neupane00

hey guys, recently new fish in my 70 gallon came up with parasite, ICH and bacterical infection and ALL discus, GBR and other in my 70 gallon have white cotton like stuff, ick, slime. i have learned the lesson of need of QT tank. BUT in the mean time i am medicating my whole tank of course.
Now the question is.. after medication is complete. Should i replace ALL the filter media, sponge, bio media etc etc in my main tank? or is it ok to just add carbon and leave sponge and bio media in my old tank?

And similar question for qt tanks. when i am done quarantining new fish and back in display tank. Should i change the filter media in my qt tank? (if medication was used?)

jwokmuba2

what kind of filter media do you use, bio sponges usually dont need changing for a couple of years, if treated right. just clean them in used tank water when they get too gross, and put them back in the filter, make sure they dont dry out so you dont lose your cycle. alot of members just use carbon for removing medication. this was all advice that i got when asking about the same topic. there is a thread around here somewhere, ill try to find it.....


edit: here is the link

Carbon filter pad in AquaTech 5-15 filter

jdhef

I've had to medicate in the recent past with Maracyn. I didn't change any of the filter media after treatment was complete. I just put carbon back in to remove the meds. But I have a cannister filter which contains filter sponges and BioMax (ceramic rings) and no floss at all. So it may be different in your case.

ray_sj

You shouldn't replace all of your media at one time. Most of the beneficial bacteria live in the filter media, and if you replace it all, you risk sending your tank into a cycle. Usually you can use media until it's falling apart. If for some reason you do need to replace media, do it in parts, i.e. replace 1/2 or 1/4 of it at one time.

Same for qt. Although, if were for disease treatement, I wouldn't use it in another tank.

aquarist48

Neupane hello! I'm sorry to hear you're fish are having problems. Personally I would not remove they filter media until it's falling apart as mentioned above. Do as you said and add the carbon to remove the medicines. Keep an eye on your water chemistry as some medicines can send you into a cycle. If the fish are disease free then your bio matter is disease free as well.
Best of luck for a full speedy recovery! Keep us posted.
Ken