had a question about my tank. Ive had the aquarium about 3 or 4 months now, after month 1 i switched to a sand substrate. the water was cloudy at first then settled about 3-4 days later and was crystal clear until i did my next 1/3 water change, i read on an online forum that every once in a while you need to stir up the sand a little every once in a while to release gas pockets, this was about month 2. since then it seems like the water never gets clear so im wondering if maybe siphoning a majority of the water and replacing my filter cartridge at the same time do the trick? im still relatively new to this so im looking for all the help i can get and please refrain from negative comments any help asap would be much appreciated, thanks
siphoning all water out of aquarium a bad idea?
- Thread starter levi.austin
- Start date
Hello; No clear what help taking all water out will be. Sounds to me as thou the sand is dirty. If sand was not cleaned thoroughly it will yield cloudy fine stuff any time it is disturbed.
One approach could be to siphon out some sand when doing a regular water change. The sand should move thru a siphon hose. Then give that sand a good rinse before putting it back into the tank. If you have extra sand on hand it can be cleaned and ready to put back into the tank. This can be repeated with each water change over a period of a few weeks and you should be able to maintain the cycle.
If I have misunderstood the issue, please repost with more info.
One approach could be to siphon out some sand when doing a regular water change. The sand should move thru a siphon hose. Then give that sand a good rinse before putting it back into the tank. If you have extra sand on hand it can be cleaned and ready to put back into the tank. This can be repeated with each water change over a period of a few weeks and you should be able to maintain the cycle.
If I have misunderstood the issue, please repost with more info.
before i got this reply i stumbled across something that basically told me what you did. I read a couple forums that were talking about using pillow stuffing behind the cartridge to do 2 things. 1) provide extra filtration and 2) create a sort of housing area for the good bacteria. So my next question would be this
my tank only has 1 filter and by that i mean only 1 cartridge goes into the filter. see petsmart was telling me i need to replace the cartridge about every 2 weeks so i have been, up until yesterday i knew nothing about what "cycling" meant so as of right now im going with the determination that every time i change that filter media ive been killing off too much of the good bacteria, is that correct?
so as for my question, if i leave the pillow stuffing in there for a couple weeks to get a good little colony of bacteria growing, then replace the actual filter, then 2 weeks later replace the pillow stuffing and just keep switching every 2 weeks between changing the cartridge and the pillow stuffing would this help to keep my tank clear and keep a sufficient amount of bacteria?
also i came to the conclusion that i effed up pretty bad to start out with at the beginning haha, like i previously stated, up until yesterday i had no idea what cycling meant so... i didnt really do my research before i got the tank and basically i cleaned the sand, put it in filled er up let the sand settle turned on the filter and put my fish in, needless to say my fish starting getting picked off one at a time and i just attributed that to the fish being bought from walmart.
also just want to say ive become obsessed with these fish and having the perfect tank, i want to upgrade to a 55 gallon once i get the money for everything and i dont think ill ever have anything except cichlids as my fish. if you guys, or anyone else can give me any tips or info they've learned from their fishkeeping it would be much appreciated i want to learn as much as possible
and to skjl47 thanks for the tip, i cleaned the sand out pretty well imo before placing it into the tank so i dont think that would be the problem but much appreciation for the advice
my tank only has 1 filter and by that i mean only 1 cartridge goes into the filter. see petsmart was telling me i need to replace the cartridge about every 2 weeks so i have been, up until yesterday i knew nothing about what "cycling" meant so as of right now im going with the determination that every time i change that filter media ive been killing off too much of the good bacteria, is that correct?
so as for my question, if i leave the pillow stuffing in there for a couple weeks to get a good little colony of bacteria growing, then replace the actual filter, then 2 weeks later replace the pillow stuffing and just keep switching every 2 weeks between changing the cartridge and the pillow stuffing would this help to keep my tank clear and keep a sufficient amount of bacteria?
also i came to the conclusion that i effed up pretty bad to start out with at the beginning haha, like i previously stated, up until yesterday i had no idea what cycling meant so... i didnt really do my research before i got the tank and basically i cleaned the sand, put it in filled er up let the sand settle turned on the filter and put my fish in, needless to say my fish starting getting picked off one at a time and i just attributed that to the fish being bought from walmart.
also just want to say ive become obsessed with these fish and having the perfect tank, i want to upgrade to a 55 gallon once i get the money for everything and i dont think ill ever have anything except cichlids as my fish. if you guys, or anyone else can give me any tips or info they've learned from their fishkeeping it would be much appreciated i want to learn as much as possible
and to skjl47 thanks for the tip, i cleaned the sand out pretty well imo before placing it into the tank so i dont think that would be the problem but much appreciation for the advice
So switching between the filter media and the cartridge as you described will help preserve the beneficial bacteria (avoiding what is called a mini-cycle, where basically you are suffering a new ammonia spike each time), but you probably don't need to replace the cartridge at all. Usually it is suggested to change them out because they have carbon in them that quickly becomes inactive - and maybe because it is something else for you to buy. However, many tanks don't need active carbon at all. So you can just rinse out the filter media - both the pillow stuffing and the cartridge - until they start falling apart, or become too clogged to filter properly.
It's fantastic that you now understand what the cycling process is. Do you have a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? This is crucial to monitoring your water quality for your fish's health. It will let you know if your tank is fully cycled, if you are going through a mini-cycle - which can happen for other reasons besides changing your filter media - and if your water change schedule is sufficient.
What kind of cichlids are you thinking of keeping?
Cheers,
Laura
It's fantastic that you now understand what the cycling process is. Do you have a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? This is crucial to monitoring your water quality for your fish's health. It will let you know if your tank is fully cycled, if you are going through a mini-cycle - which can happen for other reasons besides changing your filter media - and if your water change schedule is sufficient.
What kind of cichlids are you thinking of keeping?
Cheers,
Laura
Hello; Another common issue for new fish keepers is overfeeding. Fish being cold blooded need little food and many, myself included, have been guilty of adding too much food during the early period of fish keeping. I feed lightly and often skip two days a week and do no feeding at all, at least one day a week.
Overfeeding can lead to bacterial blooms and to cloudy water. The water can also begin to stink.
Perhaps the single best advice to consider is that a large number of fish store employees are very misinformed and will freely give out poor advice. It is also possible to get poor advice from some posts on these forums, but somewhat less likely as there are knowledgable members that will challenge questionable posts.
Overfeeding can lead to bacterial blooms and to cloudy water. The water can also begin to stink.
Perhaps the single best advice to consider is that a large number of fish store employees are very misinformed and will freely give out poor advice. It is also possible to get poor advice from some posts on these forums, but somewhat less likely as there are knowledgable members that will challenge questionable posts.
so why exactly wouldnt i need carbon at all? also i dont have liquid test kit for anything except ph how much does it cost for all the others? also to update you guys on my tank since i placed the pillow stuffing in there, (drum roll please)... its crystal clear in there! im stoked and my wife is too cause the tank is sort of just a decoration to her haha thanks for all the help,- Levi
skjl47-can you go a little more in depth on the feeding thing, i feed them twice a day, once in the morning around 7 or 8 and then at night again about the same time so your saying i should skip feeding them sometimes? wouldnt that slow down there growth rate a little?, and the more i learn the more it makes me agree with you that the store employees will just say anything to get you to buy more- Levi
Here's a link about the pros and cons of using carbon: Using activated carbon (charcoal) in the aquarium
Hello; Feeding twice a day is likely too much. For adult fish, I feed once a day and skip a day with no food at all at least once a week. I try to feed so that he food is consumed fairly quickly, say ten to twenty minutes. There can be exceptions for some fish that have particular feeding needs like ottocinclus, plecostomas or some of the bottom dwellers. If I notice that a feeding seems a little heavy, I will skip the next day or two.
When I go away for a weekend or up to a week I do not provide any special feeding. I do not have friends feed my fish as this has led to disaster for me and others. Healthy and properly feed fish can go for a week(or even longer) without food.
Try not to think of fish and food the same way as for people or dogs. They are cold blooded and deal with food in a different way. Also that they come to the front of the tank and appear to be begging for food is not an indicator that they actually need to be fed. You are not being cruel to restrict their feeding or to skip a day with no feeding from time to time.
They will indeed will eat twice a day. I have seen fish eat untill they puke and then start to eat again. They are not to clever about it.
The down sides of overfeeding likely have more to do with water quality issues. Massive overfeeding can lead to short term toxic water quality and to dead fish. The extra food spoils and begings to decay and sours the water. The oxygen levels can be reduced and kill fish. There will also be excessive decay byproducts in the tank which is essentially a closed system.
Some have stated that the filter will take care of the extra food. A strong filter will suck the uneaten food into the filter media, but the decay process will simply happen there. As the excess food decays in the filter the decay products will be circulated back into the tank.
For less than massive overfeeding, but still overfeeding, there are long term issues. There seems to be an increased level of detritus and fish waste that can build up in the substrate. The water quality in general can be affected. The systems that help to keep the water quality in balance become more on an edge so that somewhat small problems turn into much bigger problems.
An example is when water quality conditions are strained and a fish dies. When the conditions are already on an edge the death of a fish can lead to sour water very quickly, where a tank with better water quality can have a bit more of a buffer and give you more time.
If you find yourself overfeeding there are some things that can help. I like to have live plants in a tank, either floating or rooted. Live plants can take up some of these byproducts as part of their life processes. live plants also make oxygen when lights are on. I like to have snails in tanks. Snails will consume the excess food and my sense is that this is a better outcome than the rot/decay process and it gets the stuff into a form better used by the plants. I also like to have bubblers in tanks. It has always seemed to me that fish have a better chance of survival in a clouded water tank with lots of bubblers. If you over feed on a regular basis it is also a good practice to keep up with water changes and vaccuming the substrate.
As to the question of fish not growing well with less food. My take is that enough food with better water quality is more likely to result in decent fish growth than excess food and poorer water quality. Since going to lighter stocking densities and a lighter feeding schedule the last few decades I have found my fish to live longer and appear to be in better condition.
To those that recall my comments on stocking density some time back this may raise an eyebrow. I do think that high stocking densities can be gotten away with as I did it for a long time, but the work to maintain these high levels of stocking is more trouble than it it worth to me any more. I also have many fewer near crises to deal with and my fish keeping is much more relaxed.
When I go away for a weekend or up to a week I do not provide any special feeding. I do not have friends feed my fish as this has led to disaster for me and others. Healthy and properly feed fish can go for a week(or even longer) without food.
Try not to think of fish and food the same way as for people or dogs. They are cold blooded and deal with food in a different way. Also that they come to the front of the tank and appear to be begging for food is not an indicator that they actually need to be fed. You are not being cruel to restrict their feeding or to skip a day with no feeding from time to time.
They will indeed will eat twice a day. I have seen fish eat untill they puke and then start to eat again. They are not to clever about it.
The down sides of overfeeding likely have more to do with water quality issues. Massive overfeeding can lead to short term toxic water quality and to dead fish. The extra food spoils and begings to decay and sours the water. The oxygen levels can be reduced and kill fish. There will also be excessive decay byproducts in the tank which is essentially a closed system.
Some have stated that the filter will take care of the extra food. A strong filter will suck the uneaten food into the filter media, but the decay process will simply happen there. As the excess food decays in the filter the decay products will be circulated back into the tank.
For less than massive overfeeding, but still overfeeding, there are long term issues. There seems to be an increased level of detritus and fish waste that can build up in the substrate. The water quality in general can be affected. The systems that help to keep the water quality in balance become more on an edge so that somewhat small problems turn into much bigger problems.
An example is when water quality conditions are strained and a fish dies. When the conditions are already on an edge the death of a fish can lead to sour water very quickly, where a tank with better water quality can have a bit more of a buffer and give you more time.
If you find yourself overfeeding there are some things that can help. I like to have live plants in a tank, either floating or rooted. Live plants can take up some of these byproducts as part of their life processes. live plants also make oxygen when lights are on. I like to have snails in tanks. Snails will consume the excess food and my sense is that this is a better outcome than the rot/decay process and it gets the stuff into a form better used by the plants. I also like to have bubblers in tanks. It has always seemed to me that fish have a better chance of survival in a clouded water tank with lots of bubblers. If you over feed on a regular basis it is also a good practice to keep up with water changes and vaccuming the substrate.
As to the question of fish not growing well with less food. My take is that enough food with better water quality is more likely to result in decent fish growth than excess food and poorer water quality. Since going to lighter stocking densities and a lighter feeding schedule the last few decades I have found my fish to live longer and appear to be in better condition.
To those that recall my comments on stocking density some time back this may raise an eyebrow. I do think that high stocking densities can be gotten away with as I did it for a long time, but the work to maintain these high levels of stocking is more trouble than it it worth to me any more. I also have many fewer near crises to deal with and my fish keeping is much more relaxed.
Hello; After considering my response it seems better to limit an amount of food to hat can be eaten in much less than 20 minutes. As long as all the fish get something to eat it may be better to feed no more than what they consume in about five minutes or so. I am fairly use to feeding and had not given the time factor a good think thru. After watching a feeding it seems that a large portion of the food is gone in just a few minutes. The fish do continue to hunt and pick up the smaller remaining portion of the food for some time. Hope this is a better description. Perhaps others will describe their feeding technique.