bateria treatment and carbon filter removal

[doanh]

stupid question here but something seems strange to me.

My goldfish has one popeye and fin rot. I got the API Megaflix to treat him in a 10 gallon hospital tank.

What is confusing to me is that they said to remove the carbon filter. With the Marineland 150, without the carbon filter, there is only the biowheel left.

Would this not raise the ammonia levels? Something does not seem right to me and since I am new, I would appreciate some education on this treatment process.

[cichlid1409]

carbon will remove medications and dissolved organics. mela-fix is made from tea leaf extract so its kinda both.

The beneficial bacteria living in your biofiltration (bio-wheels) is actually what removes ammonia by turning into nitrites then into nitrates. then water changes remove built up nitrates.

Carbon is not necesary and I dont use it on my 125g tank jam packed with close to 50 fish.

[5thwardboy]

+1 on bio wheel. you could use a sponge, cut to fit, as a mechanical filter media to trap debris. If you do w/c regularly, the carbon is not necessary. hope this help.

[doanh]

so if the biowheel is new, then this will not work for a week or two? thus I am getting ammonia and nitrites reading?

[cichlid1409]

If you are getting ammonia and nitrite readings then you tank is not 'cycled' yet. meaning a signifigant amount of bacteria has not built up in your tank to support the 'bio-load' or number of fish in your aquarium.

Did you just recently set up your tank? If so, you can use old filter pads or sponges from your show tank to jump start the bacteria levels in your quarantine tank.

[doanh]

well, this would make things difficult.

A hospital tank is not intended to be used often. Thus how can one keep an periodically used tank "cycled"?

how you folks out there keep the hospital or quarantine tank "cycled" during unused periods? Do you not drain the tank?

[stevenallenbarnard]

well, this would make things difficult.

A hospital tank is not intended to be used often. Thus how can one keep an periodically used tank "cycled"?

how you folks out there keep the hospital or quarantine tank "cycled" during unused periods? Do you not drain the tank?

Most people keep their hospital tanks running all of the time. what you can do if you don't want to do that is keep the filter you want to use running on your bigger tank. whenever you need to bust out the hospital tank, just pull the marineland 150 off of your bigger tank, slap it on your hospital tank and fill the hospital tank with water from your main tank.