Filter Problems?

[DannyBlackbourn]

Hey everyone.

I purchased this tank a few weeks back. Aqua 30 Light

I feel like I am having troubles with the filter...

It came with a 'Rena Filstar i1' Image below:

Every time I do a water change I turn off the filter, however when I turn it back on it makes like a 'burping' sound and it chucks out a load of 'crap'...
I'm not sure if this is normal as this is my first tank... but it just doesn't seem right at all...

Also I would like to say that I have tried to keep the filter on whilst doing a water change, leaving the filter at the bottom of the tank so its never out of water... however when I reposition the filter it does the same thing...

After about a minute of 'burping' the filter then continues to work...

Any help would be appreciated...

 

[sjolliff]

It will be air blocks and just sorting itself out,
my fluval U3 used to do it, that why i changed to external to stop all the crap comming out as much

 

[DannyBlackbourn]

So its normal then?

I may change to external when I get cash and my tank finishes cycling...

 

[Harlequins]

My aquaflow 100 does exactly the same thing,

Edited to add but mine don't spit out 'crap' just makes noises,sorry just re read yours!!

 

[DannyBlackbourn]

Gosh I was getting so worried by it haha!

Cheers for the reassurance

 

[OldMan47]

Making a bit of noise while water works its way through the filter is not at all unusual. A filter that spits nasties back into the tank is not one that I would keep in one of my tanks.

 

[DannyBlackbourn]

Should I remove and clean the filter using tank water then?

 

[sjolliff]

Should I remove and clean the filter using tank water then?

Yeah, using tap water will clean the good bacteria

 

[DannyBlackbourn]

I will do another 50% water change cause im scared about my fish now anyway now one of my guppies has died...

and clean out the clogged up parts.

I will take a pic of how it looks before and after lol!

 

[sjolliff]

Sorry about your fish,

i used to fill a bucket with tank water take the filter out and clean all the media etc in that, fit the filter back
then put the water from the bucket back in via a sieve

 

[DannyBlackbourn]

Well I guess that's what happens when you get forced into a fish-in cycle...

Oh crap... I just poured away the old water...

Didn't clean the Rena crystal thing though... Just all the plastic casing... cause it looked clogged up with crap...
Hope that doesn't stall any progress I have made...?

 

[sjolliff]

if you have say poured 5 litres of the old water then added new de-cholrinated water back, you will be fine, your levels might be a bit lower ammonia etc, but not that much

 

[DannyBlackbourn]

Well I was performing 50% water changes each time my Nitrite rises above 0.50ppm.

Last test result came in at 0.25ppm so hopefully shouldn't make much of a difference.

Filter didn't make as much noise turning back on now... Yippee

 

[OldMan47]

That is good news then. I would not put any water back into a tank, whether it is cycled or not. The reason we do water changes is to remove impurities, including the ones we can measure, and I don't want them back in my tank. There is no reason for you to accept a nitrite level of 0.5 ppm. If you qare getting that high, you are waiting too long between changes or changing too little water each time. The ideal when doing a fish-in cycle is to always keep the nitrites below 0.25 ppm.

 

[DannyBlackbourn]

That is good news then. I would not put any water back into a tank, whether it is cycled or not. The reason we do water changes is to remove impurities, including the ones we can measure, and I don't want them back in my tank. There is no reason for you to accept a nitrite level of 0.5 ppm. If you qare getting that high, you are waiting too long between changes or changing too little water each time. The ideal when doing a fish-in cycle is to always keep the nitrites below 0.25 ppm.

Sorry I meant when the Nitrites rise above 0.25ppm I do water changes not 0.50ppm, my mistake.

Each time it goes over 0.25ppm is when I do a 50% water change...

If you look at my cycle data you will see that it normally stays <0.25ppm until I feed.