Arowana filtration

[Ohnoitstfloyd]

Hey all- I have a 290 with 6 silver dollars (4 inch diameter) one "giant" (baby) gourami.
Sarah Pickle Lemon (12 fish inch arowana) and a rope fish.
Ive got serious filter problems. I have a DIY sump, its got one filter sock stuffed with polyfill, in the "clean water reserve" part i have a diy strong filter, and I have a pretty large canister filter, with the output of the canister also going into a sock with poly fill. Yeah, there's bio balls and **** in the sump but that's not helping me with cleaning the water and the smell. Im doing water changes 1-2 a week, usually 25-30% but I don't have an automatic water change system and its hell on my back. I need recommendations to sumps, pumps, etc. I need links, I need somebody to sit me down and slap me and tell me to STFU and stop trying to do stupid **** im not capable of. Accepting volunteers for the last one.
Thanks guys.

 

[Yoimbrian]

Hey dude,

First start with more details on your current filtration. You describe your sump, but pictures are WAY more useful. You also say strong filter filter, but again pictures are way more useful.

Smells are generally not because you need more water changes, its because there is rotting food somewhere. You either need to turn off your filters during feeding (so food doesn't get sucked into the filter), or feed less (if there is uneaten food rotting).

For the current size of the fish you have in that tank there is no reason the water shouldn't be sparkling, so lets make that happen.

 

[Drstrangelove]

Agreed with Yoimbrian . That's a much smaller bioload than would normally cause issues. It sounds like over time debris is being trapped in the tank that normal water changes are failing to remove.

Pictures of the bio media and the tank water would help, but just to be clear, is it the smell or the clarity of the water that's the issue? Other things might cause smell issues, although trapped and rotting food is absolutely at the top of the list. Is it possible there's something else dead in the tank (fish, snails, plants) or that other chems might cause the smell (ferts, vitamins, unusual foods, etc.)

Starting with a careful (gentle washing in tank water to just half the filter media) filter cleaning is a good start.

 

[duanes]

Agree with the others, filters are only as good as how often they are cleaned, canisters included (especially canisters, which become gunk depositories and nitrate factories)
Filters don't remove stuff from the tank they just hide it somewhere else in the water column.
That sock filled with polypill should be rinsed out with every water change (perhaps daily), canisters once per week, otherwise they will become a seething toilet for everything nasty.
As far as water changes go, as large fish grow, they need many more water changes than when they were young and small, just to keep up with the copious waste output as they grow.
If you don't like doing large frequent water changes, maybe you should switch to something with low waste output like Cardinels or neons.
Its like the difference between cleaning up after a toy type dog with a little pooper scooper , and a great dane with a backhoe. .

 

[Lsey81]

How often do you gravel vac? Also add pothos plants somewhere in your system, like stated before...kill filtration during feeding that's something that has helped me a lot with stink as I feed Hikari jumbo carni-sticks to 5 of my tanks and that stuff reeks when it sits in your filters so much it travels thru my entire house and the wife will complain! Hopefully you figure it out

 

[Ohnoitstfloyd]

Hi hey hi hello. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Here’s pics. I tried plants, Sd’s had a great snack. I’m not going to switch to smaller fish. I have a small fish community tank. I’m not going to bail on my fish just cause.
With that being said.
All this **** stank...coulda been the ferret I had in my living room....

 

[tlindsey]

Hi hey hi hello. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Here’s pics. I tried plants, Sd’s had a great snack. I’m not going to switch to smaller fish. I have a small fish community tank. I’m not going to bail on my fish just cause.
With that being said.
All this **** stank...coulda been the ferret I had in my living room....

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Nice sump. Are the Bio Balls submerged?

 

[Ohnoitstfloyd]

Nice sump. Are the Bio Balls submerged?

That sump is ghetto as hell lol. Also yes but sectioned off

 

[tlindsey]

That sump is ghetto as hell lol. Also yes but sectioned off

Lol if it functions I personally don't go by looks.

 

[Ohnoitstfloyd]

Lol if it functions I personally don't go by looks.

Two kinds of people