Mechanical Media Toxic Build-up

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Ok I lied..I plan on keeping fish.lol
But I'm mostly into turtles right now.

OH! nitrite is in the water?!! What's the thing that builds up on mechanical media if not rinsed often?
So as long as I have bio media, nitrite levels will be down right?

I'll go look up nitrate now...
 
Nitrate will build up in the water and can be reduced by water changes. Mechanical waste(uneaten food, fish poo, dead fish, etc.) can and will build up in your mechanical media. As it breaks down it turns to ammonia, then nitrites, and then nitrates which continue to build up in your water. So with regular cleaning of the mechanical media, you are actually helping in reducing nitrates.
 
ok thanks bedrick.
what are good stuff in the tank?

and the bad stuff are nitrites right? are nitrates considered bad too?(I read it was less toxic but..)
 
ok, so fish waste (urine and poo) is ammonia. the ammonia is transformed into nitrite by bacteria, and then the nitrite is transformed into nitrate. ammonia and nitrite are both much more dangerous then nitrate, which is why you NEED to have your filter cycled before you introduce fish. Once nitrate builds up to a certain point though, you have to do water changes to remove the nitrate from the water, or else the nitrate will indeed kill your fish.

So more ammonia = more nitrate in the end.

the stuff you rinse out of your filter is dead algea, fish poo, ect ect. which are sources of ammonia. the ammonia will turn to nitrite and then to nitrate, which in turn will make you have to change water more often.

So rinse your filters every 2-3 weeks in tank water you have taken out from your water changes. This insures that your biological bacteria that change ammonia to nitrite and then into nitrate are all still alive, but will remove the dead algea, fish poo, ect. that is stuck in your filters that is a SOURCE of ammonia.
 
X24..you have cleared everything I wanted to know about. thank you.

I'm worried though..I am getting 2 new filters but what should I do?
 
take your water into a pet place say "can i get this tested" they will test your water and tell u what your levels are at. Ammonia and nitrite should be 0 and nitrate should be low. If this is the case you have a cycled tank and adding filters will not hurt anything(adding filters to a non cycled tank wont hurt either but i just wanted to make sure you check your levels and understand cycling), you will just have to wait for bacteria to grow in them before they become efficient at changing ammonia into nitrite and then into nitrate.

If your levels are off then wait till you tank is cycled. Takes about 4 weeks as long as there is fish waste avaliable for bacteria to proccess.

You could add on 1000 new filters and as long as you wash the media before hand to remove dust etc there should be no problems. Except maybe the fact that your tank just became a whirl pool. :headbang2
 
not to mention a overloaded outlet!lol

k. thanks
 
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