eclipse filter, 20gal carbon filter dirties quickly

gregm61881

Ive upgraded my 10gal tank with 2 Goldfish and a plecostomus to a 20 gal tank with a eclipse II filtration system. its only a little over a week and a half since the change and the biosystem seems to be building well but the filter seems to be past its prime already. The water is flowing over the overflow already. Is this normal for this filtration system and should I leave the filter in a little longer or replace it? Why would it be that it has such a short lifespan? Does it have to do with the fact its a new setup?

Thanks for the help!

Little-Fizz

Are you cycling this tank or did you just plop your Goldfish in and let them do the job? It could just be an overload of waste. Can you post your water parameters? And that 20 gallon still won't hold your friends for that much longer :(

gregm61881

Sorry for the delay, I was out of town. I used all the pre-existing rock plus some new rock, 10 gal of origional water and planting without cleaning any of them. Then filled with fresh water to top it off.

Amonia levels are nearly 0, nitrites 0, ph aprox 7.4 and nitrates 20-25ppm.

I wish I had the room for a larger tank but due to my appt size, this is the most I can do for them.

It may be an overload for this system and ill have to change the filter about every 1.5 week, but im hoping that this will change and I can get the filter to last at least 3 weeks being as their kinda pricey.

Any suggestions to help the filter last longer or is it just too much waste?
Thanks for the help

Little-Fizz

Bigger and more frequent water changes would help keep the nitrates down. They are rather high and that could be the reason for the build up. How often do you change the tank water? If your doing it every week anyways then just give the filter media a good cleaning in the old tank water.

Tyyrlym

A good shake and swish in a bucket of tank water will help to clear out the filter of gunk. The carbon itself should be good for several weeks to a month.