Jackie Frost

For starters which fibers are the filter? The blue fibers or the gray ones? For that matter isn't a bad idea to replace the filter because you then remove the healthy bacteria along with it?

steed1172

hello frosty, what type of filter do you have? do you have any other filter media other than the fiber pads?(if that's what they are)
different filters use different filter media JUST for hosting beneficial bacteria (the fibers also end up hosting some whether or not it is it's specific use)

TedsTank

The only media you want to change would be charcoal if you are using it. The fibers or floss should remain in your filter and only get rinsed in tank water if they clog.(use the water from your water changes) If you were to repalce all filter media, you would be throwing out your good bacteria and have to cycle again.

Jackie Frost

Yes, that's what I thought. But the instruction booklet (which I can no longer find) talked about 'cleaning the filter'. Maybe they meant the charcoal. But I don't think my filter system came with charcoal. (Charcoal is like little small black stones, right? Please forgive me but I'm very new to this.) So maybe I'll just leave the whole thing alone. My tank is still cycling anyway.

Oh and Steed, I like your signature quote.

eiginh

Or it can be activated carbon not sure if it's the same as charcoal. Cleaning it meant to look for sludge build up in the filter and wipe that off. Mainly you want your propeller to be clean of detritus.

Shawnie

sounds like you have a cartridge filter..where if you shake it, you hear like rocks inside? if so, after a month id put a slit in the fiber and shake all the carbon/charcoal out...then put it back in the filter....

dont be sorry thats why we all are here and how we all learned at one point

aquarist48

Hello JackFrost. By cleaning your impeller it will help to keep the full water flow that your filter should produce. As the impeller gets covered with fish tank crud it will slow down the flow a lot over time.
Your filter media can be reused until it's falling apart. Only rinse it in siphoned tank water and never tap. It would help if you added more filter media to the tank 2 weeks prior, for seeding, to changing out your falling apart media. It will reduce the chances of your tank going into a mini cycle.
If you use Activated Caron then I suggest changing it completely every 3 weeks.
Ken

Jackie Frost

Nah ...I remember the charcoal from my childhood aquariums which my parents completely ran. (And they knew nothing about the nitrogen cycle. Plus they would house goldfish with tropical fish and many other ghastly mistakes.) My filter is of the water fall type where the water splashes back into the tank after spining this ...sponge wheely thing. I'm not sure how to explain it. My old filter broke so I got this more expensive model. Now that I think about it ...it was the booklet from my old model that insisted I had to clean it every two weeks. I think maybe i'll just leave this new filter alone. There isn't any charcoal in it.

Oh and Aquarist48 ...I'm afraid to take the filter apart to clean the propeller because then I might not be able to put it back together again. That's how I broke my old filter.

mosin360

Would having a sponge in the filter help prevent any mini-cycles whenever you do have to change the filter?

eiginh

Sponge/Filter Floss/etc. any media that bacteria can establish and grow on would help with mini cycles. You can also have any media just hanging out in your tank. Some put rocks from an established tank and stuffed into a socking to speedy up the cycle of a new tank.

Does yours look like this wheel?

Attached Images

LargeBIOWheel_BWStory.jpg (238.5 KB, 63 views)

Jackie Frost

Yes, that's it! That's it exactly. Is that where the bacteria grows?

eiginh

Yes that's where the bacteria grows and no you do not need to replace this either. The only thing you may need to replace every month or so is the blue cartridge carbon media. I believe you have a penguin power filter. I don't know what size you have though...