# change media!!!



## i shroom i (Aug 23, 2003)

i changed the media in my fluval 304 (this is the only filter i have on my 55 ) my ammonia went up along with nitrate i think its becuz i rend the foam pads and there no biologic bacteria to fight the ammonia i did a water change sunday whats going on is it just becuz of the change in media ?


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## Death in #'s (Apr 29, 2003)

is there any subtrate in the tank???


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## i shroom i (Aug 23, 2003)

yea i have gravel ive had this tank for about a month now i cycled it alrdy and everything i think its jus ta spike becuz of media what you think?


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## tecknik (Jul 18, 2003)

Did you properly wash the media before putting it in your filter?


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## i shroom i (Aug 23, 2003)

yea it says to rinse the carbon......


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## Tommy V (Jul 18, 2003)

there probably wasnt enough bacteria in the gravel if youve only had the tank setup a month


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

Sounds like you have totaly removed all the good bacteria in the cycle. The gravel only contains a small amount of the bacteria unless you have a UGF because there is not water flow through the gravel. The filter media contains 99% of the bacteria involved in the cycle. By changing it or cleaning it you have effectivly started your tank from scratch because the bacteria in the gravel can in no way keep up with the bio-load. Your tank will go through the cycle faster because of the gravel but it will still need to cycle again.
I never change all the media in canasters.... I just rinse the media out in tank water and reuse it and when you need to change a sponge or something, just do one at a time, never the entire canaster media. That is the problem with having one filter on a tank...if you have more than one you can clean the media on one (rinse in tank water) and not really have to worry about messing up your cycle.


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## readingbabelfish (Jan 16, 2003)

I agree exactly with what Gurke says, the man knows it all!!!


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## i shroom i (Aug 23, 2003)

didnt cahgne the foam i just washed the crum off the surface of it did not change them and also did not change the pre filter mix all i changed was the carbon would that still effect in it that way or no>?


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## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

Activated carbon after its chemical adsorptive properties are used up, provides a good deal of surface area for nitrifiers to colonize. Removing an aged bag of carbon may have greatly reduced the number of nitrifiers in your filter. Thus, the ammonia spike...

Also, I ask this everytime someone has an unexpected spike in an established tank... Did you recently do a water change and used AmQuel or Ammo-Lock to condition the water? These products will produce false readings in most ammonia test kits.


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