AquaTech 5-15 filter???

[lute]

i bought a 5 gallon fish tank from a yard sale. it came with a lid, a light, a cleaner that i have no idea how to use, and a filter.

how do i use this filter and how do i know if it works right?

[IRescue452]

You should probably dump off the filter media and get new stuff. I'm sorry I don't know exactly how to use it, but I do know its a made for walmart brand and you should be able to look at a box at walmart for instructions. It's an HOB (hang on back) filter right? What they are is basically sponges and a power pack that pumps the water through. For five gallon tank you might just be better off buying a new underwater filter for a few dollars than spendin money on filter media for an old filter. I heard the wisper filters are loud but I have a stingray filter that you suction cup to the glass and it is very quiet. The only time it was loud was the first few hours when the media was settling. You do need to put an extra sponge of your own in the middle so there is enough room for bacteria. http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444180 8566&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030113&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1150498524436&itemNo=11&In=Fish&N=2030113&Ne=2
here is a petsmart add for one, but I got mine for 6 bucks at another pet store

[lute]

thanks! ok. i'll just buy a new filter. i like that one in the link.

also, the cleaner thing i have no idea how to use looks like this-
http://www.petsmart.com/media/ps/images/products/detail/standard/October05/50328_4e733.jpg

how do i use this? should i just dump it too and get another....whatever it is. :confused:

[IRescue452]

That's a gravel vac. You hook up the air hose and put the free end in a bucket then pump the vac end up and down in the water to get the syphon going. It takes some practice but its very useful if you have smaller gravel. I have two but I prefer a turkey baster in my smaller tanks. Another thing I like about underwater filters besides the lack of waterfall noise is that you can have a power outage or unplug it for maintenence without killing the bacteria. With hanging filters if the power goes out then the bacteria gets exposed to air and killed off.

[Sevaede]

That filter is pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it. We don't have one that hooks up to anything - it's all manual. What my husband does is sticks the whole straight tube down in the water and then puts most of the thin tube in there with it. One end of the thin tube goes in a bucket. He lets it unravel when the suction gets going and then just cleans the gravel. Pretty handy. :D

[lute]

wow. i had no idea it was something so usefull. thanks guys!