Filter Questions:can I Restart A Filter 3 Days Out Of Tank (betta Died

[wendyngd]

OKAY, I KNOW MANY WILL TELL ME THAT BETTAS DON'T NEED FILTERING but I found it worked well for my betta and me! Kept tank cleaner (didn't have to change water "every five minutes,") and fish seemed happier...

I still don't understand this cycling thing. So my question is this: regarding my 3 gallon glass picotope tank with heater and inside tank pico filter--after my fish died and before I bring home a new one

I had filter unplugged but still sitting in empty tank from Tuesday (when my Bettalicious died) to Thursday and then took it out, put aside
It's a filter that contains 2 separate sponges, 1 white, 1 black and a bag of carbon--which came with minimal directions--


When I change water every 1-2 weeks, I would leave in the black sponge (assuming that held live bacteria, With the white sponge, I would alernate replacing it with rinsing it in fish water I'd just siphoned out and would leave carbon bag in (changed once in a while) except when I was administering medications, then I'd remove till that was over and replace again.

SO I FEEL LIKE A NEWBIE 'CAUSE I'M REALLY NOT SURE WHERE TO GO WITH THE FILTER NOW--DO i REPLACE ALL MEDIA AND START AGAIN--(uSING 'cYCLE",) OR REPLACE 1 OR 2 OF THE MEDIA

I really miss my Bettalicious (who lived with me and danced for me almost a year) so I want to go buy a new betta guy to bring home soon.

Any suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Wendy

 

[fourthtimelucky]

Hi Wendy, I filter my betta's tank too!

Unfortunately the filter bacteria has probably died by now if it was unplugged. The bacteria need constant supplies of oxygen (from the moving water) and food (ammonia from your fish's poop, food etc) to survive. If you don't know why your last fish died it's probably a better idea to start from scratch anyway.

I would disinfect everything (tank, filter, substrate etc) and then set up the tank with the filter and heater running. You can then buy some liquid ammonia to do a 'fishless cycle' with (see links at the top of this forum).

This will take around 3-4 weeks, which seems like a hassle, but the bonus is your new betta will get the very best start in life as he will be going into a perfectly cycled & filtered tank. You could save time by taking some mature filter media from somebody else's tank and putting it straight into your filter, this is called 'cloning' a filter.

'Cycle' etc = waste of money. They don't add bacteria to your filter & they WON'T cycle your tank for you. The only thing that could possibly help is 'Bactinettes', they are available in the US and some people have reported success with them. They do contain bacteria, but must be kept refrigerated though.

In terms of your filter media - lots of people disagree about using carbon in filters. Personally I don't, because when the carbon has absorbed everything it can, it then starts leaching the chemicals back into the water. You might want to replace it with some ceramic media for the bacteria to live on instead and only use carbon to remove meds.

I would use plain sponge, a coarse grade followed by a fine grade / polywool. The fact that they are different colours but you don't know what they are made of might mean that they are the sort that has carbon / ammonia absorbent resin in or whatever. Without detailed instructions you won't know how these affect your cycle.

You should never replace your filter media (only if it literally falls apart in your hands and might flake into the tank, this will take YEARS!) just rinse it out in dirty tank water as you were doing. By replacing half the media you lose half your bacteria colony, this can lead to a spike in ammonia as the remaining bacteria struggle to process the waste, which can be very stressfull for your fish.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[wendyngd]

Hi FourthTime Lucky--

Thanks for you sweet and very precise instructions! I don't know if I can wait 3 to 4 weeks honestly. Last time, I got this tank new just before I got Bettalicious, and used cycle in it and it worked out fine. Maybe I can track down the other one you mentioned.

I know you wish me luck. I'll try to keep you informed with my progress.

Warmly,
Wendy