New To Hobby, Started 10 Gallon 1 1/2 Weeks Ago - Progress Overview

[NonstickRon]

Hi NonstickRon,

I have no experience with the top fin filter pumps but so I have just had a quick perusal on google;

<a href="http/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?...;utm_source=cse" target="_blank">http/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?...;utm_source=cse</a>

Petsmart sell these so as that seems to be your LFS you should ask if they can source them.

Your filter should have mechanical and biological filtration. To some degree a carbon filter will perform both tasks as it will remove the dirt particals / chemicals and biological bacteria will colonise it. However as you correcly pointed out whenever your replace the carbon pad you will remove the majority of your beneficial bacteria (small amount will still remain in gravel, ornaments etc.

This is why most filters have several stages to incorporate different filter media. Is there space to add additional pads in you filter? I would image there should be, but again I am not familiar with the product.

Hope this helps a little

Good luck,

Regards,

Bricko

P.S. please don't buy any more fish just yet.

Don't worry, no more fish.

I've been considering buying biowheel filter in addition to what I've got running already. The powerfilter is a 40 gallon model running on low. Can I have too much filter?

That girl last night told me her manager would be around today so I'm probably going to swing back up there on my lunch break today and annoy her a bit.

EDIT: Called Tetracare's 800 number (turns out they make the topfin filters for petsmart) and they're sending me the biofilter thingy that is supposed to go in front of the carbon bag cartridge. I guess they've updated their product and the petsmart near me is just carrying the old version.

 

[NonstickRon]

Well, someone let me have a 5 gallon curved front glass tank with hood/light/heater/filter/tank deco/siphon/bucket/food etc. today here at the office. Its in a horrible state, I'll have to really work to get it all clean. Going to try fishless cycling with it.

 

[NonstickRon]

Still no ammonia spike to speak of.

 

[OldMan47]

Ron, you do not change that filter element every month as they suggest. What you do is swish it out in used tank water to get the dirt and such out of it and then you put it back in where you got it. You were absolutely right about losing most of your bacteria if you threw the media away. People even cut an X in one side of that bag of charcoal and remove the charcoal while leaving the fiber pouch in place. That fiber pouch has a good amount of your biofilter growth on it. The sponge that they are sending you is about 1/8 inch thick and can't hold much of anything in the way of a bacterial culture but it's better than nothing. I have the "whisper" version of the same filter and the bio sponge is disappointing at best.

 

[NonstickRon]

Ron, you do not change that filter element every month as they suggest. What you do is swish it out in used tank water to get the dirt and such out of it and then you put it back in where you got it. You were absolutely right about losing most of your bacteria if you threw the media away. People even cut an X in one side of that bag of charcoal and remove the charcoal while leaving the fiber pouch in place. That fiber pouch has a good amount of your biofilter growth on it. The sponge that they are sending you is about 1/8 inch thick and can't hold much of anything in the way of a bacterial culture but it's better than nothing. I have the "whisper" version of the same filter and the bio sponge is disappointing at best.

I got frustrated trying to figure out how to make that filter not suck so I returned it and got a Penguin 200 biowheel model instead. I figured it didn't matter at this point since I havn't even had an ammonia spike yet. Seems odd to me now that over 2 weeks has gone by and no ammonia spike yet... (or nitrite or nitrate for that matter)

Bought a bottle of Tetra Safestart today, they had Bio Spira too, but the Safestart had a use by date on it, and the Bio Spira didn't so I opted for the former. I put about half in each of my tanks.