Dissolved oxygen levels

[Byron]

I cleaned my filter out tonight I was absolutely stock at how dirty the media was, the filter must of been only working at half power I actually have so much more flow again now.. the otos are acting how they used to shoaling and racing about the tank, I'm sure that filter has only been in the tank month and a half how often should the media be rinsed? (It was cleaned in tank water ) also I had a little problem with a bacterial bloom over the last couple of weeks would a dirty filter have a contribution in the bloom?

In a planted tank the filter is really only moving water around. Plants do the biological filtration, and the artificial biological filtration (from the filter) is actually "competing" with the plants,, though the plants win out as they are faster at taking up ammonia than the nitrifying bacteria/archaea. Fast growing plants especially. With this in mind, the filter should be kept well rinsed/cleaned. There is no harm in doing it at every water change. And you can rinse it under the tap because again the plants are doing the majority of the work anyway, plus the nitrifying bacteria will not all be killed with a normal rinsing under the tap. Studies have shown that the bacteria can survive this very easily.

Bacterial bloom can occur from any sudden multiplication of organics, and this can occur in public water systems especially in summer. You might be surprised at the level of dissolved organics in tap water.

 

[connorlindeman]

In a planted tank the filter is really only moving water around. Plants do the biological filtration, and the artificial biological filtration (from the filter) is actually "competing" with the plants,, though the plants win out as they are faster at taking up ammonia than the nitrifying bacteria/archaea. Fast growing plants especially. With this in mind, the filter should be kept well rinsed/cleaned. There is no harm in doing it at every water change. And you can rinse it under the tap because again the plants are doing the majority of the work anyway, plus the nitrifying bacteria will not all be killed with a normal rinsing under the tap. Studies have shown that the bacteria can survive this very easily.

Bacterial bloom can occur from any sudden multiplication of organics, and this can occur in public water systems especially in summer. You might be surprised at the level of dissolved organics in tap water.

I was under the impression that you couldnt do a filter clean and a WC on the same day

 

[Matty24]

In a planted tank the filter is really only moving water around. Plants do the biological filtration, and the artificial biological filtration (from the filter) is actually "competing" with the plants,, though the plants win out as they are faster at taking up ammonia than the nitrifying bacteria/archaea. Fast growing plants especially. With this in mind, the filter should be kept well rinsed/cleaned. There is no harm in doing it at every water change. And you can rinse it under the tap because again the plants are doing the majority of the work anyway, plus the nitrifying bacteria will not all be killed with a normal rinsing under the tap. Studies have shown that the bacteria can survive this very easily.

Bacterial bloom can occur from any sudden multiplication of organics, and this can occur in public water systems especially in summer. You might be surprised at the level of dissolved organics in tap water.

Me asking stupid questions gets some bloody good answers on here again thanks for all the replies hopefully this might answer some other people's questions in time

 

[Naughts]

I'm glad you have solved the problem.
As a side note, for consideration for future stocking, otos require softer water and the hard water will impact their long term health. They retain the (usually sparse) hard minerals in their organs, the excess minerals will build up and cause damage. The platys will thrive in the hard water.

 

[Byron]

I was under the impression that you couldnt do a filter clean and a WC on the same day

I have seen this, I suspect it has to do with the bacteria. I would be cautious in a new tank and/or a beginning aquarist, but in a tank as planted as the one in this thread, you do not even need the filter for biological filtration just mechanical, so clean the gunk out of the media to keep the water movement and with clear water.

 

[Colin_T]

I was under the impression that you couldn't do a filter clean and a WC on the same day

If the filter is established (more than 8 weeks old), then you can clean the filter and do a big water change and gravel clean the substrate on the same day.

The problem lies in new filters (less than 8 weeks old) where the beneficial filter bacteria is still developing and hasn't got a good biofilm to live in. The biofilm is a slimy substance made up of bacteria and other microscopic organisms. The biofilm helps microscopic organisms stick to things like filter media/ materials, rocks, plants and glass. Once there is a decent biofilm on the filter media, the bacteria are pretty well attached and you can clean the filter media every week at the same time you do a water change and gravel clean the substrate.