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newbie filter question on what I need to replace in used filter I purchased

3K views 11 replies 4 participants last post by  iamntbatman 
#1 ·
So I just bought a used tank which also came with a used filter system (the Marineland Penguin Bio-Wheel 350). The tank (and filter) had been out of use for about 6 months per the previous owner.

My question is do I need to buy new bio-wheels or will I be fine with ones it came with? I will buy and replace the filter cartridges, and plan on doing the appropriate cycling of the tank.

Hopefully I dont need to buy new bio-wheels, but figured best to check with the experts aka you!
 
#2 ·
used penguin

:wave:Did you happen to ask where you bought the tank why they got rid of it? I always do in case of parasites & serious enthusiasts should disclose that. If it was just lack of interest, moving etc. there shouldn't be a problem with current wheels (unless damaged). I've always bought used stuff or even found it after garage sales at curb/in dumpsters & had no problems. I usually run stuff for a couple of days with nothing or a couple of cheapy goldfish in the tank to season/test it, then do whatever for setup. What size tank? Good luck.
 
#4 ·
:wave:Did you happen to ask where you bought the tank why they got rid of it?.
Yeah I asked, seller had to move into smaller apartment and therefore no longer had room for tank (seemed like legit story).

The tank is 45 Gallons.

Sorry another dumb newbie question, so assuming I use same bio-wheels should I wash them under tap water for a bit before using them in my filter and beginning my cycle? Or does it not really matter either way as long as I run tank/filter for a while before adding new fish.

thanks in advance
 
#5 ·
bio-wheels

Pretty much. Just don't run them under hot water - it ruins the carbon. Try throwing in some "junk" fish (ones you won't care about) to start the bacteria again - feeder guppies/goldfish work for me. They'll also let you know if there's something drastically wrong (like chemicals0 with the wheels. I would still get new wheels when you can and keep those for emergency spares after you've used them awhile.
 
#8 ·
biowheels

Thanks for keeping me "on the screen" batman, I'm still trying to figure out my way around the site, and sometimes only get a few minutes on a break at work.

You're probably right & I've used most of my filter equipment far longer than dealer recommended (of course), although I understood the wheels had fine charcoal imbedded in the filter material, but i could have been misinformed & have never taken one apart (not sure if you could see it anyway). A friend of mine (who has an independant pet store with his wife - he does the fins/feathers, she does the furries) told me he just throws the wheels away because if they clog & stop there can be a problem with the filter overflowing out the back.

So did our newbie tank friend (Tanus?) say what kind of fish she would be keeping?
I just set up a new 10 gal for some (6) "kohaku" swords. Pretty variety, red eyes, orange on front/back, white in middle - hubby calls them "creamsicle fish"; he's not a fishy person yet but I set up a large candy jar for him when he admired some fancytail calico goldfish and put it on his dresser with a calico and a black moor. He named them "Tango & Cash" after we watched the movie, and he said the moor was like Johnny Cash, "The Man in Black". I'm loving the names he picks for my fish too.

Is there a better way to be connecting on the site? I'm a bit frustrated. I don't have a website or anything fancy. Just want to connect with fellow fishy folk.
 
#10 ·
You're probably right & I've used most of my filter equipment far longer than dealer recommended (of course), although I understood the wheels had fine charcoal imbedded in the filter material, but i could have been misinformed & have never taken one apart (not sure if you could see it anyway). A friend of mine (who has an independant pet store with his wife - he does the fins/feathers, she does the furries) told me he just throws the wheels away because if they clog & stop there can be a problem with the filter overflowing out the back.

The Bio-Wheel itself, should never need to be thrown away, unless ripped or not functioning properly. Like I said, I've had the same bio-wheels for almost 3 years. Alot of companies and chain LFS tell you to replace them because they want to make money. If you are having problems with your biowheel not flowing through your pads properly....I'm guessing that the pads are clogged with debri and fish waste.

On my 20G, during my weekly pwc, I will "swish" the pads around in the dirty tank water to get all of the gunk off of them, and then place them right back in the filter chamber. If you try that and still find little to no water coming through the filter, I would dis-assemble it and clean the propeller and the intake tube.
 
#11 ·
Hi Batman;
Some of the frustration is I can't seem to get on a proper "chat" page, and I'm not too clear on moving around the site. If I want to check info on certain fish do I follow "threads", or make a new post, or what? How can I find out if anyone has any fish/tanks/etc. for sale/trade - same way? Like I said in my first night on the site, my computer "chat" knowledge/skills are minimal, and mostly the only time I may get to steal to be here is at work during break.
Thanks again for replying.
Taz
 
#12 · (Edited)
Well generally if you have a new subject to talk about (i.e. a question about a species of fish, a type of filter, you have new pictures of a tank you've set up, etc.) you'll want to navigate to the appropriate section of the forum and click the "New Thread" button in the upper left. For example, say you have some questions about a certain species of catfish. On the main forum index page (http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com) you'd want to scroll down to the "Freshwater Fish and Aquariums" section. Under that, there's a big link that reads "Freshwater and Tropical Fish." (See the first picture). You can click on that to go to that subforum which has a general area for discussing freshwater fish as well as further subforums for the different groupings of fish (including catfish - See the second picture). Alternately, you could just click directly on the link that reads "Catfish" found under the larger "Freshwater and Tropical Fish" header on the main page of the site (see the third picture). Much of the site is only one link deep; for example clicking "Tropical Fish Diseases" on the main page takes you there and there are no further subforums within that area. When you start a new thread, you make a title for the thread (try to be both descriptive and brief). You also type up the first post that appears in the thread, which allows you to begin the discussion. When you're all set you click the button to submit the thread and it will appear as the most recent thread in that subforum, allowing other people to post in it. There are some other options when making a new thread, such as giving the thread a nifty icon or adding a poll to the thread, but the only requirements are a thread title and a first post.

It's generally bad forum etiquette to "hijack" someone else's thread. For example, if someone has a question about a goldfish and has a thread going about it, you should only reply to that topic if you want to talk about that particular topic. If you have an unrelated question, you should start a new thread about it in the appropriate section. To post a reply to an existing thread you can either click the "Add New Post" button at the top of any thread page or scroll to the bottom for the Quick Reply box. You can type a new post directly in that box and click "Post Quick Reply" or you can click "Go Advanced" to go to the same screen as clicking the "Add New Post" button at the top of the thread. This screen has more options for formatting your post and adding content to it (attachments, smilies, etc.) than the more basic quick reply does.

Other communication options include sending PM's (private messages) to other members. To do this, you can either go to your User Control Panel by clicking the "User CP" link in the extreme upper left of the page and then clicking on the "Private Messages" link on the menu on the left. PM's work much like email; you have an Inbox and a Sent box. You can also send someone a PM by clicking his username next to any post he's made and then clicking the "Send private message to _________" button in the menu that pops up when you click the name. If you view someone's profile, you can also leave them public messages (much like Facebook). You can also leave comments at other members' aquariums. On the left side of any post someone makes, under her user name, you'll see two tabs, User (which just displays the default info like the person's avatar, status, join date, location, etc.) and another that says "Aquariums." If you click that you'll get a list of the member's tanks, which you can click on to go to a new page with detailed info on the tank, including a box where you can leave comments. Finally, on the menu bar at the very top of the screen there's a button that says "Aquarium Chat." Clicking that takes you to a real-time chat room. The chat isn't always inhabited but sometimes people are in there and it's a good place to go for in-depth discussions or emergencies.

Hope that helps, and sorry for hijacking the thread!
 

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