My filtration is not working - needs to be replaced fast, what do you reccomend?

[mandyplo]

Originally Posted by FishyFishy!

Ok, so you have a sump. That is good! Forget a canister filter at all. The sump is your glorified canister filter. Is there anything like live rock in your sump?

Now, does your sump have baffles? Are you using anything for mechanical filtration like filter pads or filter socks? Baffles and mechanical filtration will really aid in the removal of floating particles and air bubbles. Your skimmer outlet could be producing bubbles as well, so a good set of bubble trap-baffles before your return section will get rid of most bubbles. You could also have a small air leak in your return plumbing.

Hopefully the new reactor they send you will work. They are beneficial for sure. The carbon should clear up your water, and the GFO should get those phosphates down.

If you want to run carbon and GFO for now, you can put them in some media bags, and run them through a hang on filter, that would work just fine for now.

Hi fishyfishy - no baffles, no live rock in the sump, no miracle mud, nothing yet I just set it up a week and a half ago (its my first attempt at a sump ever I've never had one and I built this one myself) No filter pads, no filter socks.

And thanks!! I am going to stick them in my filter tomorrow when I grab some media bags

[mandyplo]

Originally Posted by kien

Are you just starting up the biopellets now or have you been running them for a while? If you are just starting them up then they will not filter your tank quickly. It can take weeks for the pellets to seed and do there thing. So just plopping new biopellets in today or tomorrow or even this weekend won't "filter/clean" your tank immediately. You can put the biopellets in a different reactor like a TLF 150 or some other media reactor that you might be able to find at your LFS.

If your phosphates are high you can throw some GFO in a filter bag and let it sit in your sump. You will have to aggitate the bag often though. This isn't the ideal approach but will work in a pinch if you're desperate and having phosphate issues. Ideally they should be fluidized in a reactor though.

Bio pellets are marketed with the ability to strip your tank of Nitrates and Phosphates so in theory you don't need to run GFO. However, that has not been my experience with them. I have to run GFO and biopellets together in order to eliminate phosphates in my tank. I know of people who are successfully using biopellets to strip phosphates and nitrates from their tanks though.

Biopellets are not a replacement for carbon. They are both used for two different purposes. Again, in a pinch you can always put carbon in a bag and dunk it in your sump if you don't have a fluidized reactor on hand.

Hi Kien! I actually do not have biopellets or a biopellet reactor - I have the BRS dual Carbon and GFO reactor that is not running properly. I have the cobalt maxi jet pump that BRS sells with the dual reactor as a whole unit. They think there is a faulty canister and are sending me a new one to see if that solves the problem - the water is simply not moving through the unit.

So if I could put filter socks in my sump let me ask you this: Instead, I have a tetra filter (this one to be exact http://www.aquariumguys.com/whisperpower2.html)
And I have the bulk containers of GFO & Carbon. Could I take the gfo and carbon and stuff some in a pair of pantyhose, one "sock" for carbon and one "sock" for GFO and stick them in either side of this tetra filter and turn it on until I can buy a proper filtration system? This way water is running through the bags rather than them just floatin around in the sump... If you think it makes no difference can I still stick the carbon and GFO in pantyhose and stick them in my sump? Or do I have to go out and actually buy little filter socks? Can you tell I'm new at this?!

[FishyFishy!]

Originally Posted by mandyplo

If you think it makes no difference can I still stick the carbon and GFO in pantyhose and stick them in my sump? Or do I have to go out and actually buy little filter socks? Can you tell I'm new at this?!

lol, yes you could use pantyhose, but i think that it would clog up with crap really quick and become useless. But simple media bags are very cheap. Usually like $1.99 each at your local pet shop. Just put some carbon and GFO in them and stick it in the HOB filter until your new reactor arrives.

[kien]

Originally Posted by mandyplo

Hi Kien! I actually do not have biopellets or a biopellet reactor - I have the BRS dual Carbon and GFO reactor that is not running properly. I have the cobalt maxi jet pump that BRS sells with the dual reactor as a whole unit. They think there is a faulty canister and are sending me a new one to see if that solves the problem - the water is simply not moving through the unit.

So if I could put filter socks in my sump let me ask you this: Instead, I have a tetra filter (this one to be exact http://www.aquariumguys.com/whisperpower2.html)
And I have the bulk containers of GFO & Carbon. Could I take the gfo and carbon and stuff some in a pair of pantyhose, one "sock" for carbon and one "sock" for GFO and stick them in either side of this tetra filter and turn it on until I can buy a proper filtration system? This way water is running through the bags rather than them just floatin around in the sump... If you think it makes no difference can I still stick the carbon and GFO in pantyhose and stick them in my sump? Or do I have to go out and actually buy little filter socks? Can you tell I'm new at this?!

If you do not currently have high nitrates then you may already have adequate filtration (in the form of water changes, skimmering, and live rock) for the bioload that you have. You didn't mention where your phosphates were at. As fishyfishy said, pantyhose will work in pinch, but is not ideal. I would definitely recommend buying media bags. Note I said media bags and not filter socks. I consider them two different things. People typically place filter socks onto the ends of their return lines in the sump for mechanical (debris) filtration. Do not place GFO or carbon in filter socks.

Filter Socks:



Media bags:



Microbubbles in your display tank could be due to your skimmer. Do you have bubble trap baffles in your skimmer?

Perhaps post a picture of your sump so that we can see what you've go going on down there.

Do you have an auto top off? Your return section running too low can also cause bubbles to shoot into your display tank. If you do have an ATO and the ATO hose is too close to the return pump this can cause bubbles getting into the return line as well.

You can put the GFO or Carbon in seperate media bags and then have it sit in the sock though.

[mandyplo]

Originally Posted by kien

If you do not currently have high nitrates then you may already have adequate filtration (in the form of water changes, skimmering, and live rock) for the bioload that you have. You didn't mention where your phosphates were at. As fishyfishy said, pantyhose will work in pinch, but is not ideal. I would definitely recommend buying media bags. Note I said media bags and not filter socks. I consider them two different things. People typically place filter socks onto the ends of their return lines in the sump for mechanical (debris) filtration. Do not place GFO or carbon in filter socks.

Microbubbles in your display tank could be due to your skimmer. Do you have bubble trap baffles in your skimmer?

Perhaps post a picture of your sump so that we can see what you've go going on down there.

Do you have an auto top off? Your return section running too low can also cause bubbles to shoot into your display tank. If you do have an ATO and the ATO hose is too close to the return pump this can cause bubbles getting into the return line as well.

First off thanks so much guys for your fast responses it means a lot!

I do not have an ATO but I do top off the sump daily it evaporates FAST in there but I never let it get lower than an inch in evaporation in the last section of the sump - I am topping off with my reservoir bin of RO/DI water

I'll have to stop in at a pet store tomorrow after work and grab some media bags for the hang on the back filter for now.. funny I work a part time job (full time university student) at a pet store. We have NOTHING for fish tanks its very sad </3

I have to be honest I'm not so sure what baffles are I know they are to reduce bubbles and suspended particles but I do not know what they are made of? My skimmer has sponges around the intake... Oh and sorry about the phosphates I still don't have a test for them I will pick that up also at the pet store when I get the media bags

Here is my sump it is not this green in person - the flash of my iphone makes it look awful