Tank Crashed

[Wannaknowaboutsand]

So here is what happened.

I cycled my tank fishless and it went fairly quickly. I bought fish and stuck them in with no spikes in ammonia or nitrite. I waited about 2 days and decided to change the carbon out of my Magnum canister filter and switch to the water polishing insert.

So I took the canister out opened it in a bucket to keep things clean pulled out the pre-sleeve filter and washed it in tap water per the directions that came with the filter. I then stuck the micro water polisher in and put the sleeve back on.


The the nitrite spike to over 5ppm. I bet the bacteria formed in the pre-filter sleeve!!! I checked the bio-wheels and they show no signs of growth on them.

I had quite an ordeal with this!

My question is how do I change the filter sleeve or the carbon out when I have no idea if the bacteria is actually growing on the bio-wheel?

 

[canarsie11]

When ever rinsing any part of your filter, never use tap water. You are supposed to use water from tank. The same chlorine that you take out of the water with dechlorinators, kills any beneficial bacteria it comes in contact with.

Maybe the chlorine killed beneficial bacteria in the filter!

 

[Wannaknowaboutsand]

The bacteria WAS killed by the tap water. The problem is it wasn't suposed to be there. The Magnum 350 is a mechanical and and chemical filter( this if you actually put the carbon in). My question is why is teh bacteria forming in the pre-filter and not the bio-wheel. I still have a nitrite problem but my ammonia is fine. I crashed the tank by cleaning things that should not have any bacteria in it. I understand that the bacteria colonies will form whereever there is food and oxygen, but how do I direct it to grow in certain places over others.

To me it seems if it keeps growing there it will reduce the flow through the filter too much, and it needs to be cleaned get all of teh "trash" it collects.