Is slime blocking my filter a good thing?

[Sunnyspots]

My filter just stopped working and on checking it I found all the exits and inlets appear to have bitty slime on them. I wiped it off a little by rubbing it with my finger and it is working fine again now. Should the slime be there? Is it just algae? Could it be related to the stuff oozing out of my spider wood and, if so, is that bad? Sorry for so many questions again....

PS I have no fish yet.

 

[Essjay]

No the slime should not be there. It could well be due the the spider wood slime. It just needs to be washed off when it builds up.


For the future, once you have fish - after 6 weeks with fish have passed (to make sure the bacteria are firmly embedded) the media should be washed at least once a month by squeezing sponges/ swooshing ceramic media in water you take out at a water change. The brown goo that build up in the filter is uneaten food, fish poop, bits of dead plant etc which is broken down to ammonia which is then turned into nitrate. Removing the goo help keep nitrate levels low.
Speaking of filter media - what media come with the tank? The majority of filters come with carbon, either as carbon impregnated sponge or cartridges. Carbon is not needed full time so the best time to change it for something better is right at the beginning before there are fish in the tank.

 

[Sunnyspots]

Thanks for the clarification!
The media with the filter are biological and carbon, as you guessed. What would be better than the carbon? Should I use the space for extra filter media to use in my QT tank when I get new fish in future?

 

[Essjay]

The simplest is to buy some filter sponge, any make, and cut it down to the same shape as the carbon cartridge/sponge. Or if you already have a QT, put any non-carbon media in the space.

 

[Slaphppy7]

I fill my filters with ceramic media....and, you should clean your filter(s) monthly...as stated above, DO NOT clean the MEDIA in tap water, just rinse it in old tank water

 

[Sunnyspots]

I'm getting a clear and consistent message on that one! I'm doing a change tomorrow, just got the new water treated and sitting near a radiator to warm up. Good practise for when I get fish I think. I'll clean all the slime off into the old tank water and 'deslime' the spider wood too. Then I'll plant my new plants with additional substrate to hold them down and do some rearranging, remove loose leaves etc. It'll be cleaner than my house! The snails will be happy, little stowaways.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

My filter just stopped working and on checking it I found all the exits and inlets appear to have bitty slime on them. I wiped it off a little by rubbing it with my finger and it is working fine again now. Should the slime be there? Is it just algae? Could it be related to the stuff oozing out of my spider wood and, if so, is that bad? Sorry for so many questions again....

PS I have no fish yet.

Clean all of it off under hot water. Make sure not to wash the media in tap water.

The slime is normal in a filter, but it should be removed from time to time.