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Is it possible to swap out external filter without reusing media from old filter on a planted tank with fishes thats around 6 weeks old? Some of the fish are 2 weeks old. I've done some reading and the recommendation is to either run 2 filters side-by-side for a month or re-use the media from...

I thought I'd start a new thread as recommended to hopefully get the best advice. First a summary: I've got a new tank about 7 weeks ago which is a heavily planted tank. The tank is rectangular tall tank of 145L (38 US gallons). Dimensions are 81W x 38D x 55H cm About 2 weeks ago (15th July)...

@Byron : Apologies for late reply, weather is cracking here in the UK so we are having a BBQ :) Just tested for ammonia and I think it’s between 1 and 2ppm. Definitely lighter green compared to earlier today. I guess I would do daily 70% water changes until the ammonia level goes down. Prime...

Just did a 70% water change and only chemical used was the Fluval water conditioner. Water looks really clear now though. I will wait until tomorrow to retest for ammonia. When I did big water change yesterday I used Fluval conditioner, API quick start and API AmmoLock. I’ve dosed as per...

My filter doesn’t come with carbon but on their page they mentioned that it’s possible to get small bag, fill it with activated carbon and put it in between existing media.

Part of me is also tempted to swap out my filter for a Fluval but I think that would be frivolous and possibly cause more harm?

Thanks @Byron and @essjay for your assistance. I’ve just tested tap water and ammonia levels are virtually zero so it’s my tank water which definitely has the ammonia :( I use API Master Test Kit. I followed API’s instruction. 5ml tank water, 8 drops of solution 1 then 8 drops of solution 2 and...

Thanks @Byron. I will remember to start new thread next time I have new questions :) Regarding water change, if my tank is starting new cycle, would substantial water changes affect it? How often should I do the water changes if so, daily?

Good idea, I will treat tap water with some Fluval conditioner as I haven’t got the Prime yet and report back. I have quite a lot of live plants in my tank and in the past the ammonia levels were always low. I used to feed twice a day with flakes, corydoras tablets, bug bites and sometimes also...

Sorry for the long thread, have a habit of keeping things in one place :) Yes, I do have live plants in the tank. I did a big water change yesterday, 50% then top up and followed by 70% and top up afterwards. I might be over feeding as the were food waste and tank smelled really bad yesterday...

Tested water today and ammonia still high at about 4ppm. PH is 7.4, nitrite 0.25ppm and nitrates 5ppm so looks ok to me. Weird. Just have very small feed to fish as well. Thinking of performing 25% water change and add API AmmoLock until levels go down. Should I do this or just wait? Could be...

Good point about organics in tap water @Byron. Suppose the warm weather would also affect their numbers. I was worried about the ammonia levels hence the water change. Also I was probably feeding too much.

Just spent last few hours doing major water change. I did 70%, top up, 50% and top up again. Quite a lot of rotting food and plant matter which made the tank smell really bad. I’ve now removed them. Had quick reccy around the tank and can’t seem to find any dead fish so that’s good news. Water...

Ok just tested using API master kit and it’s very dark green. So 8.0ppm... should I do a large water change now?

My daughter tested it and it was green but not too sure what the value was. I’ll go test again as this is worrying.

I was reading somewhere that a big water change in a new tank could upset the cycle as it introduces new bacteria. My filter was running all the time so don’t think that’s the issue. Perhaps I’ve disturbed the substrate with water change but I’m leaning towards bacterial bloom for the cause of...

So the water turned quite cloudy after 40% water change last weekend. I suspect this is bacterial bloom. I’ve tested the water parameters today and everything looks ok, except for ammonia with is bit high, about 5.0 ppm. Nitrites and Nitrates are almost zero though. Perhaps I’ve upset the...

True, perhaps I will pop down the hobby shop to pick up some matt black paper. My daughter has a shrimp tank and I do love them, ability to be clean up crew is a bonus too. If my grass plants grow more perhaps it will provide some cover for the shrimps but not too sure at the moment. Something...

Here a video of the barbs schooling. So tempted to get somemore barbs (either x10 Cherry or Rosy) however I think it's wiser to wait for few months. Also thinking of getting some Java Fern and some shrimps to help clean up but wondering if the corydoras would stress them. Next on the list is...

Thanks for the suggestion @Byron. We got the photo is the hope of mimicking natural environment. It’s a special 3D effect poster we’ve bought on Amazon. Definitely will consider making the background black. We’ve used poster glue to attach the photo so would need to dedicate some time in...

They sometimes school but mostly break into small 2-3 groups. I've got x10 but it's hard to tally them up lol. The plants and fish in the tank is aimed at mimicking as close as possible to the natural habitat. We prefer smaller schooling fish as well and the tetras, barbs and corydoras are...

Tank maintenance today with 50% water change and glad we did it as it smelt a bit bad. Also adjusted the spray bar to get more aeration. Bit stronger current on left hand side of the tank but fish doesn't seem to mind. Created a ring to contain the Salvanias and the Barbs sometimes swim up to...

Thanks all for the advice. To be honest the cloudiness is only a minor thing, to me the most important thing is that the fish in my tank are well and happy!

Cheers bud. I’ll just have to be patient :)

The filter media came with the filter. Got them placed as the above picture if I’ve understood your question correctly? I’ve read that carbon could help but not sure how to add them.

Thanks. Not sure if it's polywool but there is definitely wool in the media basket. I don't think it;s algae bloom as it's always cloudy white, sometimes it's less sometimes it's more. If it's the substrate I'd expect it to be filtered clear by now...

Just a curious question, my water has always been a little bit cloudy. Will a filter make a difference in this? I'm currently using Aqua One Occellaris 850 canister filter which has a flow rate of 850L/hr and suitable for aquarium from 150-200litres. If I do decide to change the filter one day...

Yes I think I will hold back for now. Tank still looks fairly spacious but that's because the Odessa barbs are not fully grown yet. Hindsight and all but wished we went for slightly bigger tank haha ;)

Thanks @Byron. We've just got 10 Odessa Barbs and they are settling in well so far. They really compliment the tank so I'm thinking of perhaps x10 more Cherry Barbs for the colour. However now that I've found out that Odessa Barbs can grow to just over 2 inches (which is about double their size...

Yes, I was thinking about Cherry barbs not sure why I typed Rosy lol. I think both Odessa and Cherry barbs don’t grow over an inch so should have some space in my 38g (145L) tank for 10 more barbs... Someone should’ve warned me that keeping fish is addictive lol. I’ve just sat in front of the...

Cheers for the link. Rosy and Odessa does seem to compliment each other well and would bring nice balance of colour to complete the stock in my tank. Tempted but I've already spent £££ this month lol. Perhaps it's better to give it 1-2 months to let the fish grow and reaccess if there's still...

I have 15 Neons and 10 Cardinals. They do tend to shoal together at times which is an interesting watch. Tetras seem to prefer mid to bottom part of the tank hence why I'm looking at perhaps more Barbs to complete my tank stock. Tempted to get shrimps just to help clean the substrate and keep...

I currently have some Odessa barbs and they play nice with my neon and cardinal tetras, even the tiny ones that just arrived. I like how the Barb will something forage on the plants as the food lands there occasionally, they also sometimes forage on the substrate.

Thanks, always wanted a heavily planted tank. I was a bit selective with the plants as I'm a beginner but they are turning out alright :)

I'm quite taken by the Barbs. They will be very curious and like to explore all levels of the tank. Thinking of getting some more Barbs but wondering if they play nice with another type of barb? I currently have Odessa barbs (Puntus sp.) but really tempted to get some Cherry Barbs (Puntius...