Filter broke.....what do i do?

[ssungyo]

My filter just stopped working on me. I picked up an emporor 280 today and shoved the old sponges and bio cartridges from my old filter, into the Emperor. I was wondering if this will cause my tank to start another small cycle. I am a little scared....can you guys help me out?

1. My tank is a 30 gallon tall tank....24"Lx24"Hx12"W

2. I started it up around 4 weeks ago

3. I have 30 pounds of some really really really crazy good live rock.

4. So far my water has been in pristine condition...


Just thought i might throw out some info for all of you guys so that you know what kind of situation im in. i wanna put some corals in my tank by the end of this week if all goes well....i just need some help with this situation and some advice. thanx for the help!

 

[marineaquariums]

you really should'nt be using the bio-sponges all the do is collect garbage. sponges are only good to use if they are cleaned weekly
the live rock you have is you bio-filter.
if your rock was cured when you bought it you will still go thru a little cycle, dont rush this stage with your tank or your animal will be at risk
it will take 30 days to cycle with cured rock 60 or more with uncured rock
dont be fooled with cured rock when it come out of the water and gets shipped it will still have die off,
unless you purchased nice clean cured rock from your local store you should be ok
goodluck

 

[SteveB_reefster]

I agree. Toss the sponge in the washing machine (no soap please) and use it as needed for cloudy water, etc.

Don't add corals this week. Test your water every 2-3 days and check for ammonia and nitrate. If this does not rise, you could add something in 2 weeks to be on the safe side.

Steve

 

[Ti]

let the rock kick in

 

[Sk8r]

The filter is still good for pulling stuff that occasionally starts floating about. But believe it or not, the live rock and sand do a great job. I use a skimmer (Urchin), which does what your biosponges do, only without a sponge. (Just bubbles). You might investigate that as your tank gets more complex.

 

[tkeracer619]

When you put the live rock in the tank you probably had the cycle. Live rock tends to cycle tanks really fast. Just keep testing the water when all is clear your ready to go.

Sk8r brought up a good point. Skimmer time. I can't believe the poop that the skimmer gets out of the water. I don't know how people do without one. An inexpensive coralife super skimmer ( the small one) would fit you just fine and not slam the wallet.

Also that super premium live rock you have. Give it a few months and then check out what is growing on them. I got all my rock from RC members. Turkey basted the junk off the rock, within a month countless new additions to the tank have sprung up.

This hobby is awsome, take your time, the rewards are huge.

 

[tkeracer619]

O yeah I used 250lbs of live sand and about 200lbs of live rock. My tank cycled in 3 days. Had fish by day 6. Corals by day 10.

Every tank is different it all depends on the ammonia and nitrite.

Start very slow. One fish at a time over a long period. This way you wont shock your biosystem with more than it can handle.