Do You Occasionally Get Bad Filters?

[LimpyFins]

Hey all! I've not posted in a few weeks. Been busy with other things. Thankfully, my tank has settled over the past month or so and has become (knock on wood) a safe habitat for my fish friends.

I am curious about filters -- is it uncommon at all to get a "bad filter?" Twice in the past several months I've had filters that don't seem to do their job all that well. The first time it happened it left the ammonia and pH levels off and resulted in cloudy water. Once I changed the filter the problem was resolved. I'm again having a cloudy water issue, though the different levels are (thankfully) at their proper spots. It's not a debris issue, as I clean out the tank regularly and syphon the bad stuff every 2 weeks. Even then there's not a whole lot of debris. It's not an algae problem as far as I can tell. I've got bottom feeders; lights aren't being left on too long; I'm cleaning off the glass once every week or two.

I have noticed the filter that is in now slowing the bio-wheel some. I've just changed the filter within the past few hours and am hoping that will make the difference. Has anyone in the past used a filter that just didn't do all of its job that well?

 

[Alien Anna]

I figure you get what you pay for but even so, it seems the best filter I have is a simple plastic box filter driven by an air-pump! My Juwel filter is a great home for beneficial bacteria, but pretty lousy as actually filtering (thankfully I have a lot of plants in there that help). My Fluval internal filters all seem to require cleaning out every few days

I'm trying to save for an Eheim external - I think that's the only way to go for my larger tanks.

 

[AquaNut]

Cloudy water is often the result of a bacteria bloom. Do you have live plants in the tank? If not, try adding a few. They'll use up the nutrients the bacteria are feeding on.

 

[LimpyFins]

I do have live plants. I was referring to the filter bag, when I was talking about changing it. Sorry...

 

[AquaNut]

I knew you meant the filter bags, which makes me even more suspicious that it's a bacterial bloom. If you take the filter bag (your filter media) out and replace it with a brand new one, you're throwing away a lot of your nitrifying bacteria. Therefore, there will be an ammonia spike in your tank and bacteria will multiply like crazy to feed on it. The bacteria make your water cloudy. You see all that cloudiness and test your water paramaters, only to find that the ammonia and nitrites are through the roof, so you think there's something wrong with the filter bag and replace it... start all over. I could be wrong.. but it sounds to me like you've replaced the filter media something like four times in the last few months. I never replace mine, btw...just give it a good rinsing in tank water (in a separate bucket of course ). Frequent small water changes will help.

 

[magnamon00]

if your having cloudy water problems it might even be that your gravel wasn't washed well?

 

[LimpyFins]

like i said, it's not an ammonia problem. i test my ammonia weekly (and just did this morning) and it's at 0. i've never heard it recommended against changing the filter medium. i've done that as long as i've had fish tanks. nonetheless, we'll see what happens in the next few days.

 

[LimpyFins]

additionally, it's nowhere near as cloudy as it is when you first set up the tank and the ammonia spikes. it's just not as clear as it usually is. and no, not a rinsing rock issue. it's just been for a few days now, and my rocks were put in the tank at the end of May. i've changed the filter bag, but not the bio-wheel. again, we'll see if anything changes in the levels in the next few days.

 

[magnamon00]

whoa then um ah..... do you add benificial bacteria to your tank?? Because that sometimes makes the water cloudy for a while, or you tank is full of bad bacteria or something

 

[magnamon00]

what about your decorations??

 

[smb]

What filter and filter media do you use? Do you use any carbon and if so do you rinse it before adding it?

i've never heard it recommended against changing the filter medium. i've done that as long as i've had fish tanks.

I think what aquanut meant was that he doesn't use carbon, which is the only reason you'd have to change the filter so often. If you don't use carbon, you wouldn't want to change it so much.

 

[AquaNut]

Indeed, Aquanut does not use carbon. Additonally, Aquanut is a she.

 

[smb]

Indeed, Aquanut does not use carbon. Additonally, Aquanut is a she.

Dangit!!! I knew if I guessed I'd guess wrong!

You'd think with a 50/50 chance I'd have a better record.

I apologize aquanut.

 

[AquaNut]

Lol It's alright. You guessed correctly about my non-usage of carbon, at least!

 

[LimpyFins]

as i suspected, it was a filter issue. after changing the bag, the water was started to clear. i dig the carbon filters. they're okay by me. B)