How Do I Use Filter Wool?

[alasdairk]

Opinions please.

I'm a newbie with tank set up using a fishless cycle started in July and finished in early September. I've got a 54 litre tank with a Stingray 10 filter. the fish are healthy but my water keeps clouding up.

I'm doing a weekly 60% water change and alternately rinsing one of the two foam filter pads in removed tank water every fortnight . The water is clear after the water change but gradually clouds up over the course of the week.

I've got three dwarf gouramis, two mollies, and one neon tetra, (seven other neon and cardinal tetras were eaten by my daughter's weather loach which we boarded temporarily while she had a tank crisis, you live and learn!) We now have five guppies too after we returned the weather loach. The clouding issue precedes the guppies' arrival.

I'm thinking of trying some filter floss/wool to see if it will help clear the water. I'm not sure how to use it? Should I just replace one of the two coarse foam filter pads with floss?

Tank temp is 24 C. I feed sparingly once a day alternately vegetable and flake food with occasional frozen blood worm or sachets of delicae brine shrimp. Tank is well planted. PH 7.2, Ammonia and Nitrites are 0. Nitrates usually 5 -10 often down at 0. (Readings from API master kit).

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks fish people.

 

[JenJ]

Put the floss in with the existing pads, try and put it between the pads and the outflow so all water goes through it.

I had one of those filters, but I didn't find it very good - I upgraded to a Fluval U2 within 2 months...

 

[alasdairk]

Thanks Jen, in waht way did you find the Fluval better?

 

[JenJ]

I've done a lot of changing around with stock to another 60l tank and then replaced the second tank with a 160l since I switched filters , so it's probably not a truly fair comparison, but I no longer have any debris on the sand, I no longer have any trace of cloudy water and in a stupid way I feel better knowing that it's rated to twice my volume, compared to the Stingray 10 which was only really up to 50l, so it should do the job properly.

Plus it's easier to maintain, seems to keep itself cleaner, and has more room for media.

I wasn't planning to sell my spare one (bought for the second 60l tank which I've since sold), but if you may be interested, let me know...

 

[alasdairk]

Well now, I'm wondering, reviews I've just looked at are genrally favourable.......................

 

[zain611]

When i changed from gravel to sand my water was cloudy even though i tried the bottle method but then i got my wool pad which is used for maintenance i cut a strip of it and put it near the vents of my aqua one internal 101F filter

 

[alasdairk]

I've added filter wool to my Stingray filter, in the areas where the carbon filters would sit. I'll give it a couple of days and see if it makes any difference.