Replacing Filter Media

Oh BB will be in the carbon for sure! Lots of it. That's because carbon has a lot of surface area being so porous which is why it's used to absorb stuff. But it's only one of the places that the bacteria grow. You have several and you're only changing one of them. Don't worry. If you get a spike it's likely to be a small one

Also, every time someone changes out their carbon their throwing away a good amount of beneficial bacteria?

 

What filters are we talking about this time ? your other post no one knew you had an Aquaclear.

 

Yes exactly. Unless you choose not to use carbon at all but at some point you will be throwing away media when it's no longer cleanable or it's falling apart. Bacteria are living things though so if you look after them they will multiply quickly!

 

What filters are we talking about this time ? your other post no one knew you had an Aquaclear.

Yes I told them it was an Aquaclear. It doesn't really matter does it?

 

Yes exactly. Unless you choose not to use carbon at all but at some point you will be throwing away media when it's no longer cleanable or it's falling apart. Bacteria are living things though so if you look after them they will multiply quickly!

What do you mean by look after them? So it’s either leave the carbon I have in there or throw it out and lose some good bacteria. The question is.. is it even going to have any effect on the cycle? It didn’t on the first tank I did it on. Isn’t most of the good bacteria in the bio media anyways? Way more then the carbon..

 

What filters are we talking about this time ? your other post no one knew you had an Aquaclear.

You can also click my bio and it says I have an Aquaclear 20...

 

What do you mean by look after them? So it’s either leave the carbon I have in there or throw it out and lose some good bacteria. The question is.. is it even going to have any effect on the cycle? It didn’t on the first tank I did it on. Isn’t most of the good bacteria in the bio media anyways? Way more then the carbon..

I mean keep things comfortable for them: right temperature range, right pH range, don't throw nasty chemicals in the tank like chlorine, and keep them fed even if you don't have fish in the tank.

Throwing out some of the media may have an effect on your parameters or it may not. Really hard to say! Depends on a lot of factors. If you're changing your carbon once a month though then chances are that the population of BB on the carbon will be very small.

 

I mean keep things comfortable for them: right temperature range, right pH range, don't throw nasty chemicals in the tank like chlorine, and keep them fed even if you don't have fish in the tank.

Throwing out some of the media may have an effect on your parameters or it may not. Really hard to say! Depends on a lot of factors. If you're changing your carbon once a month though then chances are that the population of BB on the carbon will be very small.

Ok got it. Have a question.. sorry just trying to understand but say I never had carbon in the first place so obviously I wouldn’t have any good bacteria on the carbon because it’s not in the filter.. wouldn’t throwing the carbon out and replacing it be the same thing as if I didn’t have carbon in there in the first place or does the tank balance out to how much bacteria or “bio load” you have. I hope I explained that correctly..

 

There will only be as much bacteria as the tank's inhabitants can feed with their waste output. However the bacteria will be spread out more if you have more filter media for them to grow on.

 

Hello. I personally stopped using activated carbon in my filtration system, as it seems like a waste of money to me. I simply go to the dollar store, buy a pack of scouring pads, and rinse them out. I use these as my filter media. All of my tanks are cycled. The question I have is this: do I have to replace my media when I don’t use activated carbon? I add new media once in a while, but I never get rid of any old filter media. I’ve been doing this for months in every tank with no issues. Just making sure it’s the right way to go. I only add new media to make sure there’s extra in case something goes wrong. Thanks Also, what do you guys think about activated carbon?

 

I never use activated carbon in my tanks. It’s honestly a waste on money. Unless you need to remove medication or tannins from your tank.

When you remove your media you’re throwing out your beneficial bacteria. So no you don’t have to replace the media.

I’ve heard good and bad reviews of the dollar tree pads just make sure there’s no soap of chemicals on the pads.

 

I never use activated carbon in my tanks. It’s honestly a waste on money. Unless you need to remove medication or tannins from your tank.

When you remove your media you’re throwing out your beneficial bacteria. So no you don’t have to replace the media.

I’ve heard good and bad reviews of the dollar tree pads just make sure there’s no soap of chemicals on the pads.

Yeah, I always make sure. They seem to be fine from what I can tell.

 

Just make sure not to use man made sponges that aren't specifically mad for aquariums. Sponges in the package are soft without being moist because they contain a chemical called a humectant that is toxic to fish.

Yeah, I always make sure. They seem to be fine from what I can tell.

 

Just make sure not to use man made sponges that aren't specifically mad for aquariums. Sponges in the package are soft without being moist because they contain a chemical called a humectant that is toxic to fish.

Thank you The backs of a lot of sponges say that they’re not for aquarium use, so I avoid those.

 

Another cheap filter media is polyfill. I use this for my mechanical media, and because I have separate biomedia (cheap ceramic rings from Amazon), I can replace the polyfill whenever I want (I replace when it gets too dirty, when cleaning in water doesn't remove the stains). So if you have separate biomedia, you can replace the sponges whenever they get too dirty.

 

Another cheap filter media is polyfill. I use this for my mechanical media, and because I have separate biomedia (cheap ceramic rings from Amazon), I can replace the polyfill whenever I want (I replace when it gets too dirty, when cleaning in water doesn't remove the stains). So if you have separate biomedia, you can replace the sponges whenever they get too dirty.

I do have separate media. I'll most likely do that. Thanks

 

Hey guys! My name is Arcadia, and I am currently the owner of 3 healthy freshwater tanks. All of my tanks have 3-step filters, and they work very well. I am currently replacing the filter cartridges in my tank every 6 weeks. Is this to frequent or not enough? Just curious so that my fishies stay healthy.

Thanks! And have a great day.

 

HI there and welcome! Love your name!
Actually replacing your filters every six weeks is not recommended as it can harm your cycle. Just squeeze and rinse in old tank water. If they need replacing from falling apart (should be years) then try to fit the new one in with the old media for a month or so.

 

Thank you for the response! I actually thought this rule only applied to biological filtration, so I’m glad I asked!! Just to clarify, all the media in my filters only needs to be cleaned, not replaced?

 

Thank you for the response! I actually thought this rule only applied to biological filtration, so I’m glad I asked!! Just to clarify, all the media in my filters only needs to be cleaned, not replaced?

Well, unless you’re using carbon, I should’ve been clear on that. It will lose its effectiveness after some time, it’s safe to replace only that, as long as you leave any other media alone. But...I personally do not use carbon, I find it useless unless I’m trying to take out meds from the water or something. If you’re talking about a carbon cartridge then you can dump out the carbon, keep the material part that it’s in and add more material... floss, sponge etc. I even use pot scrubbies, ha!

 

upgrade your filter media, no more cartridges

cut the polyfill fibers off the plastic frame and reuse it. then add fresh polyfill and ceramics (biomax) or pumice (Matrix/Pond Matrix) or sintered glass (BioHome).

https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfi...tream-aquaclear-and-other-hob-filters.385506/

 

Ok great, thanks again for the responses. The cartridges I have now are carbon cartridges, but I will definitely take y’alls advice and switch to something better. Looking into that now, and thanks again for the help!!

 

In my hang on back filters that have cartridges I just clean them in fresh water and put them back in. I have some that have been in there literally for years. I also move some around sometimes to cycle new tanks, since they're absolutely saturated with bacteria by now. Gets a jump start on cycling, for sure.

 

Ok thanks! I will definitely use that advice when setting up new tanks!

 

Just make sure when you wash any filter cartridge that has media in it do it tank water not in the sink you will destroy all
the good Bio in them and may end up with a minI cycle. Keep check with your water test kit. Good luck

Bill

 

I have read some folks rotate their mechanical sponge filters on Aqua Clears. Wouldn't the beneficial bacteria die while out of the water in-between rotations?

 

I have read some folks rotate their mechanical sponge filters on Aqua Clears. Wouldn't the beneficial bacteria die while out of the water in-between rotations?

never heard of that.

 

Arcadia , take a look at the link that Skavatar posted.

It will answer all of your questions and show you how to discard the cartridges and use reusable media

 

Thank you so much Skavatar and Islandvic for recommending the Islandvic article! I read through the entire thing and felt much more informed about filter media, and less overwhelmed about the entire thing. Currently in my filter, I have a filter cartridge (with the polyfil outside and carbon inside), as well as a sponge that has all my tanks beneficial bacteria. (This of course will not be replaced) I plan on adding additional polyfil into the filter, as well as a bag of bio rings. However, should I continue to use filter cartridges as well? Are they really doing good for my tank, or are they just a waste?

 

use it if you already have them, but don't buy any more.

 

So after I use the rest of the cartridges, I can use only polyfil, bio rings, and a sponge for my filtration?

 

So after I use the rest of the cartridges, I can use only polyfil, bio rings, and a sponge for my filtration?

That is correct. So you have more carbon cartridges laying around, right? I’d keep a couple on hand in case you ever need to remove meds etc. Go ahead and just use poly fil, bio rings and sponge only, as soon as you’d like.

 

That is correct. So you have more carbon cartridges laying around, right? I’d keep a couple on hand in case you ever need to remove meds etc. Go ahead and just use poly fil, bio rings and sponge only, as soon as you’d like.

Ok perfect! I probably have another week or two on my current carbon cartridge, so I will order everything now, and set the new filter up as soon as everything gets here

 

Ok perfect! I probably have another week or two on my current carbon cartridge, so I will order everything now, and set the new filter up as soon as everything gets here

Nice and remember you can empty the carbon out, squeeze with old tank water and shove the material inside somewhere until the new sponge is seeded. A month or so.