When I Re-set Up My Tank......

[oscar52]

..... which will be when I come back from holiday, should I ..

a ) stick with the sponge filter system (Its a Jewel)

b ) use ceramic rings / ammo chips as an alternative media.


With both I would of course use filter floss.


Sponges just seem rather messy (and dont seem to work too well) IMO

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I would stick with the juwel filters personally .
When you say sponge filters aren't working well for you, what problems are your experiencing exactly?

 

[oscar52]

I would stick with the juwel filters personally .
When you say sponge filters aren't working well for you, what problems are your experiencing exactly?

Ermm - sponges get very dirty, very quickly, dont seem to be having much of an effect, and my nitates very quite high, though ammonia and nitrite very low to zero ( i was told this was partly due to filter )
I did have live plants, which grew qiackly and the died off (cambomba).

However - i was using the carbon, which i now know is a big no no

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I would stick with the juwel filters personally .
When you say sponge filters aren't working well for you, what problems are your experiencing exactly?

Ermm - sponges get very dirty, very quickly, dont seem to be having much of an effect, and my nitates very quite high, though ammonia and nitrite very low to zero ( i was told this was partly due to filter )
I did have live plants, which grew qiackly and the died off (cambomba).

However - i was using the carbon, which i now know is a big no no

You should clean your filter out once every 10days to 2weeks really, how often do you do water changes and how mcuh water do you take out? what about cleaning the substrate? What is your fish stocking? How long has the tank been set up?

When you say it doesn't seem to be having much effect, what exactly do you mean by this?

 

[oscar52]

It is set up now, but needs to be re-done. Is currently home to ONE 4 inch CAE - cos i cant catch him.

I was doing water changes roughly every week - ten days, taking 25% or thereabouts, cleaning the substrate at the same time.

Is there any real point in having a filter if it needs to be cleaned every ten days - wouldnt this remove all the beneficial bacteria I need for the nitrogen cycle? - Jewel suggest to change sponges gradually, every six months - i have seen other poeple suggested 12 or even 18 months. Surely ther only thing that needs to be chnged regulary is the floss.

 

[oscar52]

gonna bend the rules and bump this up as I anint had much reply

 

[Inchworm]

Is there any real point in having a filter if it needs to be cleaned every ten days - wouldnt this remove all the beneficial bacteria I need for the nitrogen cycle?

Hi oscar52

No, it wouldn't remove the beneficial bacteria if you just rinse it out by swishing it through a bit of water you have removed from the tank. Your good bacteria live on the surfaces of the filter media and not in the soil that you will be washing away. Never rinse media out in tap water because the chlorine or chloramine will kill the bacteria you want to preserve.

 

[oscar52]

I misunderstood the reply then Inchworm. Problem I have is all LFS round here, seem to just about JackS...

I was told the sponge filter was rubbish (which I happen to agree with), and to get an external (which I cant afford) failing that, use put a bag of ceramic rings in each of the sponge cradles - which would give a far greater suface area, and a greater aerobic and anaerobic area - all this makes sense. I just dont want to go spending money to find I have lined someones pockets. Sponges need replacing more regularly than the chips do (which I was told was another good reason for them)

All advice I have recieved so (including some from here) contradicts what I know, or what I have been told.

Most people here seem to have decent, lang standing and successful aqauriums - and providing they dont hold shares in any companys, Im not lining their pockets.


When I do eventually get the tank set up - within the next month, I know I need more substrate, I know I probably need more lighting (currently just over 1wpg), and I know i need more and a wider selection of plants. The filter is the only thing holding me back - and is the area where I get the most conflicting advice.

I also probably need to add co2, but that can be expensive excluding the homemade jobbies (no idea what the tablets are like - havent looked at those yet.)

 

[moeldner]

You will probably still need the sponges to filter out the solid waste in the water. The rings are used to give a place for the bacteria to grow on, not to actually filter the solid waste. You will still need some sort of filter media (woll or sponge) to filrter out he solid waste.

In my Aquaone trickle (hood) filter, I use a layer of filter wool, on top of which I have ceramic noodles (and plastic equivalents), and then course spnoges on top of the noodles to help filter out course material from the water (rotting plant matter mainly).

I regularly rinse the course sponges, and replace the filter wool. I never do anything (i.e. washing or rinsing) the ceramic noodles.