jersey

im sorry i guess this could have been posted in the filter section but its just easier for me to keep track of my other post if they are in the same area haha. anyway my question is:
i bought a kit that came with a topfin 30 for my 29 gallon. and i was wondering if i should use it until it breaks down or just go out and get an aquaclear 70 and save myself from a headache. since i dont think the topfin30 would really be good enough... should i add a second filter like a whisper to the HOB filter?
how do i clean a filter? and replace parts every month without losing the bacteria? would it not just cycle every month then?

CHoffman

I don't mind the topfin's at all. I've had good luck with them so far. IF you don't have a heavy bio load (meaning overstocked) then I don't think you'd need to add a extra HOB filter. the Topfin 30 should do fine. When you go to clean the filter just take the filter media out (the foam pads) and rinse them out in used tank water. You don't want to use tap water because it has chlorine and will kill your good bacteria. You really don't need to change your filter media until it is literally falling apart. Just keep rinsing it as needed. When you notice your filters getting warn out then put new filter media in your tank, hide them behind something or just stick them in a corner. Leave them for at least 2 weeks, then when it's time to switch them out and throw the old ones away, your new ones will be ready and loaded with good bacteria. I usually do this every 6 months or so.

jersey

okay thank you. i think id like to add an extra whisper filter just incase the topfin doesnt work out that way i can atleast have the whisper for backup until i can afford the aquaclear or something of good quality.ive just had some bad experiences with petsmart brand top paw things. never used a topfin filter before though.

Lucy

I moved your question to the proper forum.

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Meenu

If it was my tank, I would get the AC 70, cycle with it, and once the bacteria is firmly established, I would run the topfin as a second filter (for a quarantine tank or a start for a new tank).

jersey

could i just cycle with the two filters? or would the cycle take longer?

AlyeskaGirl

Having two filters is good anyways when you are doing filter maint. I have two AC's on my 55...and I don't rinse them at the same time. My maint. on my ACs....I take the filter off the tank and dump everything into a bucket of tank water. Except the motor. I rinse the filter to get the gunk out, wipe it out a little if needed, clean the intake tubes if gettin gunky. Rinse my sponges and biomax. I take the impeller out of the motor, clean it off. Take a q-tip or two and wipe the inside of the motor out. I then just put it all back together....fill it up with tank water when I hang it back.....then I fill up my tank with new water and plug my filter in...and Waaalaaaahhhh!!! I don't do filter maint. on every water change though. The key too is don't overfeed and don't overstock. Another thing is when you unplug a filter it disturbs the gunk in the filter if that makes sense, so when you plug it back in without dumping the water out, it will dump gunk into the tank. It's gross.

jersey

thats a good idea i was wondering how i would do a quarintine tank. is a 10g a good size for a quarintine tank for fish that fit in a 29 gallon?

bruiser

I have several AquaClear filters, when I clean my filter media, I clean one type of media at a time, (e.i. I will rinse the sponge with used tank water, leaving the carbon and biomax alone, then a week or two later rinse the carbon, leaving the sponge and biomax alone.)

One of the things I love about these filters..

And I'm with meenu. buy the AC70, and keep the top fin handy for a q-tank or something..

jersey

by keeping the topfin handy do you mean use it in my main tank with the ac70 until i may need it for another one that way it has bacteria in it already?

Jaysee

That's exactly what I'd do...Imagine that I think the topfin has a flow control valve, as does the AC70. Running both filters on the tank may very well be too much current, but you can dial back the flowrate of the filters in order to not give your fish a ride. The extra media is always good to have, and if you decide to get a little 10 gallon quarantine tank you can put the topfin on it and completely skip the cycle process. This is the ideal way to start new tanks, and is the driving force behind multiple tank syndrome

Having a quarantine tank is not so important right now, since you won't have many fish starting out. However, as your tank fills up, the risk of new fish creating a mess of your tank increase.

Last year, I had my 30 hex almost completely stocked. The last fish I added were a group of black neon tetras. I only quarantined them for like 5 days before I needed the tank for an emergancy, so I put them in. I normally quarantine for at least 3 weeks. Anyways, the black neons introduced neon tetra Disease, which took out 85% of the tank. All I was left with were the kuhli loaches, a few neons and a black neon. Had I left them in the QT for even a week, they would have all died before killing my whole tank.

Some diseases take a week or two to manifest themselves, so it really does help to be able to isolate new fish before they create a catastrophe in your main tank.

Exactly

bruiser

I can't speak for every AC70 made, but the one I have in my 33g, the flow control doesn't do much.. turned all the way down it still puts out a pretty good current into the tank. Jaysee is definitely right about that being the right way to go. Just something to consider.. Pretty much have to try and see I guess.

jersey

okay thanks. ill pickup the ac70 today along with a few other things. im out for the weekend so ill be back with many more questions on sunday. be prepared! haha..