New tank advice

[Colin_T]

How often do you wash out filter media, also how often do you change the media?

Power filters should be cleaned about once a month. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it because you can upset the good filter bacteria.

To clean the filter, wash or squeeze the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use the media. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn.

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If your having a problem with ammonia due to the tank still cycling, just reduce feeding to once every couple of days, and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding.

After the filter/s have settled, you can feed them every day and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate once a week.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

 

[Rick147]

Power filters should be cleaned about once a month. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it because you can upset the good filter bacteria.

To clean the filter, wash or squeeze the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use the media. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn.

----------------------
If your having a problem with ammonia due to the tank still cycling, just reduce feeding to once every couple of days, and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding.

After the filter/s have settled, you can feed them every day and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate once a week.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Thankyou
Levels are pretty low atm.
Very low ammonia now. Tank is at about 6 weeks
Several fish

Can I go to water and gravel clean once a week

And testing every other day?

 

[Colin_T]

You really want to do a big water change any day you have an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0ppm, or a nitrate reading above 20ppm.

Any ammonia or nitrite will harm fish so you need the levels at 0ppm.

If the ammonia is sitting on 0.1ppm, then you can miss a water change but keep checking the levels once a day until they stabilise at 0ppm. Then check every couple of days for a few weeks to make sure the levels are staying at 0ppm. If the ammonia and nitrite stay on 0ppm for a couple of weeks, then you can test the water once or twice a week and do a 75% water change and gravel clean once a week.

 

[AmyKieran]

You keep saying your tank is 6 weeks

Your tank has been running 6 weeks
But not cycled 6 weeks
I would still be testing every day for another week at least

 

[Rick147]

Dust like particle in tank?

Use Filter floss?

 

[AmyKieran]

Dust like particle in tank?

Use Filter floss?

That could help depends what it is