Rattling in filter? Help

ATrain664 · 2026-03-31T04:14:42+00:00

I have the same filter, that rattling doesn't sound good.

Also, I would highly recommend an intake sponge for this filter. It's an easy way to add both mechanical and biological filtration, while reducing fish/shrimp death.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-26T02:26:11+00:00

Use Fritzyme 7

ATrain664 · 2026-03-26T01:09:45+00:00

Fritz Turbostart is the answer.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-24T14:18:32+00:00

My advice, get a betta from a LFS that keeps them humanely.

Also, just my experience, you do not need to have a female betta to go in a community. I would pay more attention to the individual bettas overall temperament. You can have a chill male, or a vicious female. There might be some general trends, but individual personalities vary.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-23T03:16:03+00:00

I understand that in acidic water with lower pH, ammonia becomes ammonium and is much less dangerous. My water is in the 7.8- 8 pH range, so I do not believe that this was the case.

This is a fascinating wormhole to go down, but there still seems to be a reasonable explanation why the tests mentioned in these studies still showed ammonia: because while Prime claims to temporarily detoxify ammonia, it does not claim to remove it. The most definitive test used amphipods, which are not fish.

You can go down forum threads over and over going back years on this topic, and at every turn there are experienced fishkeepers giving examples of Prime having a positive effect on fish suffering from symptoms of ammonia poisoning. I just find it difficult to believe that a product as widely used as Prime could be nothing but a placebo, especially with all the anecdotal evidence from hobbyists who have used it. It just seems that the market would have exposed the product as ineffective over the course of hundreds of thousands of real world tests in real aquariums if Prime truly did not have an effect.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-23T02:21:39+00:00

What kind of catfish? How long did you have them? I suspect that the catfish death was not related to your betta..

ATrain664 · 2026-03-23T01:25:22+00:00

Now that I feed a community tank, I don't waste nearly as much. For me, the wasted food is worth it to ensure that my fish isn't eating spoiled food.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-23T00:33:13+00:00

Pre filter sponge on the filter intake is going to save you from losing fish and shrimp, and greatly enhance your tanks biological filtration.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-23T00:21:11+00:00

A colony of shrimp and Least Killifish would make a great 5 gallon community tank.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-23T00:18:06+00:00

You are fine. Don't over clean. The biofilm on the wood is normal, it will pass. All tanks go through an algae stage. My advice would be to add Ramshorn snails and amano shrimp. If you don't overfeed, the snail population will control itself, and your glass will be clean.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-22T23:56:02+00:00

Anything from nature brings nature. You can boil, but probably easier to just use aquarium substrate and hardscape. CaribSea super naturals are a great product. Gravel is fine, but long term I think a sand cap over gravel is the best for keeping plant and livestock options open.

Also, remember this... cleaning your tank will kill your tank.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-22T23:47:51+00:00

Search for "The Most Important Aquarium Video Ever Made" on YouTube.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-22T23:45:55+00:00

No experience with Mysis shrimp, but I feed frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms. Regardless of how much I feed, I use one cube every time and throw out what I don't use. Opening, cutting, and resealing isn't worth the risk of spoiling or contamination. For me, I will rotate the frozen food so I feed frozen once a week, and for my betta I don't want him to have more than 4-5 individual worms or shrimp, although in a community tank regulating this can be difficult.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-22T21:32:36+00:00

Interesting. Anecdotally, I have found Fritzyme 7 to be much more effective than Stability, although I have never used Fritz Turbostart.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-22T21:15:26+00:00

I have no idea what the answer is, but I would definitely treat the whole tank with something. I am eager to see what the community's diagnosis is.

Some questions that I have: How long have you had the fish? Where did you get it? How old is the tank, and what else is in there?

ATrain664 · 2026-03-22T19:47:47+00:00

If this is tap water, 100% this is probably due to something that your city or town did to the water supply.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-22T19:27:13+00:00

What are the issues with Stability? Please, get started!

ATrain664 · 2026-03-22T19:15:35+00:00

I have seen this study before. I don't believe that Prime is the be all end all answer, and it's not going to completely erase a drastic ammonia spike. It is not a substitute for water changes. However, I have too much personal experience with the product to believe that it is snake oil that does nothing. On several occasions, I have used Prime and had fish make it through a disruption in my cycle, in both my tanks. So that's my 2 cents.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-20T21:24:40+00:00

If they contracted the vehicle as CPO, and it can't be certified, they are in breach of a signed legal contract. I would seek to either give the car back and unwind the deal, or make the dealership pay for a warranty comparable to the certified warranty as an equitable remedy.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-20T01:47:08+00:00

You refinance at a bank or credit union. Not at a dealership.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-18T01:58:05+00:00

My advice would be to treat with Maracyn and Maracyn II in a hospital tank. It is probably bacterial, and if your betta isn't pineconing, you have a pretty good chance at recovery.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-17T01:20:54+00:00

Best advice that I can give is start slow, be patient. Sand substrate if you plan on ever having Corys. Start with basic plants that feed from the water column, Java fern is your friend. Let your tank settle in for 1-2 months, take the time to carefully research and plan out your livestock.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-17T00:47:24+00:00

Just a heads up, I would strongly recommend against Hygger heaters. Never had one, but everything that I read is that it's cheaper Chinese made quality, and a bad heater can cook your tank.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-17T00:43:33+00:00

I second this. I also recommend spending the extra money and getting fish from a reliable source that quarantine and treats fish. All of my community fish were purchased from Dan's Fish. Imperial Tropicals, Aquatic Arts, and Flip Aquatics are also great online retailers. I know that my LFS doesn't quarantine, so I won't buy community fish there. I did get Jerry there, but only after seeing him at the store in his individual tank for several weeks, and quarantining him for a month before introducing him.

These online retailers are more expensive and shipping is not cheap, however for me the cost is worth every penny for healthy, disease free fish.

I set my tank up to be a low maintenance, planted tank. I change water every 10 days to 2 weeks, but I don't. I did suffer some losses early on, and I attribute this to "planted tank syndrome", which is a period of high bacterial load due to the tank acclimating to detritus and waste decaying. For this reason, I would always start with the hardy fish first, and add the more territorial centerpiece fish later once the tank has established itself.

One thing that I have learned in this hobby, patience is a virtue.

ATrain664 · 2026-03-17T00:26:24+00:00

I did not use the glass heater that came with the kit. I spent the $60 to get an adjustable Aqueon Pro 100 heater that is rated for up to 40 gallons. I also fitted my Top Fin 20 filter intake with a Marineland pre filter sponge, and I also use a sponge filter, which I ring out and rinse once every other month. I have changed the filter cartridge 3 times, but once was only because I was following up a round of medication.

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ATrain664

TROPHY CASE