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but the filter is really gross looking. I'm wondering if I've just finally got the right bacteria growing in there and if I should just leave well enough alone? The turts are happy, the pleco is happy and like I said, the water looks like it just came out of the RO filter.

Any thoughts?

Pam

My thoughts? You're a lucky one! If the ph levels and nitrites and nitrates are ok, just leave well enough alone. Personally, I don't check nitrates and stuff. I've checked the ph a couple times but turts are tough little buggers and can handle it better than fish (I can't keep a fish alive to save my life). If I'm lucky enough to see clear water, I leave it alone

When was the last time you cleaned the filter?

I too would leave it alone.

TexasJagsFan wrote:When was the last time you cleaned the filter?

I'd say it's been at least 3 weeks and I had been cleaning the filter at least once a week before now.

The only thing I've done differently is put in the pleco and a molly (he was a bad boy and killed our female when the babies were born, so I was hoping he'd get eaten LOL)

I know the water quality is good, since the fish are still healthy - although I haven't actually checked the ph, etc.

What kind of filter do you have? Foam inserts can be cleaned as well as bio-media. To preserve the bacterial colonies, you should gently rinse the media with existing tank water.

You don't, to my knowledge, see the bacteria, so what's in the filter is most likely crud. What kind of filter are you using (sorry I've forgotten if you've said already). If you test for ammonia and nitrites and the levels are acceptable, you haven't got a problem. Testing is good, especially if you've got a filter with a lot of biomedia--clean-looking water doesn't necessarily mean it's clean (you can't see urine, for example).

Off topc here, did you say your pleco killed a fish?