Old Filter? Help

[MoreForMyMoor]

So, I recently took upon the great task of establishing and maintaining a habitat for some potential new pets. I am completely green when it comes to this endeavor as well. I have a 20 gallon tank with an aquaclear 150 sponge filter. I did as I was told and waited about a week for the water to filter and settle itself properly. I added some pH softeners and water conditioner to my tank, since the tap water from where I live is generalized as "hard".

I added a Black Moor (I know not the best beginner's fish) and an Algae Eater to the tank and the moor seemed to be under a lot of stress (hanging out at the bottom of the tank, clamped fins) after the first day. I did some research and determined that it was ammonia poisoning, and so I started doing 15% water changes daily while adding more softener and aquarium salt. Today, he seems to be roaming the tank more, but since his immune system was down from the stress, he contracted fin rot. Got all the necessary medication and applied them immediately.

I'm trying to discern the root of the disease. I think it may have to do with my filter. I got this tank handed down from my big brother. I remember him using this same tank and filter about 10 years ago. I changed the carbon and cleaned the tank and filter from top to bottom, but now I'm starting to doubt the effectiveness of my filter. Could this filter have carried the disease into my new tank? When is a filter just too old to use?

If you have read all of this, please, any kind of constructive thoughts and ideas are gladly welcomed, and thank you for your time fellow fish friends.

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum MoreForMyMoor.

You have fallen into some poor advice from your local fish shop. A week of running a filter on an empty tank does almost nothing to prepare the tank for any fish. Where that leaves you is in a fish-in cycle. You do not need any salt at all in a freshwater tank so please stop adding it. You also do not want to add any chemical that is advertised as softening your water, it will have just the opposite effect. Your first priority right now is to do large enough water changes to maintain the ammonia and nitrite levels in your tank to less than 0.25 ppm at all times. That may well mean a 80% daily water change, not a simple 15%. If you do not already have one, you need to get a test kit that uses liquid reagents to measure ammonia and nitrites. That way you can guide your water changes based on the results of your test samples.

For more reading on a fish-in cycle, I have a link in my signature to an article right here on TFF that will explain it much more detail.

 

[MoreForMyMoor]

Right. I'll get on that right away. No aquarium salt is good to know too( those thieves!).

What about in regard to my filter though? If you didn't mention it, is it worth not worrying about?

Thank you kind sir.

 

[OldMan47]

The AC filter has a fairly good reputation here on TFF. Once that piece of hardware becomes a cycled and functioning biological filter it will be fine. Until you have gone through a fish-in cycle, any filter will merely remove particles from the water, it won't help with ammonia or nitrites poisoning.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with OM47, you simply had never been introduced properly to the information about biofilters and the knowledge of how to "cycle" them to get them ready for fish. You are now in some stage of a Fish-In cycle perhaps and need to diagnose the situation.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[mbsqw1d]

also, if you are medicating your fish, you need to remove any carbon filtration. Carbon is only good for removing chemicals, dyes, medicines etc.

 

[MoreForMyMoor]

I did remove the carbon filter when I started the medication process. Your right waterdrop, I simply didn't understand the intricacies of establishing and maintaining a suitable stasis for my fish. Knowledge comes with experience and a helpful hand.

As of now, buying a Master Test Kit is just outside my budget, and the helpful employees and my local fish store flat out denied my access to their good bacteria. No friends with fish either. My line of thought now is focusing on a fishless cycle to create a biofilter for my tank.

Thanks for all the help

 

[OldMan47]

If you must conduct a fish-in cycle without the benefit of a test kit, try starting with daily 50% water changes and watch the fish closely for signs that they are under stress. If your fish are showing any stress with that regime, it is simply not enough and you can try doing 75% water changes instead. Many of us got through fish-in cycles in the past without test kits by using that kind of basic approach. It will not be as accurate as you could be with a proper test kit but should spare your fish from the worst of the effects. If things go well, you could try reducing the water change amount after about 4 weeks.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, you are in a Fish-In cycle (totally different methodology than fishless) and om47 has given good advice. WD