# filter talk!



## oscar1658 (Oct 5, 2012)

Bought a jewel 54 litre tank with the heater and filter a few years back, all is working well still but that damn filter, its started making loud buzzy noises, its still working but I dont trust it. Can anyone recommend a good filter for my size tank, on a budget so not too pricey but it needs to be good to cope with the load these two plecos produce! even a good place to go find one, having this tank bought complete I havent got much of a clue as to what i'm looking for! I did go in to a petshop, £15 for a little filter that he said was the right size for my tank, does this sound any good for the price?


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

I'd say a little £15 filter probably isn't enough for the bioload produced by 2 plecos. Take a look at Fish Tanks & Aquarium Lighting, Pond Pumps, Liners, Filters & UVs - All Pond Solutions, they have some very reasonably priced filters. I think you need one rated for at least twice your tank's volume.


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## oscar1658 (Oct 5, 2012)

If I could turn their load into gold id be stupidly rich! Haha...bad news, the old filter stopped working so I did buy the 15 pound one later that afternoon, drat drat  its creating quite a stir in the tank and its holding up well from what I can see but I do totally get your point there...i'm worried! what are the signs its not coping with the load??


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

I always quite liked the Elite stingray, I think their largest one would cover the size of your tank. I had one for my smaller tank (before I upgraded) and it was very quite. I would avoid the interpet PF range as they are very noisy, the cradle never stays on the glass, they are top heavy and just generally crap. 

Incidentally I love my unimax (external), but the smallest one they do (the 150) is way more than you need and really not the cheapest!


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

Sorry for not replying sooner, I've been on holiday!



> what are the signs its not coping with the load??


Do daily ammonia and nitrite tests for a while, using a decent liquid test kit such as API. You may have lost some of the filter bacteria when the old filter stopped working, which might cause a minor ammonia spike, but assuming you transferred the media into the new filter, it should settle down within a few days. If you're still getting positive readings for ammonia and/or nitrite within a week or so of switching over, you'll need to consider a new filter (though 2 smaller ones can do the same job as 1 larger one, so you can still use the one you bought!)

If you do get a temporary spike, do daily water changes of around 50% until it settles, and dose some Seachem Prime to detoxify the ammonia and/or nitrite.


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## oscar1658 (Oct 5, 2012)

Thanks for your reply guys I appreciate the help  well neomi your bang on, did an ammonia test and its risen! Umpft....i feel foolish as the guy at the pet shop knew what fish I have and he said the filter would do great with them..i honestly think hes one of those whos after a sale despite him being very knowledgeable on fish keeping  well tried flogging the little filter off with no luck, is it an option to buy another small one and use both then like neomi said? Ill be honest moneys getting tight (theyve had their tank refurbished  ) so probably the cheapest option at this stage....keep doing the water changes and retesting tomorrow.


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

This one has good reviews and won't break the bank: 800L/H Aquarium Internal Filter - All Pond Solutions It's got a good water turnover/flow rate for the price, so used alongside your existing filter, it should give you plenty of filtration.

What were your ammonia readings? Do keep on top of daily water changes (it will take a while for the good bacteria to colonise the new filter when you get one, so might take a while for the readings to go back down to 0) and I can't recommend Seachem Prime highly enough. Dose enough for the whole tank and it should help protect your fish from ammonia poisoning. It's also a great investment as it's the most economical dechlorinator out there (it might seem expensive initially, but you need much smaller amounts than the other dechlorinators, so it works out cheaper).


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## oscar1658 (Oct 5, 2012)

fuming! done two tests for ammonia, tetra reads 5.0mg/l then king british strip test is 3.0 and in the danger zone, cant remember the last time I had an ammonia spike...most ironic thing is I was going to add a fish just this Saturday after having just the plecs since around may, no new fish for me! worried about my plecs 

nitrate - 25
nitrite - 5.0
GH - 0
KH - 270
PH - 6.4

thankyou for the link, so both filters will be okay for a perminant basis?


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

5.0!  With levels like that, you need to get it down fast! Several large water changes are required ASAP, plus the Prime or another ammonia binder.

A couple of questions - did you transfer all the media from your old filter? And is the tetra test a liquid test?


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## oscar1658 (Oct 5, 2012)

I know i'm so worried  both filters were in, I mustve done something wrong honestly  ive done a 50% change just now, washed the filters like normal, how many water changes should I do and how often??


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## oscar1658 (Oct 5, 2012)

and yes the tetra test is the bottle liquid and other is a strip test


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## oscar1658 (Oct 5, 2012)

Retested and levels are improving, another large water change soon and purchased a product that says its fast acting and powerful, eliminates nitrites and ammonia.. Thats what I need! Its called nutrafin cycle...best they had at the store and they had none of whats been recommended in this thread  god something like this knocks your confidence doesnt it? I just hope they'll be okay.


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

Glad things are improving. What are your ammonia readings now? At this stage, you really need to be doing enough water changes to get the ammonia down to 0.25 or below and keep it there, to minimise the effect it will have on your fish.

I'm not sure how much the nutrafin cycle does to help - I've heard suggestions that it may even interfere with the development of the good bacteria, though I agree that with those levels, you need to be adding something, and I sympathise with your issue as I couldn't find it at my local shop either when I had an ammonia spike a while back! Are there any other shops within a reasonable distance that you could try (maybe phone first to see if they have it)?

And you shouldn't really be washing the filter media at all at this stage as you'll be losing some good bacteria when you do this, which is the last thing you need. I'm assuming you've been using old tank water to wash them, not tap water?


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## oscar1658 (Oct 5, 2012)

Ohhh crud...and just the casing of the filters  ammonia dip test says half way inbetween 0.5 - 1.0 but liquid test says 0 mg/l, done both three times - the liquid tests have done good by me and I much prefer its result at this time! which do you guys do well with? Suprised the tests cant deside between themselves?!


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

The paper/cardboard test strips are notoriously inaccurate, whereas the liquid ones should give a much more reliable reading, which is good news for you  Assuming your nitrite is also 0, then no water change necessary today, you'll be pleased to hear! Sounds like your filter bacteria may be catching up. Keep doing daily tests for now though, and be prepared to do water changes if you have any more positive ammonia/nitrite readings.


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## oscar1658 (Oct 5, 2012)

why is that do you know? first time ive used the strips, usually get the liquid ones but the strips were £10  same thing again, no ammonia + nitrites today, both plecs were having a field day last night when the bulb was turned off, could hear them having a mooch around again, thankyou again guys, you've helped me and my plecs a lot through this dramatic and stressful time!


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