How often do i clean filter?

[Kodiak]

What is the recommended interval for cleaning out the filter
(rinse with dechloribated or used aquarium water of course)
for a;

33gal tank
Aquaclear 300
4 goldfish about 1-2" each?

I siphoned the gravel 4 times this week, did a 30% water change each time,
my nitrates wont go down, they are very high >110mg/L. Do high levels
cause fish to swim radically? Fish seem normal but when i walk by the tank
The bigger one especially seems to go nuts, he can dart from one side of the
tank to the other
so fast he smashes into the glass basically goes nuts for a few second and
then calms down.
Is this a sign of Nitrate poisoning? How bad is it? Nitrate by itself I
thought was generally harmless.

I cleaned the filter media tonight, I usually do it once a month, is this
too long an interval?

Thank you and best regards... Kodiak

[Geezer From The Freezer]

Nitrate is not harmless, it is less lethal in a short space
of time as Ammonia or Nitrates, but it is harmful.

I'd say siphone the gravel, then after completion, do your water
change (to remove any debris from the water).

If the nitrates aren't going down, test your treated water before
putting it in the tank, if ok, then do more frequent changes
until you get the levels down.

[Azul]

On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 01:41:19 -0400, "Kodiak" >
wrote:

>What is the recommended interval for cleaning out the filter
>(rinse with dechloribated or used aquarium water of course)
>for a;
>
>33gal tank
>Aquaclear 300
> 4 goldfish about 1-2" each?
>
>I siphoned the gravel 4 times this week, did a 30% water change each time,
>my nitrates wont go down, they are very high >110mg/L. Do high levels
>cause fish to swim radically? Fish seem normal but when i walk by the tank
>The bigger one especially seems to go nuts, he can dart from one side of the
>tank to the other
>so fast he smashes into the glass basically goes nuts for a few second and
>then calms down.
>Is this a sign of Nitrate poisoning? How bad is it? Nitrate by itself I
>thought was generally harmless.
>
>I cleaned the filter media tonight, I usually do it once a month, is this
>too long an interval?
>
>Thank you and best regards... Kodiak
>
I clean my filter every time I change the water. I rinse the sponges
and make sure the impeller area is clean. Rinse the inside well and
then put the thing back together and prime it with water from the
tank.

You are running a heavy load if you have 4 fish in a 30G tank. It is
recommend to have 10G of water for each fish.

Azul

[[email protected]]

usually filters are cleaned once a week a couple days after a water change.
if filters are gunked up every week, then you may be feeding too much food at once
(GF have no stomach, so feed em a lot and it is in and out of their intestines mostly
undigested. normally they "nibble" all day long.
if you are using cheap flake food it has so much indigestible carbohydrates in it
that it is in and out of the fish and then fouls the water, the gravel and the
filter.
high nitrates are a problem with the gravel not really getting cleaned well. you
need to move the fish to a 5 gallon bucket of water, drop in an airstone (must use
airstone!) and clean the gravel completely. it is loaded with organics.
Ingrid

"Kodiak" > wrote:
>What is the recommended interval for cleaning out the filter
>(rinse with dechloribated or used aquarium water of course)
>for a;
>33gal tank
>Aquaclear 300
> 4 goldfish about 1-2" each?
>
>I siphoned the gravel 4 times this week, did a 30% water change each time,
>my nitrates wont go down, they are very high >110mg/L. Do high levels
>cause fish to swim radically? Fish seem normal but when i walk by the tank
>The bigger one especially seems to go nuts, he can dart from one side of the
>tank to the other
>so fast he smashes into the glass basically goes nuts for a few second and
>then calms down.
>Is this a sign of Nitrate poisoning? How bad is it? Nitrate by itself I
>thought was generally harmless.
>
>I cleaned the filter media tonight, I usually do it once a month, is this
>too long an interval?
>
>Thank you and best regards... Kodiak
>



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[Nona]

On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 01:41:19 -0400, "Kodiak" >
wrote:

Hi - I have 6 largish GF in 60 gallon tank, no gravel, Aquaclear 300
and Eheim wet and dry.

I change 30% water using siphon about every 5-6 days and clean out
Aquaclear 300 filter every time with water change, but not the Eheim
wet and dry. I usually clean Eheim wet and dry about once a month or
perhaps a bit longer. My nitrate reading is usually between 10 and
20.

Nona (another foodie and hapa)

[Kodiak]

Wow, that is alot of filtration and cleaning for a 60 gallon,
then again you have 6 big fish. I've also been considering a big EHEIM
canister filter
to go with my Aquaclear 500 but they cost a fortune.

"Nona" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 01:41:19 -0400, "Kodiak" >
> wrote:
>
> Hi - I have 6 largish GF in 60 gallon tank, no gravel, Aquaclear 300
> and Eheim wet and dry.
>
> I change 30% water using siphon about every 5-6 days and clean out
> Aquaclear 300 filter every time with water change, but not the Eheim
> wet and dry. I usually clean Eheim wet and dry about once a month or
> perhaps a bit longer. My nitrate reading is usually between 10 and
> 20.
>
> Nona (another foodie and hapa)

[Nona]

On Sat, 19 Jul 2003 11:10:27 -0400, "Kodiak" >
wrote:

>Wow, that is alot of filtration and cleaning for a 60 gallon,
>then again you have 6 big fish. I've also been considering a big EHEIM
>canister filter
>to go with my Aquaclear 500 but they cost a fortune.
>
I've had a lot of problems with water quality in the past when I
started out with 30 gallon tank and Aquaclear 200. Switched to
Aquaclear 200 and Eheim wet and dry and still was not satisfied with
water quality issues. Then I moved up to 60 gallon and the problems
are solved.

I have two GF about 8", two about 6-7", one about 5" and the runt
(blind one) about 3-4". Before getting the siphon system, I used to
change water by buckets and that was awful. Now, it only takes me
about 10-15 minutes and it's a breeze to clean and fill. I only have
6 cloth type plants along with some big rocks and this setup makes it
very easy to maintain. However, I would like to provide them with
some live plants though.

If I had to do it over again, I would certainly get a bigger tank and
more filtration from the beginning.



Nona (another foodie and hapa)

[Nona]

On Sat, 19 Jul 2003 20:48:02 -0500 (CDT), wrote:

>
>Hi, can you explain the siphon system. Is this something that is sold at
>LFS? Right now I have small tanks, and I change the water using the
>bucket method.
>

I purchase most of my non-medical pet supplies from
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/

but, I'm sure there are other sites. Search under Python No Spill
Clean 'N Fill. 25 foot one is $25.99 and comes with all accessories.
I purchased a 50 foot one, but 25 foot one would have been enough.
Once the water is pumped out (using the water pressure - water running
into sink), I fill the tank using the same method, but closing the
valve and have declor ready to be added immediately.


Nona (another foodie and hapa)