Equipment Review and Discussion :: Need help with Fluval FX 5

[DEBRAHG5]

I put my Fluval up 1 month ago. The water looked great, but thought since it had been a month I should clean it. I took it apart, cleaned everything, then put it back together...now here it is 3 days later and my water is cloudy, green, and smells bad! I didn't change any of the media since the water had looked so good before I started. So here are some questions I have

1. How often does the media get changed?

2. How do you know if the media needs changed? Is there a certain look to it?

3. Should I drain the water and start over... or clean the filters and change the media?

Thanks so much
Debra

[Bascomb]

DE-HGS -- Bulldog has a good history with the FX5. You may want to PM him.

[Bascomb]

DE-HGS -- You may to make 50 percent water changes until you get it cleared up. b.

[DEBRAHG5]

I did a 50% water change yesterday. Changed some of the media. Looks and smells a bit better, but still isn't right. I have an aquarium guy coming over today to look at everything and he going to vacuum the tank (or something like that--didn't quite understand him) He is a friend so he shouldn't take me for a ride in the overpriced world of "aquarium care" I sure wish I knew what happened, because I don't want this to happen again!

Debra

[DEBRAHG5]

Well, it was a bad day when Aquarium Guy came over. This isn't the complaint forum, so I will just give the facts! The water so bad--that once again--had to be completly drained....the entire tank set up had to be taken down and scrubbed out and cleaned. Not easy when we are talking about a 125 gal tank. Anyway.... the sad story is Harley now ls living in a 125 gal tank with water, a filter, small basking area, and no decorations. I had to get it clean and working, because I work Fri, Sat, and Sun. So she will be like this for about a week. And keep your fingers crossed that the water stays clean and no more problems.

[BullDog]

That's a bummer
Harley will be fine for a week. I'm sure she knows you're doing everything you can to fix it up right for her