avoiding a train wreck

[Magnum Man]

ok, I'm going to be completely transparent here...

I've had a couple threads, about a filter I can't reach, and several discussions, from foam to wiffle golf balls, as far as bio media that won't plug... it's been about 6 months or maybe a little more, since this filter has been serviced... it was still flowing, but I suspected it was bypassing the foam...

it was way worse than I thought, I had to move some shelving units to get back there, and could barely squeeze in... so much mulm came out into the tank, when I pulled the filter cartridge that the tank instantly looked like a sewage lagoon... the tank is highly aerated and another Tidal 75 with normal service running, so the residents look normal, just hard to see them... this next picture is difficult to witness, you may need to turn away

it was actually hard to pull out... this is now back in the filter, filled with Japan Mat... which is really hard to cut... I'm finding a different place for the shelves, and plan to pull both cartridges out and clean again, in a few days, and will do a big water change yet today... at least I won't have to cut more mat for a while... I got 6 -12 inch by 12 inch by 1.5 inch sheets... note to self, 6 months is way too long, and wiffle golf balls might not be a bad idea, for this filter that is very hard to service...

 

[GaryE]

Yeah, been there, seen that. Seeing the mulm in the water doesn't change a lot, since the water has been filtered through it.

 

[MaloK]

Yep !!! That's a HOB thing that occurs every time left unattended too long.

Next time pull the whole filter out, remove the basket and rinse the internals.

It will prevent that from happening.

Don't ask why I know.

 

[Back in the fold]

Good grief ! What a mess . What’s it smell like ? Does it have that dead anaerobic smell to it .

 

[Magnum Man]

nope, smells clean

 

[Magnum Man]

it's in the water flow ...

 

[Magnum Man]

.... amazing how fast the tank water is clearing

 

[MaloK]

And the gunk wasn't red or purple.

You have enough flow for that to clean up pretty quick for sure.

 

[Magnum Man]

it was all black, maybe a lot of dust from the black sand??? it's been in place since the tank was set up... filter housing is black, and it was covered, so no algae of any kind, green, red , or purple

 

[MaloK]

Could be, but mulm out of the water looks like that too.

 

[MaloK]

Yeah, been there, seen that. Seeing the mulm in the water doesn't change a lot, since the water has been filtered through it.

It's true at 100% that that mulm has released all it's nutrients and has become fairly inert. But I try to not let it accumulate too much.

Because with time it will bring another level of organism to decompose that further and they release toxins. That's my basic understanding.

I try to keep removing as much decaying matter as fast as possible, it's my first target to maintain a good water quality.

 

[Magnum Man]

water is still a little hazy, but, much, much better than this afternoon... filter on the right, is the one that is hard to service, as this tank is built into a wall, and I can only access it from the left side

 

[Sgooosh]

ok, I'm going to be completely transparent here...

I've had a couple threads, about a filter I can't reach, and several discussions, from foam to wiffle golf balls, as far as bio media that won't plug... it's been about 6 months or maybe a little more, since this filter has been serviced... it was still flowing, but I suspected it was bypassing the foam...

it was way worse than I thought, I had to move some shelving units to get back there, and could barely squeeze in... so much mulm came out into the tank, when I pulled the filter cartridge that the tank instantly looked like a sewage lagoon... the tank is highly aerated and another Tidal 75 with normal service running, so the residents look normal, just hard to see them... this next picture is difficult to witness, you may need to turn awayView attachment 357810
it was actually hard to pull out... this is now back in the filter, filled with Japan Mat... which is really hard to cut... I'm finding a different place for the shelves, and plan to pull both cartridges out and clean again, in a few days, and will do a big water change yet today... at least I won't have to cut more mat for a while... I got 6 -12 inch by 12 inch by 1.5 inch sheets... note to self, 6 months is way too long, and wiffle golf balls might not be a bad idea, for this filter that is very hard to service...View attachment 357811

woah! all i see is pure fertilizer!! i bet that could grow a nice head of cabbage.
Beautiful fish too!

 

[Magnum Man]

well my 2 newer Pothos vines in this tank, have just begun their aggressive growth period ( they go almost dormant, for about a month, after getting their roots stripped of soil, and put in the ceramic media ) those aquatic roots have pulled a lot of that mulm out of the water... they may be growing extra fast in the next several weeks...

and at 1st light this morning, the tank is clearer than, before I pulled the filter cartridge

 

[Magnum Man]

which brings up a question... what is the best tool for the job of cutting that Japan Mat??? I think I wrecked my scissors I keep for cutting open fish bags around my tanks... maybe a new tin snips??? the sheets I got were 1.5 inches thick...