How Often And How To Clean Filter

I do 40% water changes every week but have high nitrates. Planted tank lightly fertilized. Do I swish filter charcoal cartridge in old water to clean it every week. I try to change filter cartridges every 2 months. Is that to long. Have two filters on one tank do I swish both in old water each WC. Do one a WC. Don't want to lose my cycle. Other tank has one filter. How should I handle that one. Thanks in advance.

 

Never change filter cartridges unless you're doing it right; you are just losing your BB that way. Rinse the filter media once a week in water from the tank. You could rinse the media from one filter one week and do the other filter the next week or do both at the same time.

How high is your nitrates? Exact number?

 

Not sure if 60 or 80 or something in between. But did a 40% water change. But have not been cleaning the cartridges. Will do another water change tomorrow and swish both filters in old water. I have plenty of plants so was very surprised to have high nitrates. And yes I shake shake shake. That's the bottle not me.

 

The high nitrates might be coming from the uncleaned cartridges. What's nitrates from tap?

 

Zero. That's what I was thinking. But I was always afraid of losing my cycle.

 

I'd just do the water change and rinse the cartridges and see if there's any improvement in nitrates. If there isn't, then it might be because of the stock of the tank.

 

I am way understocked. 3 Cardinal Tetras. 3 JuliI Cory Cats, honey Gourami, dwarf Gourami, Otocinclus. All in a 36 gallon. Have 8 cardinals and 3 JuliI Cory Cats in my 20 gallon QT. They have 2 more weeks before adding to main tank.