AboutChris Robbins Expertise I have 25+ years of personal experience as a pet
store employee and manager in the family pet store
business. The main part of our business was
Freshwater Fish. I can answer questions on; Fish care, diseases,
parasites and fish identification, feeding your
fish, breeding and sexing your fish, setting up
your aquarium, cleaning your aquarium, and
"what`s this weird stuff in my tank/on my
fish" questions. I am not an African Cichlid expert, Plant expert or Brackish Expert. No Pond or Saltwater Questions Please.
Experience I worked in and managed my family's fish and pet and fish store for 26 years and maintained the 35 aquariums. My experience also has included occasional in-home consultation and aquarium maintenance for my clients.
Expert: Chris Robbins Date: 4/26/2008 Subject: Fish tank
Question QUESTION: Hi, my question is, I'm wondering why my fish tank is overflowing with water though I changed the filter cartridge like the filter manual said. The filter is good for a couple days after I replace the cartridge but then it starts to overflow little by little. I have already changed the cartridge now for almost every week. The cartridges say on the packaging that it last at least 2 weeks to 4 weeks. If you have any info PLEASE inform me.
ANSWER: Hi Daniel;
It sounds like your fish are making more mess than your filter can keep up with. Could your tank be overstocked? Are you overfeeding? Is the filter a large enough capacity for your tank? Do you have messy fish such as goldfish or cichlids? If you aren't sure about any of this let me know what kinds of fish you have, how big your tank is, how big the fish are, how long it takes for your fish to eat all of the food you give them, how often you feed them, brand and model of filter, etc.
It is best not to completely replace your filter cartridges. Rinse them in a container of tank water to 'clear the crud' for as long as you can. The filter cartridges are not just to catch and hold waste. They are a place for beneficial bacteria to grow and consume fish waste to help keep the tank water healthy. Throwing away the cartridge throws away the bacteria colonies too. The manufacturer and retailer, of course, will tell you differently because repeat sales from consumable products like that makes them a great deal of money. Don't fall for it. Rinse them out for a long as you can until they won't allow the free flow of water any longer. I have some filter media that has literally been in use for years. It works out great and my tanks are always crystal clear.
At Your Service;
Chris Robbins
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks for responding to my question, here is some more info about my tank, fish, etc.
I have a 20 gallon tank. In it I have many various kinds of fish. I have 1 Rosy red minnow, 2 Red long-finned tetras with a black diamond on its side of its head, 2 Zebra long-finned danios, 2 Leopard long-finned danios, 1 Female fancy guppy, 1 Male fancy guppy, 1 Male blue guppy, 1 pretty large Plecostomus, 2 bottom eating fish(eats flakes that fall on gravel), 1 Tropical semi-aggressive Catfish(but has not harmed one fish so far), All OF THESE FISH ARE AT FULL SIZE EXCEPT MAYBE THE CATFISH AND FOR SURE THE PLECOSTOMUS, Finally I have 2 baby Yellow lyretail molly fish in a breeding net and 1 newly born baby guppy in the breeding net.
I feed my fish twice a day tropical flakes( I'm not exactly sure how much I give them in one serving).I also have shrimp pellets to feed my bottom eaters and Plecostomus (if it eats that). I have just bought an AquaTech PowerFilter for a 20 gallon tank at Walmart and before I had a TopFin Filter for a 20 gallon tank from Petsmart.
Oh and Thanks for the filter advice, I will try rinsing the cartridge as soon as it is dirty again.
Answer Hi Daniel;
It sounds like it is pretty crowded in there. Plecostamus are basically "eating and pooping machines" too so he is probably adding quite a bio-load to the system. The common type of plecostamus needs at least a 55 gallon tank or larger because of their potential size and mess they make. You might consider a larger tank for them. For now, you can add a second filter just like the one you already have or get a canister filter. Canister filters hook up by hoses to your tank. They are much more efficient than the "hang on the back" power filters with pads. There are several layers of filtration inside instead of just one layer like yours has. Make a 25% water change twice a week and vacuum the gravel once a week too. Hopefully it will keep things stable until you can get a bigger home for them.
For tanks with small community fish like danios, guppies, tetras, and rosy reds, you can safely have one inch of fish per gallon of tank water. Many hobbyists go over that but it is very risky. When you have potential "tank busters" such as plecos, you can't use that same rule. Imagine a ten inch pleco in a ten gallon tank. Yikes! It just can't work.
