a nitrite spike. Running out of ideas...

 

[Seidge]

why is it clogging up with gunge? There could be a few reasons:

1. Too many fish, filter cannot cope with waste (take some back to the store)
2. You have serious algea growth, this can clog filter
3. The damn filter is faulty

How long have you had the sponge in without changing it, you can change the filter when its finished it cycle because the bacteria will still be in the stones, or just wring the songe out a few times in the old water when you do a water change shouldnt be a problem.

How do you know its stopped working completely?
Let me know if your tank is cycled, how many fish you have and how often you have changedd the filter sponge so i can advise better

 

[Tuishimi]

Hi - I have a small (10g) tank with a simple filter (a Fluval One) . The problem is that it gets clogged up with gunge frequently and stops working. I have been turning the filter material around when this happens, but not sure if that is the right thing to do and having to do this every other day at the moment. If I leave it for more than a day, the water and tank get very dirty. Not sure if there is something I can do - if I try and clean the filter sponge, I will get a nitrite spike. Running out of ideas...

Next time you perform a water change, save some of the aquarium water in a bucket and rinse the sponge in that. That should prevent the bacteria established in the sponge from being killed by tap water.

What is clogging the sponge? It could be (as seidge said) overfeeding causing more fish waste, overcrowding, dying plants that fall apart and fill the sponge, etc.