BEST way to add more bio filtration?

[iloveoscars702]

ok so last night i checked my params and my ammonia was higher than normal. i was wondering what is the best way i can add more bio filtration. should i oust the two AC110 and add one fx5? or maybe a DIY wet dry/sump. or are my levels off because i sold two fish and added just one fish? (sold my afro and african pike and added one jardini arowana)

 

[Toby_H]

More detail is needed...

What size tank?
What is it stocked with?
What substrate/decor do you have?
How long has it been established?
What has recently changed about it?

You said the ammonia is higher than normal... In a healthy aquarium 0 is normal, so suggesting you have any reading "normally" suggests there was a problem long before you moved out two fish and added one...

 

[KAWAMIKIE]

What size tank?

I have an fx5 and ac110 on my 120. Stocked with 22" RTC, 14" Gar, 9" Gourami. I have 2 trays of biomax and a tray of carbon in my fx5. My Water params are perfect.

 

[iloveoscars702]

More detail is needed...

What size tank?
What is it stocked with?
What substrate/decor do you have?
How long has it been established?
What has recently changed about it?

You said the ammonia is higher than normal... In a healthy aquarium 0 is normal, so suggesting you have any reading "normally" suggests there was a problem long before you moved out two fish and added one...

125 stocked with silver, jardini aro, and 6 polys. eating every other day.
decor: natural slate tile and a piece of fake plant.
tanks been up for over a month now, used est. filter from old tank and set up onto this tank ( two eheim 2028 and two ac110 ) i was suggested to use STABILITY to help start the tank and did a full cycle.
recently changed: sold two fish and added one jardini.

ammonia was reading almost at 1.0ppm

 

[Toby_H]

As you started the tank with old filter media and Stability, it is safe to believe that there are Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria as well as Nitrite Oxidizing Bacteria in the system.

As the tank is showing a detectable Ammonia reading, it is safe to believe that the AOB & NOB colonies are not large enough to oxidize the bio load offered by your fish...

My advice is to water change as necessary to keep yoru ammonia reading at 0.5 or below.

As this is essentially a bare bottomed tank with no decor, it is possible that you do not have enough surface area to host a suitable quantity of bacteria. Adding Bio Media to your current filters will potentiall accomodate more bacteria... add another filter will give you space to add more Bio Media thus allowing for more bacteria.

I would not advise removing any current filter as this will remove some bacteria that you quite obviously need.

 

[iloveoscars702]

As you started the tank with old filter media and Stability, it is safe to believe that there are Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria as well as Nitrite Oxidizing Bacteria in the system.

As the tank is showing a detectable Ammonia reading, it is safe to believe that the AOB & NOB colonies are not large enough to oxidize the bio load offered by your fish...

My advice is to water change as necessary to keep yoru ammonia reading at 0.5 or below.

As this is essentially a bare bottomed tank with no decor, it is possible that you do not have enough surface area to host a suitable quantity of bacteria. Adding Bio Media to your current filters will potentiall accomodate more bacteria... add another filter will give you space to add more Bio Media thus allowing for more bacteria.

I would not advise removing any current filter as this will remove some bacteria that you quite obviously need.

Thats what i was thinking... so what kind of filter is best? another cansiter or a wet dry/ sump

 

[knifegill]

That's really up to your wallet. Bigger is better if it houses more square inches of usable media.

 

[boldtogether]

I would say trickle(sump) filter to house a huge amount of bio-media, but you will only grow what is needed and a huge amount of bio-media could be unnecessary and a waste of good space. You have enough filter...take some mech out of the FX5 and replace with bio-media. Take the sponges out of the AC110s(one at a time) and put a scintered glass type bio-media like Eheim pro or Siporax(cylinders) in the chamber. I did that with my HOBs and was amazed at how much media they held. I know you could just about double your media capacity by just getting a little creative with your set-up. I went as far as completly removing the mech. media from my HOBs and filling them with as much Eheim pro as they could hold and put prefilter foam sleeves over the intake up-tubes, worked awesome.

 

[Heathd]

I think the two AC110s should be more then suffecient as far as capability to sustain your current bioload. It sounds like the BB havent has a chance to grow to the current bioload.

I dont think a cannister is going to be any better, but my understanding is that a sump is the best of biological.

 

[iloveoscars702]

I would say trickle(sump) filter to house a huge amount of bio-media, but you will only grow what is needed and a huge amount of bio-media could be unnecessary and a waste of good space. You have enough filter...take some mech out of the FX5 and replace with bio-media. Take the sponges out of the AC110s(one at a time) and put a scintered glass type bio-media like Eheim pro or Siporax(cylinders) in the chamber. I did that with my HOBs and was amazed at how much media they held. I know you could just about double your media capacity by just getting a little creative with your set-up. I went as far as completly removing the mech. media from my HOBs and filling them with as much Eheim pro as they could hold and put prefilter foam sleeves over the intake up-tubes, worked awesome.

alright thats what ill do. ill add more than 50% bio media into the AC110. btw i dont have an fx5 but if i rely on my AC110 for most of the mech filtraton can i stil keep some of the quilt batting i use in the AC filters?