You're right on the HOB filters. It is helpful to have the water level dropped some. Just keep an eye on them, and if you think it looks like they're having a hard time, drop in an airstone or something. It sounds like you're really keeping watch and observing closely, and that's the best thing to do in this situation.
Why do fish "flash"?
- Thread starter jeffries
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It looks like my ammonia levels are on the rise instead of going down. Any suggestions on what I should do?
At these higher temps, I would not rely on a HOB filter to be enough to keep the air oxygenated to keep the fish alive. An air pump, line and airstone won't break the bank.....get one right away!
pickup a better filter then the piece of crap they call a bio wheel, get an aquaclear filter, as when you change your carbon your not throwing out a large chunk of your bb. The bio wheels IMO are suspect at best and clearly have much much less bio area then the ac. Plus i personally like to double up sponges instead of running carbon. It is totally worth the investment.
dr_sudz;3432729; said:pickup a better filter then the piece of crap they call a bio wheel, get an aquaclear filter, as when you change your carbon your not throwing out a large chunk of your bb. The bio wheels IMO are suspect at best and clearly have much much less bio area then the ac. Plus i personally like to double up sponges instead of running carbon. It is totally worth the investment.
I am not sure how this advice will help me with my ammonia problem right now but I am interested in your method since I have always used carbon filters in the past. Can you explain this sponge method a little further as it is totally new to me.
Carbon is useful for removing toxins from water (metals, medication, etc). Most fishkeepers do not constantly run carbon, because there's no real reason for it on a daily basis. You'd be better off using some type of biomedia in its place. If for some reason you need to add carbon, just keep your biomedia in a little bag, so that you can pull it out, throw it in the tank for the time being, and put your carbon in. HOB filters, especially the bio-wheel, just aren't ideal for tanks which need heavy filtration. However, if it's what you've got, and you can' tafford anything else right now, filling it with as much biomedia as possible is the best you can do. As for your ammonia problems, this is going to happen, becuase your tank is cycling all over again. You'll see nitrite rise, and then go away, and until you've got 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite, you're not done cycling. Obviously, since you have fish, this is going to have to be a slower process, because you can't let ammonia spike so high that it kills them. Do your constant water changes like you were doing for the HITH guy, this will keep ammonia lower. The only option you have to really nip this thing in the bud quickly is a product called Dr. Tim's One-and-Only. It is a beneficial bacteria that actually works. It costs, but it works, as opposed to other Bb-in-a-bottle which may be a little cheaper, but does pretty much nothing. They sell it at Drs. Foster and Smith. I've never seen it in an LFS. It is on sale right now, though. This is what I used to cycle my pond. It definitely works. So, what it's going to do is put those bacteria in your tank, without having ot wait fo them to grow, which is the cycling process. Please ask if you have any more questions.
Do I need the H2o Pure or the Na H2O pure?
If HOB filters aren't ideal in my situation, what should I be using instead? I don't have any experience with anything other than HOB filters.
If HOB filters aren't ideal in my situation, what should I be using instead? I don't have any experience with anything other than HOB filters.
You need H20 pure for a freshwater tank. The best filter for you, from the sounds of it, would be a canister filter. Marineland and Rena make great, easy-to-care for canister filters, and Marineland's comes loaded full of biomedia, which saves some money. Choose one that gives you at least 6 times the turnover of your tank's volume per hour. This way, your filter will be able to "grow" with your tank's bioload, instead of getting maxed out, and messing up the cycle. These are pricier than your HOB, or any HOB, for that matter, but it's really worth it. The different baskets allow you to customize it until you find a combination of media that works for you. Most canister filters also perform biological and mechanical filtration, with the option of chemical filtration if you so choose.
Yeah, I don't have any experience with canister filters, so I have no idea how to set one up.
I wish I had someone near me that could just come over and SHOW me and explain what I need to do. How close is Hampton, VA? (LOL)
I don't trust the people at the lfs at all... not like I do the people on these forums.
I wish I had someone near me that could just come over and SHOW me and explain what I need to do. How close is Hampton, VA? (LOL)
I don't trust the people at the lfs at all... not like I do the people on these forums.
The filter WILL come with instructions, you know! Also, most of them (I know Marineland does) come with an instructional DVD where a guy takes it apart to clean it, so you see how that works. And, if all else fails, show up with a case of Natural Light, and we'll show you all you need to know about canister filters!
