Cycling and new filter

[Breakthecycle2]

My tank is about 5 weeks old and I have an external hang on type filter but I was told that the cannister filters are better and more effective with the biological filter. My questions are..which one for a 20h and how will this effect the cycling process?

 

[Breakthecycle2]

I put it in here as well as the hardware section because I wasn't getting any responses.

 

[Durbkat]

I personally like the power filters that hang on the back off the tank and thats what I use whenever I get a new tank or I restart a tank. So 2 weeks is all you needed to wait for it to cycle after 5 weeks the water should be good and ready to go.

 

[Breakthecycle2]

I personally like the power filters that hang on the back off the tank and thats what I use whenever I get a new tank or I restart a tank. So 2 weeks is all you needed to wait for it to cycle after 5 weeks the water should be good and ready to go.

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This one just doesnt seem to be keeping the water clear. I mean its basically clear, but just not cyrstal clear and I dont overfeed or anything. It's an "aqua-tech" that came with a kit I bought at Wal-Mart.

 

[Durbkat]

Oh well that explains why your water isn't clear because I think any filter from walmart sucks. I use a filter call whisper power filters and I also use the whisper heater. And what size tanks does it say on the box for how many gallons it can cycle? Because its always best to get a filter that starts with how many gallons you have and then goes up. For example I have a long 20 gallon tank and I got a filter that starts at 20 gallons and goes up to 40 gallons.

 

[Breakthecycle2]

it says it goes up to 20. so what filter do you recommend? a whisper? penguin? aqua clear?

 

[Durbkat]

What size tank is it again? And I would suggest a whisper power filter because its really, really again.

 

[Breakthecycle2]

20h

 

[Durbkat]

Then thats exactly why the water isn't crystal clear its because your filter only filters up to 20 gallons so I would get the filter I got for my long 20g its called a whisper power filter 40 and on the box it says for tanks 20 to 40 gallons that will be the perfect one for it because thats what I have in mine and its keeps the water CRYSTAL CLEAR I mean it not a speck of dirt in their and the fish love it!

 

[Breakthecycle2]

OK, I went with the Bio wheel 150 from Marineland. Any thoughts on this type or filter?

 

[rdd1952]

The basic rule of thumb for filters is that the filter needs to process the water a minimum of 5 times per hour. So for a 20 gallon tank, you need a filter that is rated for AT LEAST 100 gph. The one you had probably was rated that high but you are always better with extra filtration so long as the flow/current isn't too much for your fish to handle.

Do you currently have fish in the tank? Did you do a fishless cycle or did you put fish in and cycle with them? Generally, cloudy water is a bacteria bloom and isn't necessarily a bad thing. It just means the bacteria are forming.

 

[modernhamlet]

OK, I went with the Bio wheel 150 from Marineland. Any thoughts on this type or filter?

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You got a solid HOB filter for your tank. A little more filtration than is absolutely necessary, but that's definitely preferred to the bare minimum.

And for what it's worth, Whisper has a terrible reputation for making el cheapo filters. Marineland and AquaClear are both far better choices.

 

[Breakthecycle2]

Well, thank you for the reply. It's definatly a little stronger then the old one and the water is still a bit "cloudy" looking, but Im hoping its the end of the cycle. I did do a cycle with fish and of course when I first set everything up, no one at the store bothered to tell me not to stock it all at once. My ammonia spike lasted 3 weeks and now my nitrite is between 2 -5ppm's (hard to tell) and I do water changes every day or other day, usually 30%. Could it be because I had "poor" filter circulation that the nitrite wouldnt come down?

 

[modernhamlet]

Wait. Did you actually replace the filter you were using to cycle the tank before?

 

[rdd1952]

Well, thank you for the reply. It's definatly a little stronger then the old one and the water is still a bit "cloudy" looking, but Im hoping its the end of the cycle. I did do a cycle with fish and of course when I first set everything up, no one at the store bothered to tell me not to stock it all at once. My ammonia spike lasted 3 weeks and now my nitrite is between 2 -5ppm's (hard to tell) and I do water changes every day or other day, usually 30%. Could it be because I had "poor" filter circulation that the nitrite wouldnt come down?

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The filter wouldn't necessarily be the reason the nitrite hasn't come down although better filtration may help speed the cycling. The nitrite spike usually lasts about twice as long as the ammonia spike (at least in a fishless cycle). If the ammonia is down to 0 and stable now then you are proceeding well. I would try to do enough water changes to get (and keep) the nitrite below 1 max until it drops back to 0. Since the tank is still cycling, I feel certain the cloudy water is a bacterial bloom so don't worry about it. Once the tank cycles, it will clear up on it's own.