I Found My Tank's Ammonia Factory!

[Yellow_donkey]

So my tank has been up for 3 months now. I did my cycle in 20 days with LR only and that went great. It was not a super hard cycle and was pretty soft in the end but it did cycle 100%

At day 45 I did not like a portion of my aquascping and removed about 20% of my LR thinking I would be OK. That resulted in my second cycle starting. This was the worse and my fault entirely.

However, since then I have fought off two mini-cycles and the cusp of more cycling the entire 60 days. I added 15 year seeded bioballs from a local fragger who has some amazing frag tanks and that helped break my 1st bad re-cycle but after that I have had two mini-cycles after each of the TOP WASTE vacuuming only, non-bead disturbing vacuuming I performed.

And again I have had that trace ammonia all along or zero ammonia and then next day a hint of green and then back to zero the next day. I have added a refugium with a very large rock (I kept alive that rock I originally removed), media bag or high surface area stones, 1 kilo worth and the all of those original boiballs plus new tonga rock that I added in after it was cured in the bin with the original removed rock. So at this point I have a TON of surface area in flow areas all throughout my system, and still a trace of Ammonia on API, Red Sea and Salifert.

But then something amazing happened. On Friday night, two nights ago now, I was adding a grow light stand to my refugium over the cheato and I had to plug it in on the other side of the DT. So I cross the power line behind the DT and it hits and dislodges my Eco Tech MP10W. This did not damage the pump at all as it just swifts the dry side on the back glass. This dry side is tight against the wall, well not tight but I have to shimming the power cord to get it drop under it.

So I plug the new cord in and go to fix/re-align my MP10W. It was powered when it was shifted and as we all know you can't just replace them back into position without turning them off or the magnets wont catch and the wet side will buckle and fight. Well I forgot to turn it off and when I moved the dry side back into place the wet side starts to groan and buckles and to my horror no less than 500 mysis shrimp and even more partial mysis shrimp bodies at varying levels of decay fall out and flood the tank.

At this point I am stunned. Before I realize what is going on the wet side is hit with two big jolts that kick out unbelievable amount of uneaten food. Once I realize what is going on I grab the wet side and take it to the kitchen and clean it out under running water.

I immediately know this is the source of my non-stop ammonia battle. A 24/7 hour pump streaming ammonia into the tank.

So, yes I know what everyone is saying. You feed to much and yes maybe I do but I have gotten much better at it. But I assumed all the food left in the water column (remember I have been fighting ammonia, and fish are not typically very happy, thus not eating a ton) was going into the overflow and into the sock which I change out very regularly thus not a big problem.

But no all of this food (I would guess 5 or 6 full frozen cubes worth, when I feed 1/8 of a cube at a time in a 24x24x12 frag lagoon) has been caught and rotting in the blower of the wave unit, for perfect ammonia distribution!

So I am thinking, I have read alot on this forum and others (this is the best one) and I have not heard yet anyone mention the EcoTech units holding waste material like that. I also pulled the manual online and there is no mention about cleaning the units unless the unit is not working correctly or has an error code. If it is working correctly thus no cleaning is needed.

Lastly, I ran the main three parameter tests 4 hours after the clean out and for the first time since setting up the tank my ammonia test was a bright yellow with no hint of green. I have tested it several times since as well (2 days ago) and all ammonia is zero, nitrite zero and Nitrate around 2 or 3 (cheato working already).

SO I am posting to maybe help other folks who may be in the same boat as me as they may want to check their pumps, especially if it is an Eco Tech. And I am curious, can folks, power down those pumps, take out the wet side and swish it in a bowl of RODI and see what comes out. Is it just my unit or is this common!

The material was stuck behind the circular plate you see the impeller shaft goes into. On my unit that plate shift forward and backward as you tilt the wet side forward and backwards. That plate is not affixed to the back wall of the propeller housing The material was all wedged just behind that plate as it was just a millimeter off the back wall of the unit.

I am testing my levels now and its fun for the 1st time. My wife and I would always look at the ammonia result and try to talk ourselves into a zero reading but it just wants. We NOW see what a zero reading really is, milky yellow all the way!

 

[homer1475]

I take apart and clean my wet sides about every other month, along with my skimmer, return pump, and reactor pump.


It's completely normal for the "plate" to have a wee bit of play in it.

You do know even ecotech recommends normal periodic cleaning of the wet sides? Although in their own documentation there are no specific instructions on how to take them apart and clean them.

From ecotechs FAQ on their website:

What is the best way to clean the VorTech propeller pump?

A: Your VorTech propeller pump will require periodic cleaning to maintain optimal flow and operation. The regularity of cleaning is unique to your particular aquarium, however a VorTech pump should be cleaned every two to six months, on average. EcoTech Marine’s recommended cleaning procedure is to first clean soft algae from the plastic components by gently scrubbing the outside of the wet side with a soft brush (such as a toothbrush) under running water. Second clean calcareous algae, such as purple coralline, by soaking the pump overnight in a vinegar solution (7 parts vinegar to 3 parts fresh water). During this soaking, the nozzle should be removed from the wet frame by following the instructions in your instruction manual. If your pump requires more thorough cleaning, remove the nut from the top of the propeller and disassemble the drive shaft and other components from the wet frame (MP40w and MP20 only). These components can then soak individually in the vinegar solution to ensure that they are all clean and that no debris is caught in areas that are difficult to access. After soaking, the wet side should be washed thoroughly under fresh water to remove any vinegar residue and reassembled per your instruction manual prior to replacing it in the aquarium.

 

[Sk8r]

Interesting! I have a Gyre (replaced all my powerheads) that is verging on a need for cleaning...probably a good idea.

 

[Yellow_donkey]

I take apart and clean my wet sides about every other month, along with my skimmer, return pump, and reactor pump.


It's completely normal for the "plate" to have a wee bit of play in it.

You do know even ecotech recommends normal periodic cleaning of the wet sides? Although in their own documentation there are no specific instructions on how to take them apart and clean them.

From ecotechs FAQ on their website:

Ya but their pdf manual does not recommend any cleaning unless it is not work correctly or you get an error code. I just assumed if its chugging along best to leave good, alone. I had no idea periodic cleaning was needed past what you visually see in the fish guard. I guess its my fault for reading more and past the manual. One of those many of things I have learned, painfully, while getting back into the hobby!