Brackish Setup Confusion! HELP!

[Nick]

No cleaning that filter! It's full of bacteria. Brackish tanks, I'd say get the marine. You won't really be using the low range PH at all, and that's the only difference.

[SammyDee]

Yes only clean the filter when its actually being resticted by something. Even then wash in tank water. I have never replaced a filter ever. Only once when setting up a new tank wtih an old dried out filter. Just make sure not to clean the bio filter its the second coarse sponge, or ceramic rings. Usually its the last thing the water touches in HOB style filters.

[Pufferpunk]

If it's a filter pad though (like Penguin/Whisper), it's going to have to be replaced eventually. This is why I highly suggest an an Aquaclear filter, it has a washable, usable sponge. I have on that's >20 years old!

[RTR]

There were likely some good-guy bacteria lost in the gravel change. The presence of the large majority of the good bugs in the filter is a mature steady-state observation. Start-ups have good stuff scatter all over, but the optimum conditions should exist in the filter, and they grow best in optimum conditions (a tautology, I know), so it is where the biggest population establishes and persists. As that happens, the other satellite populations wane.

But now your biggest population is in the filter. Don't shoot yourself in the foot. What is the filter you want to replace? A whole unit, a pad, what? There are workarounds.

[kezzerone]

Thank you everyone for your input. Sorry for the delay in responding!

There were likely some good-guy bacteria lost in the gravel change. The presence of the large majority of the good bugs in the filter is a mature steady-state observation. Start-ups have good stuff scatter all over, but the optimum conditions should exist in the filter, and they grow best in optimum conditions (a tautology, I know), so it is where the biggest population establishes and persists. As that happens, the other satellite populations wane.

But now your biggest population is in the filter. Don't shoot yourself in the foot. What is the filter you want to replace? A whole unit, a pad, what? There are workarounds.

My filter is a Rite Size for the Eclipse tanks. It's basically a blue filter pad covering several chambers filled with carbon pellets. What is starting to happen now is the water is pumped onto the pad and instead of flowing through it and the carbon it's flowing over it b/c it's pretty dirty. I don't seem to be having an issue though with dirty water, so it must still be effective to some extent. However, the carbon in it is very old and I doubt it's still effective. I haven't replaced it yet but a couple days ago, I did give it a quick (5 seconds) rinse to try to clear some of the contaminants. I don't think it made much of a difference.

Any suggestions?

Also, another update... My ammonia has FINALLY bottomed out!!!! I'm getting a reading of 0.0 - 0.25 ppm. The nitrites are still high but it looks like the nitrates are beginning to go up as well.... which means I should see a drop in the nitrites soon.... right? So, I'm hoping that the tank is almost done cycling.

Lastly, I have a question about snails. I went and picked some up yesterday, but now I'm not really sure what to do with them! Should I just drop them all in the tank, regardless of the size? I've already acclimated them to the brackish water and put a few in the tank. Will he eat them, shell and everything? Does the size matter? Suggestions appreciated!

Thanks again!

JB

[Pufferpunk]

No need for carbon in FW tanks. I much prefer Aquaclear filters. Way more surface area for bacteria to grow on.

[kezzerone]

No need for carbon in FW tanks. I much prefer Aquaclear filters. Way more surface area for bacteria to grow on.

It's a brackish tank. Unfortunately, it's an all-in-one Eclipse 12 system with the filtration system basically custom made to fit it, so I don't have much choice w/ the filter selection.

[Pufferpunk]

You can always buy an Aquaclear.

[SammyDee]

I bought my aquaclear 70 new for 55% and a used one on CL an AC 110 for 25$

[Nick]

You can always run a sock of purigen under the cartridge in an eclipse, too. Good for brackish tanks, I think it slightly slows down algae growth by absorbing some of the organics they enjoy.

[kezzerone]

Hello all.

So it's been quite awhile since my last post. I'm happy to say that my tank has finally stabilized and has remained as such for about 3 months now. Ammonia and nitrites are 0 ppm and nitrates are kept in check with water changes. pH is also up.

However.....

My WHOLE tank is COVERED with diatoms!!! They are everywhere. The walls, the ornaments, the gravel.... From what I've read, they are normal during the first FEW weeks of an established tank. But, this has been going for 3 months! About a month ago, I spent about 2 hours cleaning the tank to the point that it was spotless. In under two weeks they started appearing again, and now they are completely covering everything! I've posted some pics below.

Are there any treatments I can add to the water to prevent them from forming again if I manually clean the tank? I know that diatoms need abundant levels of silicates. I use Instant Ocean salt, which I have been told by numerous people is the best. I also know that lighting can help prevent them from forming, so I bought a new 13w 5000k bulb (has a slight blue tint) that I keep on most of the day and turn off at night). I have just reached my wits end here. I don't have the time or the patience to clean all the ornaments and tank walls every two weeks. But, I just can't STAND how gross the tank looks.

Any suggestions??

FYI - The cave is normally off-white and the gravel is supposed to be black.

IMG00202-20100614-1204.jpg

IMG00199-20100614-1202.jpg

[bigfatfish]

It does seem to be something a BW tank goes through I'm afraid. Mine lasted for several months. Personally, I would not add anything to the tank. I just cleaned decs/rocks etc on rota system, so that the whole tank wasn't cleaned all at once. It does settle once the tank is established & certainly as the SG is raised. Patience!