My filter broke, help!

[tallentemma]

Hello everyone I'm new to this website and also new to the fish keeping hobby. I have two freshwater tanks 10 and 20 gallon. The 2p gallon is the problem child. I have 1 fancy goldfish and everything was well with a fully cycled tank until the filter broke. It's been a week and the ammonia has been reading inbetween 0ppm and 0.25 ppm with no nitrites and nitrates that have been slowly going down. I think she's starting to show a little ammonia poison symptoms like red bein looking things in the tail and very subtle whiteish/translucent dots near the gils that I've noticed today. Idk if its ich or not but it's something that caught my eye. Just wondered if anyone on here could help me out and give me some pointers on what's going on with my tank. Thanks! Hope to hear from someone

 

[Emma and the angelfishes]

Hello everyone I'm new to this website and also new to the fish keeping hobby. I have two freshwater tanks 10 and 20 gallon. The 2p gallon is the problem child. I have 1 fancy goldfish and everything was well with a fully cycled tank until the filter broke. It's been a week and the ammonia has been reading inbetween 0ppm and 0.25 ppm with no nitrites and nitrates that have been slowly going down. I think she's starting to show a little ammonia poison symptoms like red bein looking things in the tail and very subtle whiteish/translucent dots near the gils that I've noticed today. Idk if its ich or not but it's something that caught my eye. Just wondered if anyone on here could help me out and give me some pointers on what's going on with my tank. Thanks! Hope to hear from someone

I’m not sure what’s going on but you need to get some sort of filtration in there urgently maybe @essjay @kwi or @Colin_T can help you further

 

[kwi]

Ideally get the same filter as the broken one and put the filter media from the broken one into the new one. If you can't get the same filter pack the new one with the old ones media.
An airstone would be a good idea as filters also aid oxygenation by moving the water surface.
I assume you have plants with nitrates going down.

 

[Colin_T]

If the filter has broken, reduce feeding to once or twice a week and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Wash the filter media/ materials in a bucket of tank water and when they are clean, put them in the tank to keep the good bacteria alive. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the lawn/ garden.

Get the filter fixed/ replaced asap and put the old filter media (that is in the tank) into the new filter.

Post pictures of the fish to identify the health issues, which are probably water quality related and will clear up with water changes.

 

[tallentemma]

I’m not sure what’s going on but you need to get some sort of filtration in there urgently maybe @essjay @kwi or @Colin_T can help you further

Thank you for the reply! I had a an extra aqua clear filter on hand for the 20 gallon that I'm currently using. Thanks again!

 

[tallentemma]

Ideally get the same filter as the broken one and put the filter media from the broken one into the new one. If you can't get the same filter pack the new one with the old ones media.
An airstone would be a good idea as filters also aid oxygenation by moving the water surface.
I assume you have plants with nitrates going down.

I had an extra filter on hand but unfortunately wasnt the same brand. I put the new filter with the old bio media as soon as the old one broke. Idk if that was a mistake though because I also read somewhere where you shouldnt throw away the broken filter right away. Thanks for the reply! I appreciate it!

 

[tallentemma]

If the filter has broken, reduce feeding to once or twice a week and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Wash the filter media/ materials in a bucket of tank water and when they are clean, put them in the tank to keep the good bacteria alive. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the lawn/ garden.

Get the filter fixed/ replaced asap and put the old filter media (that is in the tank) into the new filter.

Post pictures of the fish to identify the health issues, which are probably water quality related and will clear up with water changes.

Thank you so much for the detailed reply. Sorry I failed to mention that I did immediately replace the broken filter and filled it with the old cycled media. I have been doing water changes almost everyday but was hesitating recently because I read somewhere that you want to keep some of the ammonia in there tank to feed the cycle. But idk. I'll give your advice a go! I'm just worried I'll get rid of too much bacteria if I clean the tank too much. Thanks again

 

[tallentemma]

If the filter has broken, reduce feeding to once or twice a week and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Wash the filter media/ materials in a bucket of tank water and when they are clean, put them in the tank to keep the good bacteria alive. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the lawn/ garden.

Get the filter fixed/ replaced asap and put the old filter media (that is in the tank) into the new filter.

Post pictures of the fish to identify the health issues, which are probably water quality related and will clear up with water changes.

Photos coming soon also, I'm currently out and about

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I had an extra filter on hand but unfortunately wasnt the same brand. I put the new filter with the old bio media as soon as the old one broke. Idk if that was a mistake though because I also read somewhere where you shouldnt throw away the broken filter right away. Thanks for the reply! I appreciate it!

Not a mistake, you did exactly the right thing This way you have a functioning filter, and preserved the beneficial bacteria (BB) from the old filter.

Thank you so much for the detailed reply. Sorry I failed to mention that I did immediately replace the broken filter and filled it with the old cycled media. I have been doing water changes almost everyday but was hesitating recently because I read somewhere that you want to keep some of the ammonia in there tank to feed the cycle. But idk. I'll give your advice a go! I'm just worried I'll get rid of too much bacteria if I clean the tank too much. Thanks again

Don't try to keep a level of ammonia in the tank while there are fish in it, you're not cycling from scratch, and ammonia and nitrites burn fish. Anytime there is a reading for ammonia or nitrites, it's already at a level that your BB are not able to process it fast enough, and the fish are being harmed, so it requires an immediate large water change to bring the ammonia and nitrites back to zero. Even if you're getting readings for zero ammonia, there is enough being produced by your fish to keep the BB alive, and for bacterial colonies to continue to grow to handle your tanks bioload.

You essentially have to treat it like it a fish-in cycle. Monitor levels, water change anytime ammonia or nitrites are above zero, or nitrates get above 20ppm. The most important part is to keep the fish safe from these toxic substances, and the cycling will follow.

You won't damage the BB by syphoning the substrate, or water changing. They attach to hard surfaces, they're living in the filter, on the substrate, the tank walls, plants, decor etc, and they form a protective membrane around them, so a normal substrate clean isn't removing too many of them. But it is removing poop, any uneaten food, dead plant leaves etc, all of those things are producing ammonia and can harm the fish while your BB colonies grow back to their previous levels.

You're doing well, hang in there @Colin_T knows his stuff, if you can get photos of the fish when you can, he'll be able to tell you what's going on and what you can do, I'm sure of it.

 

[tallentemma]

Not a mistake, you did exactly the right thing This way you have a functioning filter, and preserved the beneficial bacteria (BB) from the old filter.

Don't try to keep a level of ammonia in the tank while there are fish in it, you're not cycling from scratch, and ammonia and nitrites burn fish. Anytime there is a reading for ammonia or nitrites, it's already at a level that your BB are not able to process it fast enough, and the fish are being harmed, so it requires an immediate large water change to bring the ammonia and nitrites back to zero. Even if you're getting readings for zero ammonia, there is enough being produced by your fish to keep the BB alive, and for bacterial colonies to continue to grow to handle your tanks bioload.

You essentially have to treat it like it a fish-in cycle. Monitor levels, water change anytime ammonia or nitrites are above zero, or nitrates get above 20ppm. The most important part is to keep the fish safe from these toxic substances, and the cycling will follow.

You won't damage the BB by syphoning the substrate, or water changing. They attach to hard surfaces, they're living in the filter, on the substrate, the tank walls, plants, decor etc, and they form a protective membrane around them, so a normal substrate clean isn't removing too many of them. But it is removing poop, any uneaten food, dead plant leaves etc, all of those things are producing ammonia and can harm the fish while your BB colonies grow back to their previous levels.

You're doing well, hang in there @Colin_T knows his stuff, if you can get photos of the fish when you can, he'll be able to tell you what's going on and what you can do, I'm sure of it.

Thank you so much. This was most helpful. I'll be sure to get a good photo of her asap!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Thank you so much. This was most helpful. I'll be sure to get a good photo of her asap!

No problem, happy to help! It's such a steep learning curve when you first join this hobby, and it's frightening when something goes wrong like a filter breaking. There's also so much conflicting info and opinions out there, so it can make research a nightmare.

I think the bit of info you picked up about keeping a level of ammonia in the tank for the BB was referring to a fishless cycle, where you dose ammonia to build up the bacterial colonies we want, and you do want to read certain levels of ammonia in the tank while cycling that way. But when there are fish in the tank, it's a different matter, so it can get very confusing very quickly. It took me a while to wrap my head around the nitrogen cycle, and even then there are other cycling methods that I'm a bit confused by at times.

The main thing you need to know right now is that ammonia and nitrites are very toxic to fish, and it's likely the ammonia that your fish is reacting to, but keeping on top of testing and water changes now, to keep ammonia and nitrites at zero, should hopefully be enough for him to recover soon. Clean fresh water is the key to good health for fish, no matter what illness they're struggling with, clean fresh water helps
Just make sure you use a declorinator, and temperature match the replacement water to the tank water, as a sudden change in temperature can put fish into shock.

I found this video extremely helpful for understanding the nitrogen cycle, after reading lots of articles with a lot of chemistry terminology had confused the heck out of me. Hope it helps you too!

 

[tallentemma]

If the filter has broken, reduce feeding to once or twice a week and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Wash the filter media/ materials in a bucket of tank water and when they are clean, put them in the tank to keep the good bacteria alive. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the lawn/ garden.

Get the filter fixed/ replaced asap and put the old filter media (that is in the tank) into the new filter.

Post pictures of the fish to identify the health issues, which are probably water quality related and will clear up with water changes.

Here's a picture as promised. I hope the quality allows you to see what I've been talking about with the red looking veins in tail and also those white/transparent dots near the gils. I feel so bad for letting this happen to a fish so I will do an immediate large water change right now. Much gratitude! Ty ty ty!

 

[tallentemma]

No problem, happy to help! It's such a steep learning curve when you first join this hobby, and it's frightening when something goes wrong like a filter breaking. There's also so much conflicting info and opinions out there, so it can make research a nightmare.

I think the bit of info you picked up about keeping a level of ammonia in the tank for the BB was referring to a fishless cycle, where you dose ammonia to build up the bacterial colonies we want, and you do want to read certain levels of ammonia in the tank while cycling that way. But when there are fish in the tank, it's a different matter, so it can get very confusing very quickly. It took me a while to wrap my head around the nitrogen cycle, and even then there are other cycling methods that I'm a bit confused by at times.

The main thing you need to know right now is that ammonia and nitrites are very toxic to fish, and it's likely the ammonia that your fish is reacting to, but keeping on top of testing and water changes now, to keep ammonia and nitrites at zero, should hopefully be enough for him to recover soon. Clean fresh water is the key to good health for fish, no matter what illness they're struggling with, clean fresh water helps
Just make sure you use a declorinator, and temperature match the replacement water to the tank water, as a sudden change in temperature can put fish into shock.

I found this video extremely helpful for understanding the nitrogen cycle, after reading lots of articles with a lot of chemistry terminology had confused the heck out of me. Hope it helps you too!

Aahh! Thanks so much for sending this video. It helps a lot! I just replied to colin with a picture of what my fish currently looks like. Idk if you would like to take a look as well. Thank you so much I'm so glad I got responses so quickly before this turned into a huge mess (even though it kind of already is a mess)

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Aahh! Thanks so much for sending this video. It helps a lot! I just replied to colin with a picture of what my fish currently looks like. Idk if you would like to take a look as well. Thank you so much I'm so glad I got responses so quickly before this turned into a huge mess (even though it kind of already is a mess)

I'm sorry, the red bloody streaks in the fins are classic signs of ammonia poisoning. This doesn't mean your fish is doomed, he looks pretty good all things considered, but do that large water change right now, it can't wait. Change a good 75% - 80% of the water, wait half an hour, then test it again. If ammonia or nitrite are not at zero, do another water change.

More info on ammonia poisoning, but do the water change before taking time to read it. Please.

How to Treat Ammonia Poisoning in Aquarium Fish

Ammonia poisoning can be deadly to aquarium fish if the water is not regularly tested and treated. Learn the causes, treatment, and prevention.

www.thesprucepets.com

 

[tallentemma]

I'm sorry, the red bloody streaks in the fins are classic signs of ammonia poisoning. This doesn't mean your fish is doomed, he looks pretty good all things considered, but do that large water change right now, it can't wait. Change a good 75% - 80% of the water, wait half an hour, then test it again. If ammonia or nitrite are not at zero, do another water change.

More info on ammonia poisoning, but do the water change before taking time to read it. Please.

How to Treat Ammonia Poisoning in Aquarium Fish

Ammonia poisoning can be deadly to aquarium fish if the water is not regularly tested and treated. Learn the causes, treatment, and prevention.

www.thesprucepets.com

I just got done with the water change and did about 75% and will be sure to test the water in half an hour. I'm glad to hear that my fish looks good putting aside everything that's happened. I'll be sure to check out the link that you sent right now.