Help Please

[Xsane]

Hey all, Im new - and this is my first post.
Have been reading a lot of your posts and helpful comments, and have decided to join cause I have a couple needs.
Wow, and I do have a bunch of questions, but I'll keep it at just filtration at the moment.

First off: I have a 55gallon Freshwater tank. My only real concern is my 3yo Fantail Goldfish my wife gave me on our 2nd date-haha, hated having it at first, but means a lot to me now--so Im doing my best to keep him forever.
I also have a kissing fish thats 2yo and 2 new cichlids. So 4 in total.

Second, my current filter is Way too under-rated for my new tank. Its a Tetra Whisper 160gph. And before ya tell me-Im on my way today to buy an "Aquaclear" 70 or 110 or whatever is rated for my tank and thensome..However, my cheap little Tetra Whisper has been doing a somewhat decent job of keeping my water clean for the past 2 months.

Third:I bought a 5in1 test strips from Walmart and appearantly my Nitrates are off, pH is off and something else. I can go in to detail if ya'd like - but just curious how well "Chemi-Pure Elite" will help with any of my water's embalance?

Lastly: I switched out from a traditional Factory style filter - to just "Polyfill". So I am no longer using the carbon filled-store bought filters from the petshop. Again, I will be getting a new filter, probably today....but am curious how much of a difference using Polyfill only will make on the clairity of my water?

I really appreaciate any info I can get and what ever advice any of you feel fit to deliver.

Thanks all - and glad to be part of the forum,

X~

 

[Ben M]

hi, i'm no expert on filters, but you can't keep coldwater fish with tropical fish. i'd remove the goldfish to another tank (20gal min), or give it to someone else with a suitable tank.

cheers

 

[onebto]

Neither am I in anyway knowledgeable about goldfish and tropical fish in the same tank but I would be inclined to take pest controls
advise

Filtration I am no good on internal filters favouring external filters myself something worth looking into they keep the water really well

Those 5 in 1 test strips are not very reliable your better of with a liquid test kit for testing water like the API fresh water test kit.

The later question about the filter media I will abstain from answering as I have never used polyfill media.

Regards onebto

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Xsane.
Let me get right down to basics. Do not replace, its worth repeating, do not replace the filter media in your filter. There is nothing at all bad about using a pure floss type media in place of carbon, its not what I meant about not replacing. Here is the simplest way to look at things. A fish releases ammonia into its environment by simply passing water through its gills. Ammonia in very small concentrations can cause fish to die of poisoning. When a filter, with its media, has run on a tank for 4 to 8 weeks, it will effectively remove the ammonia and resulting nitrites because a bacterial film develops on the filter media. The film actually stains the media a tan color. If you toss the old media, you are tossing the beneficial bacteria along with the media. What we recommend you do here, instead of tossing filter media, is to clean the media in used tank water. Since you are doing frequent changes of water, you can simply remove your present filter media and clean it in a bucket of water that has been drained for a water change. Return the cleaned filter media to the filter and refill the tank with dechlorinated tap water. The end result is a filter with an established bacterial colony, a cycled filter as we call it.
Polyfill only should help a bit with water clarity but you dare not place enough of it into the filter to cause any flow restrictions. That will mean that you will not gain much mechanical filtration by using only polyfill. In a cartridge type filter, I usually end up just cleaning the manufacturer's cartridges in used tank water. When a filter starts to fall apart, one did this recently, I just take the mature media , bacteria and all and stuff it inside the new filter cartridge. The filters that I use have after-market kits where they give you the filter frame plastic piece, some bag-like filter cover media and some tiny bags of carbon. I toss the carbon on my pile of spare supplies and use the old filter cover to fill the new filter bag. That way, my filter stays cycled and the degraded filter is no longer relied on as my mechanical filter.