what should happen next...

[LEGENDARY70]

Hello all.

I have a 10 gallon tank. It is about 1 month old. I noticed one of my snails passed away. I have 3 fish in there and they are fine. i condition it once a week with those bacteria clear balls. There are 3 plants in there as well. I did not put fish and snails in until about two weeks after it was running. i did notice my filter is brownish and getting somewhat darker. Is that normal? If it is not should i take it out and rinse it off? If so in normal water? Thx

 

[Sunnyspots]

It sounds like you didn't fully cycle your tank before putting in the fish. It is possible you have ammonia or nitrites in there and might be wise to check for them in case they contributed to the snail death and make matters bad, potentially lethal, for the fish.
Your filter is possibly collecting gunk from the tank which is part of its job. Don't rinse it while it is still so new, and only ever rinse it in tank water while cleaning the tank NEVER under the tap as the beneficial bacteria would die.
It is very hard to comment more without knowing what sort of filter you are using and whether or notit is the sponge or outside which is brown.
Do you have a water testing kit and do you regularly change the water in the tank?

 

[Byron]

While we are waiting for the above-requested information...the brown gunk in the filter is likely organics, and this should be kept minimal. A rinse of the media at each weekly water change should do this.

You mention plants...they will likely take up any ammonia so you should not see an issue with ammonia or nitrite. Knowing the plant species and number will affect this, if you could maybe post a photo of the entire tank so we can asses the plant situation.

 

[LEGENDARY70]

 

[LEGENDARY70]

 

[LEGENDARY70]

 

[LEGENDARY70]

i just found one of my fish dead. i just placed an alert combo in the tank. they alert me of ph and ammonia levels. waiting to see what it tells me. need to wait an hour or so. idn what is going on.

 

[Byron]

Members will want to know any test results and parameter readings. The pH and ammonia presumably will follow, do you also know the GH of the tap water?

 

[Boundava]

You should invest in a freshwater test kit from API, that way you can test your water. It seems like you have a lot of debris in the first picture, do you clean your gravel? I would recommend doing a large (75%) water change on the tank. What type of water conditioner do you use? I notice you have a filter that uses disposable cartridge. You should try to move away from the disposable cartridge and use something more permanent like a sponge or bacterial media like Matrix. The majority of the bacteria that is cycling the water is in the filter and when you dispose of the cartridge you throw the good bacteria away. The filter has enough room right now for you to get a sponge (like below) then after a few months you can permanently remove the cartridge and just clean the sponge on a regular (depending on your stock and feeding) schedule.

AQUACLEAR Foam Filter Insert, Size 50 - Chewy.com

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I have many HOB filters and ditch the disposable cartridges at the start. I fill the cavities with a mix of foam and Matrix, but a couple pieces of foam will work (a coarse and fine)

FLUVAL Bio-Foam Filter Media, 2 count - Chewy.com

Buy Fluval Bio-Foam Filter Media, 2 count at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

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Other ceramic media will work too

AQUACLEAR Biomax Filter Insert, Size 50 - Chewy.com

Buy AquaClear Biomax Filter Insert, Size 50 at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

 

[LEGENDARY70]

k thank you.

but. the ph level according to the sensor is 7.4. but the ammonia one is blue which is toxic.....man o man. google search says to do a 50 or 75 percent water change to lower the ammonia. should i? do i rinse out the filter with the water i take out? i use the primer concentrated conditioner. says it detoxifies ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. i use it once a week. should i clean bottom and do a water change? or should i just use some conditioner? th x

 

[LEGENDARY70]

should i move my fish to my other tank where everything looks good?

 

[Boundava]

Clean the gravel and do a large water change. Get a test kit so you can check the other water parameters as well. Read up about cycling with fish

API Freshwater Aquarium Master Test Kit, 800 count - Chewy.com

Buy API Freshwater Aquarium Master Test Kit, 800 count at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

 

[LEGENDARY70]

Do I move fish?

 

[Boundava]

If you want to do a fishless cycle and have some correct ammonia then you can move the fish. Since you are already doing a fish-in cycle you won't have to move them so long as you follow the fish in cycle guide and get a water parameter test kit so you can test the ammonia and nitrites/nitrates in the tank. You will probably have to do partial water changes daily or every other day but you won't know without testing the water.

 

[LEGENDARY70]

Thx