Few Questions

[MEng]

1 I've read on here many times about how changing filter media shouldn't be done, instead you should rinse the existing media with aquarium water when doing a WC. After doing this for about 6 months it seems like this cartridge has reached the end of its usefullness. My question is, can I put in a new cartridge if I keep the old one in the tank somewhere for a couple weeks?

2 A couple months ago I introduced live plants to my tank and they seem to be doing fine, but after a couple weeks I noticed along the substrate and the surface of other objects is a short, thin, green fuzzy substance. Any idea what this is? Is it something I should be concerned about??

3 Last week I noticed in a couple spots in the substrate little piles of light/medium brownish "scum" for lack of a better word. I'm not sure what it is or what is causing it. Any ideas?

Thank you for reading

 

[MEng]

heres the scummy buildup at the base of one of the plants

and heres a shot of the fuzz on the surface of a rock

 

[PlecoCollector]

1: What kind of filter are you using? If it's a Top Fin/Whisper filter that you can "build" your catridge, I have a suggestion for you. Otherwise, it's fine to toss your catridge every 3-4 months as they do start to fall apart. Are you doing water changes with a syphon? If so, just don't syphon the gravel for a week or so before and after your change the catridge. Bacteria doesn't just live in the filter, it exists in the gravel bed too. You can also place the old cartridge in the tank for a few days to help seed the new one.

2/3: As I asked above, do you syphon your gravel? "Scum" build-up can come from excess food in the gravel bed. This can also be from too much feeding. How much are you feeding your fish and how often? This can also lead to algae problems, which is probably what the green fuzz is. Excess nurtrients in the form of light and waste (excess food, fish waste) can fed the algae. How much light are you giving your plants?

Generally small amounts of algae are not something you need to be concerned about so don't panic

Hope this helps a bit <3

 

[BlueStraggler]

What I do when those filters are falling apart is add the new ones and keep the old ones in there for a few weeks. I've never had a problem with the cycle doing it this way.

I'm not sure what that buildup is but overfeeding could be the cause as suggested above or my best guess is that the area does not have enough circulation. But that is just a suggestion. Another guess is too much light (I'm wondering if this is algae).

I get a greenish bed on my rocks that grows wildly when there is excessive light. But even a little light makes it spread. My own solution is to limit the hours of lighting to feeding times and when I'm home. Basically its off most of the time.

I hope I've helped some and not made it more confusing. Best advice is just keep researching to see what you really have going on in there. Good luck with everything.

 

[BlueStraggler]

PS. That rock picture is a little blurry so I can't see any gunk there. It looks normal to me.

 

[littletankbigworld]

New tanks generally experience algae issues, even if you are feeding the correct amount. Algae means a water imbalance or an imbalance with CO2, light, and nutrients. Do you dose nutrients or use nutrient-rich soil? How many watts per gallon do you have? Do you use Excel Carbon or CO2?

 

[MEng]

I'm running 2x15w clear lights and a top fin filter
I usually turn the lights on at around 11am and turn them off at 11pm

 

[PlecoCollector]

Cool, so you have about 3 watts per gallon- that's quite a lot! =D The more live plants you introduce to the tank, the less nutrients that algae will be able to compete for, as the plants usually suck it up Try adding some plants from the Crypto family as they tend to be easy to grow. They should help with some of the algae growth. Also it might be beneficial to cut back the amount of time your light is on. Eight hours or so is usually plenty for the fish and the plants; maybe do 11am to 7/8pm-ish? Timer work great too!

I assume your Topfin takes those fun build-it-yourself filters? Where you put cartridge on a frame and pour carbon in? If so, here's a suggestion that'll help you with filter changes: Next time you go to the LFS, see if you can find some Bio-max. I know AquaClear filters have inserts of biomax that you can buy that come nicely in a mesh bag. Then instead of adding the carbon to the filter cartridge, put one of those bags of Bio-max in instead. The biomax will hold lots of bacteria for you and when your cartridge starts to fall apart, just put the bio-max into the new one. That will allow you the change your cartridge every 2-3 months, while bio-max will last you around 6 months.