Bio Filter

[teddscau]

I'm going to get a nice looking 80 g tank. The guy at the store suggested we should get a bio filter. He said if we got that we'd only need to change a small amount of water once a month. He also said that if we changed the water each week it would mess up the filter's bio-iness. He said that the bio filter has a delicate balance of delicate like stuff, that's why we should only change a little bit of water once a month. I'm not too sure if he's right. What do you guys think? How do bio filters works? Would you guys recommend one?

[Cliff]

What exactly do you mean by a "bio filter" ?

[Oskar]

Get yourself a Eheim 2217,and a Marineland Emperor 400. That will handle the bio filter,mechanichal,and chemical,if you want to do chemical too. Change 50% of the water once a week. All fish do better in clean water.Only changing a small amount once a month will allow the nitrates to get very high,which is not good for the fish. I would also get a API master test kit,so you can test the water yourself. Changing the water in large amounts and frequently will not affect the bio filter at all. The bacteria live in the filter,not the water. Just don't let the filters media dry out,and treat the new water with a dechlorinator,and you'll be fine.

[Cliff]

When you use the term “bio filter”, if you are referring to using only beneficial bacteria to filter the water in your tank, the guy at the fish store is not correct

Once you have a good build-up of Bactria, you’re good to go. I only use sponges and biomax in all of my filters (no chemical filtration what so ever). This type of filter media is only intended to provide a lot of surfaces for the beneficial bacteria to grow on. My water quality is great, 0 ammonia and nitrite and approx 5 nitrate. In my fry tank for example, I change 20% of the water daily with no bad effects. In the rest of my tanks I change at least 50% of the water each week.

Just review the process of a fish-in cycle were you actual grow bacteria in a tank while changing the water every second day and you fill find out this guy is not correct.

[rich311k]

Get a good canister and change the water weekly or more in large quantities. You will not be sorry and you will love the results.

[teddscau]

Thanks. Is it okay to change 25-50% of the water once a week?

[rich311k]

Perfectly fine, you could do that daily, which would get old fast, but it would not hurt anything it would only help.

[Brhino]

Next time you see that fish store employee, tell him Brhino said he's a dunderhead. I'm gonna get the word out.

[FishGirl-Seattle]

You get the word out, I'm getting out my bat... My niece just came home with a fish bowl and 3 goldfish....LFS told her all she needed was a dechlorinator. Sigh (starts loading her bat into the car...thinks better of it...) Teddscau, your LFS guy told you wrong. It happens. And happens, and happens - these salespeople need to be punished! :smack:

[Sarkazmo]

Three goldfish in a bowl???? Grrrrrrrr.....

To the OP: Fish store employees are often complete idiots who're just hired to do a job and that job is SELL.

As stated above by other posters: Water change good!!!!!

Sark

[teddscau]

My mom kept a goldfish in a bowl. No gravel, no nothing. I think she dumped out all the water each week and washed it with soap. She would fill it back up with city water. Somehow she kept it alive for years. She eventually gave it away to a friend with a bigger tank.

[Wild Turkey]

My mom kept a goldfish in a bowl. No gravel, no nothing. I think she dumped out all the water each week and washed it with soap. She would fill it back up with city water. Somehow she kept it alive for years. She eventually gave it away to a friend with a bigger tank.

Its an example of the fact that some hobby fish can take a lot of abuse, and nothing more. Its thrive vs survive, and that fish survived.

+1 weekly waterchanges