150 gallon tank and adding liquid bio media

[Scott76]

I'm adding liquid bio media and just wondering how long I should leave my carbon filter out,ty

 

[A201]

Really no need to use a carbon filter unless trying to remove medicine or tannins out of the water column.

 

[Scott76]

Really no need to use a carbon filter unless trying to remove medicine or tannins out of the water column.

Ooh,ty

 

[ProudPapa]

Welcome to the forum. As A201 said, there are only a few situations where you need carbon in your filter. The filter manufacturers will tell you to replace it often, but that's only because they want to keep selling it to you.

It's the same with the filter media. Rinse it when it gets dirty and put it back until it's falling apart (rinse it in old tank water until your tank is well established; after that you can give it a quick rinse in tap water).

 

[Azedenkae]

I'm adding liquid bio media

There is no such thing as liquid bio media, at least when it comes to aquarium-keeping. What specific product are you referring to?

 

[Scott76]

Fritz

There is no such thing as liquid bio media, at least when it comes to aquarium-keeping. What specific product are you referring to?

Fritz zyme 7,live nitrifying bacteria

Fritz

Fritz zyme 7,live nitrifying bacteria

 

[Azedenkae]

Fritz

Fritz zyme 7,live nitrifying bacteria

Gotcha. That's a bottled bacteria product, it helps to seed the tank with nitrifiers that will colonize your biomedia (and other surfaces).

 

[Scott76]

Gotcha. That's a bottled bacteria product, it helps to seed the tank with nitrifiers that will colonize your biomedia (and other surfaces).

How often should I pour it in there, I added 32 ounces like it said last night

 

[Azedenkae]

How often should I pour it in there, I added 32 ounces like it said last night

Just dump the whole thing in, regardless of the instructions.

 

[Scott76]

My nitrate levels are still high in the tank,should I do a water change

 

[JustAFishServant]

Do you have fish in the tank? If so, I'd do a water change. If not, a lil nitrate won't do any harm. Do you have plants? If so, they use nitrate as a food source. If not, water changes will take care of it.

 

[bgarthe]

First…….welcome to FL.
Do you mean nitrate or nitrite? Imho, if your nitrAtes are high, there would be no real need to add FritzZyme7 or any bottled bacteria.
if your nitrates are truly high, then the bb (beneficial bacteria) are a plenty.
Is your tank a new setup or is it long established? Sorry abt the questions….just wanted to get grasp on your situation. I agree w the others……no need for carbon unless you have need to remove chemicals.

 

[Scott76]

First…….welcome to FL.
Do you mean nitrate or nitrite? Imho, if your nitrAtes are high, there would be no real need to add FritzZyme7 or any bottled bacteria.
if your nitrates are truly high, then the bb (beneficial bacteria) are a plenty.
Is your tank a new setup or is it long established? Sorry abt the questions….just wanted to get grasp on your situation. I agree w the others……no need for carbon unless you have need to remove chemicals.

It's my nitrates,the tank has been set up for about a month now,but the filters were junk so I didn't get good ones till about a week ago,it came with 10 cichlids,the biggest being about3 or 4 inches and one catfish that's about five inches.I have two little live plants in there at the moment.

 

[bgarthe]

Boy….a month sounds a bit short a time to be having high nitrates. You might want to check your testing methods as cycling most surely takes more than a month to get high nitrates. Your set up is on the “new side” and your bioload for a 150g tank is not heavy. Do you also test for Ammonia and nitrites? What kind of filters did you get?
Oh…..doing regular WCs is always (imho) necessary for good aquarium health no matter the particular situation.

 

[Fishboy1888]

Really no need to use a carbon filter unless trying to remove medicine or tannins out of the water column.

Wait what? U don’t need the carbon? Cuz that would save me hundreds of dollars

 

[A201]

No, carbon filtration isn't needed.
Clear water can be achieved by simply using filter floss coupled with regular weekly water changes.
I haven't used carbon filtration in many years.

 

[Scott76]

Boy….a month sounds a bit short a time to be having high nitrates. You might want to check your testing methods as cycling most surely takes more than a month to get high nitrates. Your set up is on the “new side” and your bioload for a 150g tank is not heavy. Do you also test for Ammonia and nitrites? What kind of filters did you get?
Oh…..doing regular WCs is always (imho) necessary for good aquarium health no matter the particular situation.

The test kit I bought doesn't have amonia on it,it has nitrites and nitrates,alkaline, and chlorine. I bought 2 emperor 450 filters with rhe bio wheels

 

[bgarthe]

That sounds like you’ve got strips. May I suggest you buy the API liquid master test kit and one API GH/KH kit? They are, imho, more accurate. I used to use the 450s and they’re good, but don’t have the filter media flexibility, surface area via sponges, or space that ones like the AC 110s do. They hold a lot more media than the 450s and are the same general size. Use them and when the wheels stop doing their thing, try out the 110s. You’ll love them. I think your using HOBs is good as they’re easy to monitor and clean. Btw…..I haven’t used carbon in years and my water in my five tanks is crystal clear.

 

[Scott76]

I do have the strips,I will look into the kind you're talking about and get those,I will eliminate the carbon part and see what I can replace it with for better media,ty
So do I need to just keep vacuuming the gravel along with water changes

 

[ProudPapa]

. . . So do I need to just keep vacuuming the gravel along with water changes

See the replies to the same question posted in reply #9 at Favorite method for preparing live plants for your aquarium? | Aquarium Plants Forum.

 

[Scott76]

Gotcha,everything i read said to vacuum the gravel because until my 6ank is established that's where all the uneaten food goes and is bad for the fish

 

[ProudPapa]

Gotcha,everything i read said to vacuum the gravel because until my 6ank is established that's where all the uneaten food goes and is bad for the fish

It's probably not a bad idea if it's a new tank and you're an inexperienced fish keeper, but ideally there isn't any uneaten food. It's always better to underfeed than put in more than the fish will eat.

 

[StarGirl]

My nitrate levels are still high in the tank,should I do a water change

If there is fish yes. Have you checked your tap water for Nitrate? Maybe thats why it is high already?

 

[Scott76]

If there is fish yes. Have you checked your tap water for Nitrate? Maybe thats why it is high already?

Yes I checked it and it's good from the tap
,it's the water in the tank,but I did a 30% water change on Sunday

 

[ProudPapa]

My nitrate levels are still high in the tank,should I do a water change

Yes I checked it and it's good from the tap
,it's the water in the tank,but I did a 30% water change on Sunday

Please define high (give a number). Unlike ammonia and nitrites, nitrates aren't dangerous to fish until they reach much higher levels. Most people say 40 ppm or higher, but I've seen studies where fish did fine with it much higher.

In any case, it doesn't matter when you last did a water change. If the tank needs another one go ahead and do it.