Regular Member bettaqueen Posted August 1, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted August 1, 2008 I have a question. I went to change my water last night ( it had all this white fluffy stuff floating in the water). I had been using a marineland penguin filter in my eclipse tank. I opened up the filter cover and it was covered with an 1/4 inch of thick brown slimmy stuff like snot. Needless to say it was all over the filter and intake etc. I cleaned everything up best I could changed the water and put stuff back together. It was too late at night for me to run out and get a new filter cartridge, so I just put some folded up viva paper towels into a small square to fit the compartment where the filter media goes till I can get to the store on the way home from work tonight. My question is I always use those premade filter cartridges from Marineland with the carbon in them and they seem to get dirty and fall apart really fast. Would getting aquaclear sponge material and cutting it to the right size for the space be better than using a premade cartridge with charcoal. I do have my biowheel in there churning away with my bacterial growth going on it. The other quesiton is is my tank cycling again because I had to medicate a fish previuosly with maracyn and maracyn 2? I was thinking if I used the sponge I could rinse it with dirty tank water to clean it when doing a water change and then pop it back in. It might last longer than the charcoal premade one. do we need charcoal anyway? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin koko Posted August 1, 2008 Admin Share Posted August 1, 2008 Well in my penguins I get the new dr.fosters smith inserts they have..... http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...mp;pcatid=13370 There great you first buy this which comes with a frame and a blue sponge and carbon pieces that can be just tossed. Or you can get them and then cut the sponge pieces to fit the frame and it will hold it for you in the filter. So much cheaper and I love to use them 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bettaqueen Posted August 1, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted August 1, 2008 Thanks Koko.I think one of those would work in the slot. I probably will pitch the charcoal too. I have seen that brand and cartridge at pets*mart and there is one two blocks from my apartment . I probably will get one of those tonght. I am planning on getting this 10 gallon tank kit I saw at Wallyworld that has everything in it for $35 either this paycheck or the next. What do think caused all that slime? there was none on the biowheel by the way. I use the size Z penquin cartridge. do you think that this one will fit? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin koko Posted August 1, 2008 Admin Share Posted August 1, 2008 That just build up from the gunk in your tank hun, I havent heard of a Z type, what is the model number hun? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bettaqueen Posted August 1, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted August 1, 2008 they are the ones for the 5 gallon hex. I know too little a tank for my walnut sized goldy but am planning to upgrade to a 10 gallon either this paycheck or next one in a couple weeks. Wally*world had a ten gallon kit with everything you need except a heater for $35. I saw a similar one at Pet*co for $40. I just need the filter cartridge till I can upgrade soon. I start a part time job tommorrow and will be in training all day tomorrow and to not get off work till 6:30 tonight so by the time I get home it will be around 7 and I plan to pop into Pet*smart and get me a filter till I can get the 10 gallon kit up and running. I change the water in the 5 gallon every 3 days or so. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin koko Posted August 1, 2008 Admin Share Posted August 1, 2008 Wow just found that filter pad, I dont think those new inserts will work with that kind of filter, they sit differently. They work in ones that are the hang on not the lay down filters You know you could do to save some money...is something I used to do with my Eclipse system..I would cut alittle slit in the filter pad and let the carbon out. This will make the filter into a pad and gave it more life for awhile 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bettaqueen Posted August 1, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted August 1, 2008 Thanks Koko . I may just do that. I may get the tank this week after I go over some bills, so I would just need a filter cartridge in the mean time. I was gonna use the filter cartridge that I had already but I always put the old cartridge in the bottom of the bucket when I am empting out the old water to rinse it ot the filter cartridge. Well I went to go dump the waste water in the toilet and forgot it was in there so it ended up at the bottom of the toilet YUCK! Too many nasty germs on it now. It was falling apart already anyway. I think they make a very small version of the one you mentioned. I will have to check it out. Believe it or not the biowheel and filter are working better with the paper towels than with the filter 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin koko Posted August 1, 2008 Admin Share Posted August 1, 2008 Oops thats one way of loosing a filter pad....One reason I dont like those small filters, just a pain to get the pads. The bigger ones atleast you can play with them on the filter pads..... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bettaqueen Posted August 1, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted August 1, 2008 I know we want bacteria but I don't think that is the kind I want I can't wait to put her and the catfish in the 10 gallon. Thanks Again for all the advice 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Jeana727 Posted August 3, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted August 3, 2008 I am thinking I would save up a little longer and go for a 20 or 29 gallon tank kit. It would be a better investment. Even though we say "10 gallon rule" in all actuality a 10 gallon tank is quite small. Not much room for ANY kind of goldfish & VERY little room for ERROR! Also very soon after sitting up a 10 gallon tank you will want a bigger tank! ( I keep one Betta in a ten gallon tank). Just thought I'd add this in for thought. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bettaqueen Posted September 26, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 26, 2008 I tried something new a couple days ago when I changed the water and needed to do a filter cartridge change. I read somewhere on here about the idea of using those soft plastic scrubbie things as filter media. I got a pack of of the three mulitpurpose scouring pads and took the old z size filter out and cut them to the same size. they are thin so three of them laying on top of one another together made my new filter material. I will have to get a pic of them tommorrow and post it on here. It is working great so far and they will hold up a whole lot better and rinse easier than a filter cartridge. Here are the ones I used 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bettaqueen Posted October 24, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 24, 2008 The scrubbies worked but the weave on them was a litte to compact. I was cleaning the tank recently and looked at the algae scrubber sponge and found it was similar the scrubbie pad but a loser weave and thicker. I cut it to size to fit the filter and it is working great for the mechanical filter and then the biowheel does the rest. I have been using it for a couple weeks and it seems to work great and all I have to do is rinse it out in dirty tank water when I do a water change 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest iat814 Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 I modified my HOB to use scouring pads too, for my betta tank. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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