Just my luck

**Evilash** · 07-01-2012, 11:57 PM

I was just about to cycle my tank and had to leave for the weekend. When I left I was at 0 Amm 5ppm NitrItes and 20ppm NitrAtes. Came back and didn't even look at the Aquaclear. I just got a sample and got 0 Amm 0 NitrItes and off the charts NitrAtes. Awesome! I added Ammonia just to see if it was cycled and walked away. I didn't even realize the aquaclear stopped working. I just noticed now and it's dead as a doornail.

I took it out and it's boxed up and ready to go back to the store tomorrow. I put a sponge filter in the tank for the time being since the ammonia is just sitting in there.

I have a 30 gallon that is cycled. I have two filters on there. The tank has been cycled for about 3 weeks now. Is it ok to take one of the filters off of there and add it to my tank that is now filterless (except for the sponge). I'll have to add the new filter back to the cycled tank when I get it tomorrow.

**Evilash** · 07-02-2012, 12:13 AM

Second thought. I may just wait til I get the new filter tomorrow to mess with anything. I don't want to take a filter off my 30 gallon and just have 1 running on it. I guess my next question is once I get the new filter can I pop it on my cycled tank that already has two established filters and take an established filter off and add it to my other tank.

**Cliff** · 07-02-2012, 12:19 AM

Place the filter media from the broken filter in you tank next to a air bubbler for some water movement. When you get your replacement filter, just plop the media in it and you'll have minimal loses of BB

I've had to do that before and everything seamed to work fine

**Lady Hobbs** · 07-02-2012, 12:23 AM

Have you tried messing with that filter at all? Try sticking your finger in the hole where the impeller is and see if you can give it a spin. Perhaps a tiny piece of something got stuck in there.

**Evilash** · 07-02-2012, 12:40 AM

Thanks LH, you were right! Must have been something stuck in the impeller. Unfortunately I threw the media in the trash about a half hour ago in my fit of rage. I pulled it out of the garbage and rinsed it off in aquarium water. There was so much trash in there that I'm concerned something got on that media. I rinsed it pretty good and got everything back in the filter and running again. Got I hope this works. Thanks Cliff too. Before I got the impeller running I started rinsing my media off in aquarium water. I'll update tomorrow. I have 1ppm ammonia in there now.

**Lady Hobbs** · 07-02-2012, 02:53 AM

Filters are supposed to last a long time. Don't give up on them too quickly because it's often just some simple thing that caused it to stop. Sometimes a thread gets around the impeller shaft and that will stop it, too.

Sounds like you have everything up and running again and I doubt much damage took place.

**Evilash** · 07-02-2012, 08:54 AM

Update:

I took my readings this am. Got a .25 Ammonia .5 NitrIte, and 80ppm NitrAte. Didn't add ammonia yet. I'll add it tonight when I get home and let it work overnight again. Not a total setback but my Ammonia was at zero before after 12 hours of running. At least I got a NitrIte reading. NitrItes were at zero before I noticed the filter stopped running.

**Evilash** · 07-02-2012, 01:46 PM

I had some chlorox wipes in the trash that one of the foam filters was on top of. I hope it didn't absorb some of the chlorox chemical. I rinsed it pretty good in aquarium water though. That filter may have not been running for over 48 hours. Who knows how much harm it did. I hope I get home today and my Ammonia reading is 0 again. Sucks.

**Cliff** · 07-02-2012, 01:49 PM

You might have lost some BB, but it should bounce back quickly

**Evilash** · 07-03-2012, 09:56 AM

Well I got home last night and got water parameters. I had 0 ammonia, & 0 NitrItes. I figured I didn't loose any BB. I Prepared 2 buckets of Brackish water to use today when I did my large water change. I also added 1ppm Ammonia to keep the BB fed. I woke up this am and I got 1ppm Ammonia & .25ppm NitrIte. Seems the tank has started over. I'll have to call the LFS today and tell them not to hold the Figure 8 puffer anymore. Sucks, but oh well. At least he wasn't in there when the filter died over the weekend.