Replacing Filters?!

I've had my 10 gallon filter for around 3-4 months now. Every once and a while, I rinse the cartridge in old tank water. Should I be changing my filter regularly? It works fine.

 

Sorry, don't listen to me on what I had said before I guess I was given the wrong information on this but I've now been informed on the wright way of cleaning a filter.
In my previous post I had said you can replace the cartridge once a month, and I had said this because in my experience it had worked very well and I never had water problems with this, but I have been informed you should just rinse it. Again sorry for giving out the wrong information.

 

Wouldn't that kill the cycle?

 

I would absolutely not change the cartridge once a month if it is still viable and holding together Rinsing in tank water is good, when it gets really ratty after a few months you can put a new carriage in, but put the old cartridge in front of it for a few days to seed the new one... Something like: tank to old media to new media to tank.

On YouTube give "aquarium filter tips and tricks!" a watch.

 

Thanks so much!

 

Yeah never just throw out your cartridge!! Recipe for disaster.

 

Alright, ill pick up some and seed them. Thanks everyone!

 

You should replace the filter cartridge once a month, but never the same time as a water change. that's what works for many and many other people anyway

Absolutely not, do not just replace the filter cartridge once a month if you do you'll lose all the BB in the filter medium & you'll get ammonia spikes, as @boston mass says if the filter pad is still in good shape just rinse it through with tank water & put it back in, if it starts to disintegrate always keep it in with a new filter pad for a while so the old seeds the new with BB.

 

If it's the kind that has 'built-in carbon', you can cut it out and put the filter back in. You don't want to keep carbon more than a month, and you don't really need it on the tank except to remove smells or medicine.
One exception is if you have cloudiness due to types of food, etc, it can help as a clarifier... SeaChem Purigen would probably work better for that purpose if you needed it.

 

I have no cloudyness. I use a HOB Top Fin Power filter. Thanks!

 

I have no cloudyness. I use a HOB Top Fin Power filter. Thanks!

At your local fish store buy a piece of Aquaclear Foam, it's less than ten bucks, cut it to size to fit in your HOB in place of the cartridge. Will last 5+ years, rinse it once a month.

 

Will do thanks!

 

Ok, a little Clarity here. IF you have a bio wheel and IF it is fully covered with BB then changing the cartages will not hurt. But why spend the money if you do not need to?

I am changing over to two stage filter medium in place of the cartriges

Far less money and more effective.

 

Absolutely not, do not just replace the filter cartridge once a month if you do you'll lose all the BB in the filter medium & you'll get ammonia spikes, as @boston mass says if the filter pad is still in good shape just rinse it through with tank water & put it back in, if it starts to disintegrate always keep it in with a new filter pad for a while so the old seeds the new with BB.

That has never happened to me, my tank parameters have always been fine after I do this. I'll edit the post down just in case there is any confusion or sends people the wrong message. And I will start to just rinse my cartridge from now on, thank you for telling me though!

 

That has never happened to me, my tank parameters have always been fine after I do this. I'll take the post down just in case there is any confusion our sends people the wrong message.

Do not take the post down. People need to hear all sides in order to make an informed decision. Never be afraid to relay your own experience. Though there are people that may give you grief (don't I know it) they are wrong.

 

Do not take the post down. People need to hear all sides in order to make an informed decision. Never be afraid to relay your own experience. Though there are people that may give you grief (don't I know it) they are wrong.

Oh sorry (again) should I go and wright what I had before again?

 

Oh sorry (again) should I go and wright what I had before again?

your call

Do not get all twisted up over this. No big deal