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my filter has failed
i dont know what has happened at all but i am getting

zero nitrates
zero nitrites
and ammonia of 1.0

i am using amolock for now but obvs its not going to last for ever what do i do?

in the tank i have
2 Angel fish 1 zebra 1 koi
3 Opeline gourami - one of them is gold variety
2 Long finned rams
2 Key hole cichlids
4 zebra danio
3 bronze cories
2 peppered cories
1 BN plec
1 dojo loach

the tank is 65 US gallons and has a fluval 4 canister filter and i also have a uv steriliser

if anyone lives in the Hull area in the UK please can i buy some media off you?

By using ammolock you may have screwed up the tank readings, so it might not be worth the panic just yet. The tank might be healthier than you think.


In the absence of someone being able to get some mulm culture or a used sponge to you in an hour, id suggest the following.

1)turn off the uv steriliser, you need as much ambient aerobic bacteria as you can handle for a bit.

2) go to your lfs and get some tetra bactozym or similar and add it to the tank.

3) keep the ammolock handy for spikes,and ride it out.

I see the fluval 4 is upholding its reputation again .

Make sure your running something for surface agitation. Even just airstones or pick up a couple cheap hob filters until you can get a new cannister or fix your current one. Then do frequent water tests and water changes as needed. You shouldn't see more than a very small minicycle so long as you keep the tank oxygenated.

The most common cause of filter "failure" is that they are just dirty inside. Give it a thorough cleaning and see if it starts up again. In the meantime, it would be best to get some kind of surface agitation going on in there, as mentioned above.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Natalies idea is a good one, but i should point out that cleaning the filter media should be done in tankwater in a bucket in this situation, simply squeezing the media out and rinsing it to unblock it should be sufficient, you cant afford to lose the little bacteria you have to the chlorine or chloramines in tapwater. With the fluval its worth cleaning the chamber around the actual impellor, the slightest bit of detritus in there really mucks them up.When blocked they tend to cut out, and then you leave them cool, and if youre lucky they restart. Proably an indication that its time to replace it though.

Longhair,
that depends how long the filter has been off for.
Once oxygenation stops, within 4 hours bacteria starts to die. Within 24 hours all bacteria will have died in the filter.
There wont be any bacteria to save.


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thanks guys youve kind of read my mind.

ive got pretty good airation i just need to get a thing to stop water syphoning out as i have a problem with this sometimes then i will have a total of three bubble disks.

Im allready planning on buying about 4 packs of bactozyme tonight plus more ammolock i couldnt imagine what id have done without that.

No fish are showing any signs of ammonia poisoning and the only signs ive got are the cory cats turning pale and the keyhole cichlids going brown. No bottom sitting or deaths and as sooon as i get the ammo lock in the other fish get their colour back within ten mins.

Ive beeen emailing people on ebay trying to get them to sell me a good filter at buy now rather than auction. havent got any replies eyt

You are kinnda in a bind I see. There is one lesson to be learned here, always have a back up filter ready to go. I learned my lesson the hard way too. The most important thing to do when the filter does down is to make sure you still have surface movement, with out that, no oxygen will get into the water. That is just as harmful as ammonia. In my larger tanks, I have Powerjet 400 powerheads that have a sponge filter on them. This is a back up incase the main filter goes out. Filters always seem to go out on Saturday nights when all the LFS are closed and wont open again till Monday.
You may have to stop feeding your fish for a few days as to not create anymore ammonia then nessesary. Not feeding your fish for a few days isnt going to harm them any. If you have a heavly planted tank, the overall damage should be minimal. The plants will help keep the tank balanced, at least in the absorbtion of the high amount of nitrates that are bound to happen after the ammonia spike clears. The plants will also help oxygenate the water while the filter is out, not enough to keep the fish alive, but every little bit helps in a emergency.
I wish you the best and hope your losses are at a minimum.

"There is also a Clown Pleco in this tank some where. I am telling you, HE IS IN HERE."

well i did a water change last night and that halved the ammonia and cleared the nitrite ive now added bactozyme and have supplies of more!!!! So far the ammo lock has saved all my fish im lucky that some of my fish change colour when stressed in particular the keyhole cichlids they turn brown from fawn when stressed so i gage it by them when to add the ammo lock.....but now ive run out but i do have an other product i got that is the same thing but a different brand. So fingers crossed for that to work.

one question how often should I add the bactozyme? I have enough for about 4 full doses for my tank.....they should make bigger packs but yeah should I add it daily? two daily or weekly?

*edit*

also i was wondering what the powerhead is? that sounds good ive been looking for something to make my UV steriliser pump faster but i could also get a second for the next corner of the tank with the sponge pads in. Could anyone give me a link to what they looklike/ are?