advise on filter...its making a DREADFUL noise

[Clure]

we have 2 goldfish which have survived well (6 months) The first 2 months were tricky and we did have to replace one of the goldfish! Anyway the tank is now cycled we think. Up until we went away for a weekend and left one of those weekend fish feeding sticks in, it made the tank a bit murky. We did a water change on sunday night. However during the night the filter suddenly made a noise like a car ramming down on the accelerator and also a wailing noise, gushing too (poor fish) We had to turn it off. Was ok when plugged in next day. Anyway, did another water change yesterday as fish seem to be lapping at the surface and I'm afraid the weekend fish feeder have polluted water. Last night same noisy thing happened with filte.
Do we need a new filter? Can anyone offer any suggestions? Do you thinkg these fish feeding sticks pollute the water? Worried as going to try the 2 week fish feeder whilst we are away! Many thanks

Leaving the filter off overnight will have killed off all the good bacteria :( so your tank will need to cycle all over again. You'll need to keep a really close eye on the water quality over the next few months.

How big is the tank and what sort of filter is it? It sounds as though it's not coping, goldfish are large and messy fish so they need tons of room and a heavy duty filter.

Those food sticks that you leave in the tank do make a mess, a battery-powered auto-feeder would be better.

thanks
How do I begin the cycle process again? If I need a better filter will that mean cycling again too?

The cycle will start on its own but you'll need to do loads of water changes, possibly daily, to keep down the ammonia and nitrIte level. It'll take a few weeks of this before it settles down.

How big is your tank and filter? If it's very small then you'll need to be extra cautious to stop them from getting ill or dying. If you're going away for a couple of weeks then you might want to look into them staying with a friend or a local aquatic store (some offer boarding services) while you're away.

ok, will have to put my thinking cap on about the holiday! The tank is about 25l I think. Have got some testing strips so will begin testing and water changing. The filter came with the tank so not sure what type it is.

Oh dear, 25 litres is pretty small! They will need much bigger than that long term. Have a look at this. If you can get them into a bigger tank before you go away then that will help. Otherwise you'll need to find someone that can do a water change every day.

sounds like the filter has obstruction or something...strip it and check impeller...cotton buds are great for getting into parts (gently)keep it all in a bucket to do this and just remove the worst of the debris by squeezing out in the bucket...maybe a lump of the food block has wedged somewhere...

if that doesn't cure filter noise issue then you probably will need to buy a new one....if you get the same kind again then you are only replacing the unit and can retain your media...

In a small tank it is very difficult to control issue's and have opportunity to treat effectively...I'd be suggesting a bigger tank too and a filter more than able to cope with the volume....