Few questions: Shrimp, Filter Media?

[Punkrulz]

Few questions: Shrimp, Filter Media, Cleaning Sand?

Hey guys,

Local trip to Petsmart today, initially to get a new background for my fish tank. I wanted to get a dark / bright (dark background bright foreground) display for my tank so that I can contrast the sand with everything else a little better. I'm also hoping it will have the appearance of making my fish appear brighter and more colorful. While there, we also picked up 2 things:

Ghost Shrimp
New Filter Media

For starters, I got 5 Ghost shrimp. I'm waiting to see if they become fish food for any of my existing fish, though I hope they don't. If they do, they're cheap and I'm not going to fret the loss. They did come from another fish tank (that looked fine) at PetSmart, but is it possible that the shrimp could harbor some disease that could pass to the fish? I think I'd honestly be in tears if I lost mine... one of the "playing with fire" symptoms of not having a QT Tank.

Secondly, I got new media for my Rena SmartFilter, which is called Bio-Chem Zorb... Initially I thought this did something different than the one I got with the device, however I believe this is the same, so I don't have to worry about media doing different things.

1) Is there a guide that explains what kinds of media do what? I know there's media out there with activated carbon, and other types of things... was looking for an explanation, and when to get what in what circumstance.

2) When I made the change to sand, I kept the old filter media, as well as a stocking with old gravel in it for 1 week. Everything appears to have been fine. I would like to change the filter media now... can I just replace it? Do I float the old media at the top of the tank (how is this done?) for another week while the new media acclimates to the bacteria?

Also, my biggest concern right now is siphoning sand... Do I have to put anything on top of my siphon so I don't worry about kicking up sand? How far should I hold the siphon from the sand, so I will get the dirt and not sand? Will the dirt come off of the sand very easily? Do I have to disable my filter first?

Thanks guys

 

[Avalon]

I understand that there are various filter media out there, but you really only need one kind: a bio media, usually a porous gravel that provides living quarters for large colonies of bacteria. This by far, is the most important part of the aquarium. The bio-chem zorb is similar to Seachem's Purigen. It's probably the only other media I would recommend to someone, and only in certain situations. However, if you keep up with water changes and typical tank maintenance, you really don't need the bio-chem zorb.

Your goal is to create a large, stable biofilter. Most power filters fail because you have to remove the thing that's serving as the bio-media, the filter cartridge, every so often. Essentially, you're throwing all of the bacteria away! Ideally, you want to rarely clean the media, and clean filter pads that protect the media from getting dirty, when they get dirty. Your filter is a neat design. Fill it with a bio-media.

Have you ever noticed that with all the different types of media out there, they all remove something? Water changes do the same thing. But what if you create an enviornment where you don't have to remove anything but nitrates and dissolved wastes via water changes? That's my point. Make it easy on yourself. Get to the root of the problem and enjoy your tank.

A stable aquarium--provided for by a large bio-filter, will increase fish health, reduce stress, reduce the risk of ammonia and nitrite spikes, reduce the risk of disease, and keep a cleaner tank with crystal clear water. You've got to protect those bacteria! They are crucial to your success, especially with very sensitive shrimp.

You can use previous media if you need to. Keep in mind that it will take at least 2 weeks for a colony of bacteria to begin to establish, and 3-4 for them to hit their stride. Try to minimize changes during this time.

I hope this provides some insight to your questions.

 

[Punkrulz]

Thanks Avalon, I appreciate the response. I think my biggest concern for the media was not the bacteria, that was not the first thing that I had thought of, rather the quality of the tank. I know on the package for my new media, it says to change at least once a month pending the situation... I really wasn't all that worried about it. I did clean my media once a month, in a bucket with some tank water in it... to preserve the bacteria while I clean it. I understand that a well established bio-filter will allow better quality of... well, everything... but how do I know if mine is established enough?

Presently I'm sure mine is questionable, I've only been on a tank w/ sand for 1 week, which had a decent amount of old gravel in a stocking to help it along. I'm really at a loss here, I think I should change to a new filter media, but when should I do it? Should I give a bit more time for my sand to establish the bacteria, and how will I know when it's ready?

Also, is anyone able to answer the other questions I had? I don't want those to be forgotten about either, getting those answers is crucial to me!

 

[Avalon]

I understand that a well established bio-filter will allow better quality of... well, everything... but how do I know if mine is established enough?

Usually time will tell. Test kits will help to make sure you're cycled, and then time. You just have less problems with fish health and they are happy and eating well. Usually in new tanks, diatom algae will go away once the biofilter establishes. Also, you should never 'clean' media unless it is in need of cleaning. This disturbs the biofilter even if you use tank water.

I'm really at a loss here, I think I should change to a new filter media, but when should I do it? Should I give a bit more time for my sand to establish the bacteria, and how will I know when it's ready?

Change it asap. Bacteria will continue to grow in the tank as well.


As for your questions, I'm not aware of a guide, but maybe someone does? I just go to manufacturer sites and read about their media. You can use your old media to help. Keep it in a bag (your stocking) and put it in any area of the tank that gets good circulation. Use it as long as needed, usually until after the cycle.

 

[Punkrulz]

We don't have the stocking to use anymore, so that is kind of out of the question. I'm not so sure if it will float at the top of the tank or if that is even a good idea. I would like to change it, so here's my question: If I change it out, how soon after the change should I run some tests to make sure everything is still normal? If things began to change, and I kept the old media somewhere possibly in a tupperware container with tank water, could I revert back to the old media?

Or is there a good possibility that since I should have bacteria in my tank that I won't have any problems? I'm just really concerned because since the change to sand, my tank only has just about 2 weeks with the sand for it to grow bacteria. I'm not sure if it's "sturdy" enough to handle going to new media. Everything in the tank seems to be fine... I had one of my new shrimp go, but the other 4 appear to be doing well and so far the fish.