Change Filter After Brown Algae?

HI all, a little info on my tank if it helps. It's a 20 gal tall hex tank. It's been established since around January. Using the heater and filter (aqueon quiet flow 20) that came with it. In my tank I have 1 Buenos Aires tetra, 2 ornate tetras, and 2 white finned rosy tetras. I have two plastic plants, a little statue of an octopus, and gravel rocks on the bottom. I do 20-50% water changes every Sunday depending on the amount of poop and other nastiness in the tank.

I've been battling brown algae for about a month or 2 and it's finally starting to subside. Should I change the filter stuff so I don't have anymore circulating in the tank? If so, (and using laymans terms because I am not knowledgeable of technical terms) do I change the taller filter in the back or the sponge on the front that the water flows over? If I change either of those is it going to throw my tank out of whack? Attached a picture, if necessary.

Thanks!

 

Never change your filter or any part until they are falling apart... just give them a good rinse in dechlorinated water (if your worried about rinsing in tank water) just set out a bucket of normal water and add prime... let it sit for a bit and rinse it off in there... just kind of swish it around...
A good combat I have found for algae is those moss balls... they seem to work really well..
I’m not familiar with what filter you have but it sounds like one of your sponges is mechanical and the other is your biological (where the majority of you BB is stored) so if you’re not sure look up your filter and figure out which is which... mechanical filtration is usually the first part of your filtration stage... followed by biological and then chemical...
is your filter the kind with the prepackaged filters that have the carbon and stuff inside of them?

Sorry I just noticed the picture... what you need to do is get a brand new filter.. place it in the blue basket the one that has the front label on it .. then take your old filter and slide it in as gentle as possible BEHIND the new one that’s in the blue basket... (not inside the blue basket) DO NOT remove the blue basket itself just the cartridge....and leave it for quite a while (days to weeks) that will transfer your good BB to your new filter pad and then you can discard the other one..
If anything is unclear ask... I have the same one and if you don’t do it right you will lose all your good bacteria

Sorry also the thing on the front is for specialty pads... so carbon pads... ammonia remover pads... phosphate remover pads... they make all kinds for your different needs

 

Is the water running through your filter media (sponge and the fiber in the blue frame) or is it running over the top of it? If it is not running through it then the media needs to be cleaned. You can do this during one of your water changes. Once you have removed some of the water clean these pieces of media in a bucket of that water.

You can get a lot rougher with the media than you think you can. The build up of slimy gunk isn't the bacteria. It is just the waste that the media has removed from the water. Even rubbing the media and squeezing it in the water isn't going to remove the bacteria. It is clinging to and inside the media.

If it were me I would just clean it well instead of replacing it. It is possible that it is so full of detritus that it can hold no more and that is why you have stuff floating in your tank. I only replace my filter media when it is literally falling apart or water will no longer flow through it freely.

 

These filters are really easy to replace without disturbing anything... like I said you just slide the old one right in behind the new one... then the water runs through both and transfers your bacteria to the new one... they get clogged really easily but there is lots of room to add the old filter behind the new one..

Is the water running through your filter media (sponge and the fiber in the blue frame) or is it running over the top of it? If it is not running through it then the media needs to be cleaned. You can do this during one of your water changes. Once you have removed some of the water clean these pieces of media in a bucket of that water.

You can get a lot rougher with the media than you think you can. The build up of slimy gunk isn't the bacteria. It is just the waste that the media has removed from the water. Even rubbing the media and squeezing it in the water isn't going to remove the bacteria. It is clinging to and inside the media.

If it were me I would just clean it well instead of replacing it. It is possible that it is so full of detritus that it can hold no more and that is why you have stuff floating in your tank. I only replace my filter media when it is literally falling apart or water will no longer flow through it freely.

The stuff in the big blue frame is his BB storage area... the smaller one is just for specialty pads so if you want carbon or need to remove ammonia or such... it also does catch a bit of the B.B. on the frame itself so I don’t rinse that part... I just pull the pads out and replace for that part... the small one is his chemical component

 

The stuff in the big blue frame is his BB storage area... the smaller one is just for specialty pads so if you want carbon or need to remove ammonia or such... it also does catch a bit of the B.B. on the frame itself so I don’t rinse that part... I just pull the pads out and replace for that part... the small one is his chemical component

She asked for help. You gave her one option, I gave her another. Neither way is wrong. She can chose which way she wants to do it.

 

Just get a couple of Nerite snails. The brown algae problem will be solved.

 

She asked for help. You gave her one option, I gave her another. Neither way is wrong. She can chose which way she wants to do it.

No I was not trying to disagree with you... I just have one of these myself and I do the swish and squeezed method with all of my tanks but these filters seem to clog up faster than most... they are not made very good (probably on purpose so your forced to change them)
There is also a very annoying blinking light right on top of the tank... I took the batteries out of mine... but out of all my tanks these filters are the crappiest ones for rinsing ans actually getting a good flow... in my first post I actually recommended the same thing you did but then I seen the picture and just know how stubborn they can be but I definitely agree if they can get away with just cleaning it it’s the best way

 

I myself have the smart style of filter, just larger. I wouldn't change the filter cartridge. If anything, I would just fill a pail with "dirty" tank water on your water change. Take your media out and swish it around in that pail and put it back in the filter. Sometimes I would stuff some filter floss on the back side of the cartridge. Now I use filter pads. Another think thing toot may want to look into is one of those little media bags, and put some of that ceramic media in the bag and leave it in your filter. That way you always have something seeded with beneficial bacteria. If you can't find those bags, pantyhose will work as well.

Edited too add:

Those bags can be used to hold purigen as well, something else you may have an interest in using.

 

I myself have the smart style of filter, just larger. I wouldn't change the filter cartridge. If anything, I would just fill a pail with "dirty" tank water on your water change. Take your media out and swish it around in that pail and put it back in the filter. Sometimes I would stuff some filter floss on the back side of the cartridge. Now I use filter pads. Another think thing toot may want to look into is one of those little media bags, and put some of that ceramic media in the bag and leave it in your filter. That way you always have something seeded with beneficial bacteria. If you can't find those bags, pantyhose will work as well.

Ya yours is waaaaay bigger than this style... he won’t have that much room... at least mine doesn’t... I wish it did! At least from the picture of his it looks like the small size like mine...