Filter and waste
- Thread starter Confidence
- Start date
also to mention the occasional odd odor i was getting some times, but that was over feeding cured that issue now... i hope
you may just need a stronger filter as in gph nd prob would need the extensions i did that on mine its about 3 5 inches away from the bottom the filter pads should be good for at least a month though im pretty sure that if you keep changing the pads everyweek your damaging the good bacteria maybe some 1 can correct or add on for me dont wanna mislead
i would turn power heads in a counter clockwise flow with a directed flow towards the sand. you might be blowing stuff pass the filter with current direction.
ok changed it toward the sand, also can powerheads be submerged without airgoing into them, i have one with tubing above surface one under, also now my fishes waste is now blowing toward the filter but most of it is just bult up on the sand right under the filter, now what 
its like there is no suction from under the filter even tho there is but not alot plz i need help some 1
its like there is no suction from under the filter even tho there is but not alot plz i need help some 1cant edit my last post but does any 1 recommend the extension for my filter? will it add more suction ect.
the filter is not designed to pick up poop off the bottom of the tank but rather filter out the dissolved stuff in the water. Gravel vac weekly should take care of the big poops lol, but im thinking you didn't cycle it correctly if every week your rinsing out your filter pads you basically kill the bacteria growing on the pads weekly thats why your water will remain cloudy. what you should do is just keep the pads in there IME some pads can stay in the filter for 6months to a year if your doing water changes and gravel vac weekely. i would say continue with the cycle leave the filter pads in the filter
ok so jsut gravel vac the bottom once a week and 25% wc weekly like i have been doing, and only rinse the filter pads how often in the tank water?but also remember there pirhanas... they poop and are messy so... soon ill be getting a canister but the guy at my LPS said the nitrates can be from dissolved waste...? which tells me im not cleaning the pads good enough or im killing my good Bactria or what?
Yea. Just remember to gravel vac weekly, Up your water changes to 50% and leave the pads alone till you see a noticeable change in the water flow of the filter like if it's coming out of the intake side then do a quick rinse. you should be fine then. if you are also getting a canister soon then great! add that to the existing filtration you have and you should be fine. another option you could do is add filter pads to the powerheads and use then as filters too. which could be a cheaper way for you to go.
