[Wet Thumb Forum]-I think I need a new filter...........

[ginnie5]

I have an Aquaclear 300 that is several years old. Tank is 38g PLanted, diy co2. Fish load right now is really light. 7 zebra danios,3 ottos and 3 cories. My water looks awful! I have taken the filter apart and cleaned it, the intakes are not blocked either. But there are little pieces of debris floating everywhere. It doesn't help that for for some reason the water is cloudy also. Ph is 6.5, kh is 4 ammonia and nitrites are 0, Nitrates are about 10. So far I have only added some tetra flora pride. There are roottabs in the substrate. The plants are pearling really good. The water at the top looks very bubbly So can anyone recommend a good filter that does not cost an arm and a leg? This one is going to have to last till taxes come back. I HAVE to feed the kiddos first you know! And any ideas on getting rid of this cloudy water? The lights are on 12 hours a day.I have 95 w of 65k daylight bulbs and 52 watts of regular light going in. Actually I think the regular light is the problem. I need to replace them with daylight bulbs.

[ginnie5]

I have an Aquaclear 300 that is several years old. Tank is 38g PLanted, diy co2. Fish load right now is really light. 7 zebra danios,3 ottos and 3 cories. My water looks awful! I have taken the filter apart and cleaned it, the intakes are not blocked either. But there are little pieces of debris floating everywhere. It doesn't help that for for some reason the water is cloudy also. Ph is 6.5, kh is 4 ammonia and nitrites are 0, Nitrates are about 10. So far I have only added some tetra flora pride. There are roottabs in the substrate. The plants are pearling really good. The water at the top looks very bubbly So can anyone recommend a good filter that does not cost an arm and a leg? This one is going to have to last till taxes come back. I HAVE to feed the kiddos first you know! And any ideas on getting rid of this cloudy water? The lights are on 12 hours a day.I have 95 w of 65k daylight bulbs and 52 watts of regular light going in. Actually I think the regular light is the problem. I need to replace them with daylight bulbs.

[Steve Hampton]

Hi Ginnie and welcome to the new forums. The issue that stands out most to me in your post was this:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>The water at the top looks very bubbly <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This indicates to me that their is a lot of organic waste in your tank and that the filter isn't able to keep up with it. Water changes are the most effective way to control the DOC's (Dissolved Organic Carbon) that builds up in our tanks. What's your water changing schedule?...meaning how much and how often do you change water.

As to your original question, I'd leave the AquaClear 300 on the tank and add a small canister, either Filstar XP series or the Fluval 204. Eheim is an even better choice but if money is an issue then you probably won't want to consider them. Anyway, let us know your water changing routine and possibly you can avoid the purchase of an additional filter by simply increasing the amount and/or frequency of your water changes.

[ginnie5]

the plants are bubling like crazy and I assumed that these were the bubbles I'm seeing. Am I wrong? I ran this same filter on this tank several years ago and did not have this problem. I've just recently set it back up and used bio spirato get it cycled. The substrate is kitty litter covered by plenty of sand and I have only moved 1 plant so I know that's not the cause.