Hi there pictus cat Q..

[Cross127]

Right now I have both filters set up with Ammo-Carb. The black and white stuff. So what you are saying is I should take it out of one of the filters, and just let it run through without anything?

No I am saying run one Emperor 400 with biological media. Bio- media is ceramic rings or porous ball like things. I reccommend you go to your local pet shop and pickup a couple baggies of BIOMAX from the manufacturer Aquaclear. The whole purpose is to help convert extremely toxic waste product into a less toxic and managable form using bacteria which grows inside the Bio-Media.

 

[tknjk]

Ok I understand now. I'll have to get out later, and see if they have any at petsmart. (the only petstore here)

 

[Cross127]

Ok I understand now. I'll have to get out later, and see if they have any at petsmart. (the only petstore here)

I am pretty sure Petsmart carries it but I don't go there really at all. I go to actual aquarium shops for supplies as I know they have everything I need. You have a little media basket right? It's that bluish plastic box in you filter.

 

[tknjk]

I am pretty sure Petsmart carries it but I don't go there really at all. I go to actual aquarium shops for supplies as I know they have everything I need. You have a little media basket right? It's that bluish plastic box in you filter.

Each filter has 2 of them, and they are grey one on each side.

 

[Cross127]

Each filter has 2 of them, and they are grey one on each side.

Ok just fill them up with the Biomax and your good to go. Just dont let unconditioned tap water go near your filters at ALL!! You will kill any bacteria that will help seed( start bacteria growth inside the BioMax) your new media. This is a critical point in starting a Biological filter.

 

[tknjk]

Everytime I fill back up after a water change I mix my chem in the bucket with the water before I dump it in the tank.

 

[ShadowBass]

Right now I have both filters set up with Ammo-Carb. The black and white stuff. So what you are saying is I should take it out of one of the filters, and just let it run through without anything?

Do you change out the Ammo-Carb regularly?

Stuff like Ammo-Carb, if replaced regularly so that it's still effective, will significantly lower the amount of biological bacteria that grows in your filters. The biobacteria is what converts waste to a nontoxic form (nitrates).

When you run ammonia absorbing media like Ammo-Carb the ammonia is being eliminated before bacteria have a chance to eat it, so your filter will have an inadequate amount of bacteria to take over once the Ammo-Carb is removed or is due to be replaced.

If the Ammo-Carb has been in the filters for a significant amount of time it will have lost its effectiveness and is not absorbing any ammonia anyway. If it has been replaced not long ago DO NOT remove it all at once because it will cause an ammonia spike.

Do your emperor 400s have working biowheels in them? If so there's no reason to go buy more biological media like ceramic rings. Your biowheels ARE the biological media.

How long has your tank been set up? Did you cycle it before adding the oscars or have you just been running the Ammo-Carb the whole time? How often do you test your water and do you know your parameters?
If you never actively cycled your tank you'll have to get a master test kit (which you should have anyway), and test your water parameters so you can either start cycling or see how far along your cycle is. If you have nitrates then you have some amount of biological bacteria to help you along while you're removing the Ammo-Carb.