Water still not real clear, help!

[the reef]

Originally Posted by TITHER
ITS NOT THAT IT IS only FRESH... BUT THE STYLE OF FILTER IS NOT SET FOR SUPER WATER QUALITY, WHICH YOUR SALT WILL NEED. IT HAS A DISPOSABLE BAG FILTER IN IT, OR A THICKER BAG WHICH YOU FILL WITH CARBON OR SOME SUBSTANCE. THE PROBLEM LIES IN THAT WHEN YOU REPLACE YOUR FILTER AND PUT THE NEW ONE IN YOU BASICALLY WILL BE CYCLING YOUR TANK AGAIN. ALL OF YOUR GOOD BACTERIA THAT HAS GROWN IN YOUR BAG YOUR ARE NOW THROWING AWAY, OR IF YOU PULL THE THICKER BAG OUT (NOT SURE WHICH WHISPER YOU HAVE) YOU WILL BE DISTURBING YOUR BACTERIA BED WHEN YOU CLEAN OUT THE BAG ITSELF. THIS IS WHY I WOULD RECOMMEND THE BIOWHEEL FOR SMALLER TANKS WITHOUT A SUMP OR A HANG ON THE BACK FILTER SYSTEM. THE BIOWHEEL FILTER HAS THE BIOWHEEL ON THE FRONT THAT IS NEVER DISTURBED WHICH IS WHERE YOUR GOOD BACTERIA WILL GROW AND THEN YOU CAN CLEAN THE FILTERS ON THE BACK SIDE OF IT. THESE ARE THE SAME TYPE OF FILTERS THAT ARE IN YOUR WHISPER. SO BASICALLY WHAT YOU ARE LACKING IS A GOOD FIRM FILTER BED FOR YOUR BACTERIA THAT WILL KEEP YOUR WATER GOOD. THIS IS WHY I RECOMMEND WHISPER FOR FRESH WATER BECAUSE IT IS CONSTANTLY BEING CLEANED, MOVED, AND DISRUPTED. HOPE THIS HELPS....
basicly what he is saying is what I said before dont want to remove most of or all of the colony from the watter keeping a good colony will premote better results

 

[newfishguy]

Any recommendations? I believe I saw some Penguin Bio Wheels at ***** for $20 - $30. Ill take my Whisper out and replace it. My piece of live rock has been in the tank for three or four days. Is it too late to get the good bacteria on the bio wheel? I heard that you have to change the cartridge every week or the bio wheel will stop spinning and the nitrites will skyrocket. Is this true?
Originally Posted by TITHER
ITS NOT THAT IT IS only FRESH... BUT THE STYLE OF FILTER IS NOT SET FOR SUPER WATER QUALITY, WHICH YOUR SALT WILL NEED. IT HAS A DISPOSABLE BAG FILTER IN IT, OR A THICKER BAG WHICH YOU FILL WITH CARBON OR SOME SUBSTANCE. THE PROBLEM LIES IN THAT WHEN YOU REPLACE YOUR FILTER AND PUT THE NEW ONE IN YOU BASICALLY WILL BE CYCLING YOUR TANK AGAIN. ALL OF YOUR GOOD BACTERIA THAT HAS GROWN IN YOUR BAG YOUR ARE NOW THROWING AWAY, OR IF YOU PULL THE THICKER BAG OUT (NOT SURE WHICH WHISPER YOU HAVE) YOU WILL BE DISTURBING YOUR BACTERIA BED WHEN YOU CLEAN OUT THE BAG ITSELF. THIS IS WHY I WOULD RECOMMEND THE BIOWHEEL FOR SMALLER TANKS WITHOUT A SUMP OR A HANG ON THE BACK FILTER SYSTEM. THE BIOWHEEL FILTER HAS THE BIOWHEEL ON THE FRONT THAT IS NEVER DISTURBED WHICH IS WHERE YOUR GOOD BACTERIA WILL GROW AND THEN YOU CAN CLEAN THE FILTERS ON THE BACK SIDE OF IT. THESE ARE THE SAME TYPE OF FILTERS THAT ARE IN YOUR WHISPER. SO BASICALLY WHAT YOU ARE LACKING IS A GOOD FIRM FILTER BED FOR YOUR BACTERIA THAT WILL KEEP YOUR WATER GOOD. THIS IS WHY I RECOMMEND WHISPER FOR FRESH WATER BECAUSE IT IS CONSTANTLY BEING CLEANED, MOVED, AND DISRUPTED. HOPE THIS HELPS....

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by The reef
the bacteria isent gone but most of it is taken out creating a weeker bacteria strain

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
Can you explain this a bit. No offense intended but it really sounds like you just made this up.

Originally Posted by The reef
no bang guy just as if you were to take out your live rock and wash it to much the same effect will happen will take away from the bilogical filtration.
It will decrease the bacteria population, it won't create a weaker bacteria strain.
All of this filtration could be better with just a couple of powerheads and some more live rock and/or 1/2" of sand.

 

[newfishguy]

True but this is a qt and I am not going to keep lr or ls in the tank.
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
It will decrease the bacteria population, it won't create a weaker bacteria strain.
All of this filtration could be better with just a couple of powerheads and some more live rock and/or 1/2" of sand.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by newfishguy
True but this is a qt and I am not going to keep lr or ls in the tank.
You're right... I forgot, sorry.....

 

[tither]

Originally Posted by newfishguy

Any recommendations? I believe I saw some Penguin Bio Wheels at ***** for $20 - $30. Ill take my Whisper out and replace it. My piece of live rock has been in the tank for three or four days. Is it too late to get the good bacteria on the bio wheel? I heard that you have to change the cartridge every week or the bio wheel will stop spinning and the nitrites will skyrocket. Is this true?

NOT TRUE... if you were to let your cartridge get so dirty that it slowed the flow down to stop the wheel, then that is true, but i dont think you are that guy. if you do your regular maintience on the tank while you are using it for a qt, you should have no problem. next if it was a piece of UNCURED lr you should have no problem with still having plenty of waste in the tank to feed your bio wheel to grow bactiera. i would recomend taking a small handfull of sand out of your main tank to speed the cycle up, or you can buy a additive called "cycle" to help speed the cycle up, works well. ... after all that you will need to moniter your water quality till you see the ammonia rise and then wait about 2-3 weeks and check it all again. am=0, ni=0, nitates= should read something, and you will know your are done with your cycle. hope this helps...happy reefing

 

[the reef]

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
It will decrease the bacteria population, it won't create a weaker bacteria strain.
All of this filtration could be better with just a couple of powerheads and some more live rock and/or 1/2" of sand.
thats right it wont make it weeker but having less bacteria in the popalation could throw it back into a small cycle

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by The reef
thats right it wont make it weeker but having less bacteria in the popalation could throw it back into a small cycle
Yep.