Trying To Understand How My Filtration System Runs

I have a 6.8 gallon imagitarium aquarium from petco. and as I do my weekly water changes I began thinking about how to go about cleaning the filtration system. here is my run down on how I do maintenance.

- Grab water samples for my API test kit & test water after cleaning.
-clean glass walls & heater with toothbrush
-swish my tooth brush in the gravel substrate to have debris suspend in water for siphon
-wash my sponges, I wash 1 out of 2 sponges every one month so I don't lose beneficial bacteria.
**NOTE: my tank has two cartridges in the filter area. (small rocks in one and white foam in the other) I have a small mesh bag of seachem de nitrate next to cartridge (doesn't seem to be lowering nitrate levels btw)**
-I start my siphon up and suck up debris I created with toothbrush, I go deep in substrate as well
-dump old water ou (50%-75%) a week
-refill bucket with tap water and add prime (.6-1mL) added; (5ml treats 50 gallons)
-add water to aquarium let it settle & plug heater, water pump, light back in
-once temperature is set I add my betta back in

My problem: I have not cleaned my filtration too much because I have no idea how.. I done research to learn which type of filtration each my tank has. my guess is:

- the cartridge with small pebbles is a bio filter and the white foamed is a mechanical filter?
white foam is getting brown. and want to know if I need to rinse out like sponge or replace the cartridge. as for "de nitrate" mesh bags ill replace once brown. can any one recommend ways to improve this filtration system, maybe alternative or something I can add in there to have a good system going? here is a link to my tank kit to help provide a visual. I question how filtration works as there are walls in the back filter area..

 

The sponges are mechanical filtration. The pebbles should be your biological filtration, and I thought the other cartridge on those was carbon which would be your chemical filtration. I don't have this tank, so not 100% on that but from what I could tell by looking on line it is set up with a sponge to each side and the bio and carbon cartridges toward the center?

Rinse all your media in tank water you have removed during a water change, not in tap water.

Sponges: They do not need to be replaced unless falling apart. (these will hold some good bacteria)
Bio-Media: Basically never gets replaced.
Carbon: Replace when carbon is spent ( I believe about a month?) or find a way to add more Bio-Media in place of this if you don't need carbon.

Do you have any pictures or maybe can get one from top down viewer without the cover on it?
I am trying to figure out where water comes in and goes back out of it though? Does the water come out of the middle or one of the sides?

 

The sponges are mechanical filtration. The pebbles should be your biological filtration, and I thought the other cartridge on those was carbon which would be your chemical filtration. I don't have this tank, so not 100% on that but from what I could tell by looking on line it is set up with a sponge to each side and the bio and carbon cartridges toward the center?

Rinse all your media in tank water you have removed during a water change, not in tap water.

Sponges: They do not need to be replaced unless falling apart. (these will hold some good bacteria)
Bio-Media: Basically never gets replaced.
Carbon: Replace when carbon is spent ( I believe about a month?) or find a way to add more Bio-Media in place of this if you don't need carbon.

Do you have any pictures or maybe can get one from top down viewer without the cover on it?
I am trying to figure out where water comes in and goes back out of it though? Does the water come out of the middle or one of the sides?

As far as I understand the intake is on the right and left sides (top and bottom slits) enters the sponges , over glass walls and through the bio bead cartridge, and white foam cartridge, up over glass walls and into the pump chamber. The. Out through the middle. I was curious if I can upgrade this system.. maybe get rid of the cartridges... And buy a hang on the back filter? I'm just not sure what type of chemical filtration is best.. can purigen from seachem replace this foam pad? And maybe purchase more bio media from somewhere?

 

You could add some regular filter floss on top of your sponges, at your intakes. That would be your first layer of mechanical filtration, you can replace these every couple of weeks when they start getting stained.

Rinse your sponges every two weeks should be fine. Just make sure you rinse it in tank water.

I'd also replace the carbon with more bio media. I personally don't use carbon as it needs replacing too often, and it never hurts to have more bio media. These can be more bio rocks, balls or even more sponges.

I also recommend not moving your betta out of the tank for your weekly water changes. It will stress him way too often. 50% water change with the betta still in the tank should be fine.

 

You could add some regular filter floss on top of your sponges, at your intakes. That would be your first layer of mechanical filtration, you can replace these every couple of weeks when they start getting stained.

Rinse your sponges every two weeks should be fine. Just make sure you rinse it in tank water.

I'd also replace the carbon with more bio media. I personally don't use carbon as it needs replacing too often, and it never hurts to have more bio media. These can be more bio rocks, balls or even more sponges.

I also recommend not moving your betta out of the tank for your weekly water changes. It will stress him way too often. 50% water change with the betta still in the tank should be fine.

Which one is the carbon filter? I'd filter floss and my white foam pad the same thing? I usually remove her out because she panics and swims rapidly when I gravel vac. Is de nitrate considered bio media? I have a mesh bag of that close to the cartridge. I'm not 100% this system is functioning correctly.. the water has to go over glass chambers to reach the pump section and it just looks odd imo

 

Is de nitrate considered bio media?

It is, but it is a little different. I have never used it, but I do use Seachem Matrix as my bio-media.

from Seachem's site:

Q: Should I use Matrix or de*nitrate? It seems like they both remove nitrate.
A: Matrix is best when you want a multi-purpose filter media to house both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria or when you cannot set up a filter with a flow rate of less than 50 gallons per hour. It will remove nitrate, but not as much nitrate as de*nitrate can. De nitrate is better when you specifically want to remove nitrate and you already have plenty of biomedia for aerobic bacteria.

I use a Tidal 55 HOB filter for my 29 gallon. HOB are pretty simple flow design, but my media goes like this order (from bottom to top):

Sponge (Coarse Mechanical)
Filter Floss (Fine Mechanical)
Seachem Matrix (Biological)
Seachem Purigen (Chemical)

This has been working pretty well for me. I don't know if it is technically "the right" way, but it works. Some people like to put another section of Filter floss on top to polish the water before it goes back in the tank and some have their bio-media last. Pretty much you are looking to reduce to use mechanical filters to prevent your other media from clogging so easily when it pulls debris out of your water. If your water is clear and your parameters are good, I would say don't fix what isn't broken.

 

It is, but it is a little different. I have never used it, but I do use Seachem Matrix as my bio-media.

from Seachem's site:

Q: Should I use Matrix or de*nitrate? It seems like they both remove nitrate.
A: Matrix is best when you want a multi-purpose filter media to house both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria or when you cannot set up a filter with a flow rate of less than 50 gallons per hour. It will remove nitrate, but not as much nitrate as de*nitrate can. De nitrate is better when you specifically want to remove nitrate and you already have plenty of biomedia for aerobic bacteria.

I use a Tidal 55 HOB filter for my 29 gallon. HOB are pretty simple flow design, but my media goes like this order (from bottom to top):

Sponge (Coarse Mechanical)
Filter Floss (Fine Mechanical)
Seachem Matrix (Biological)
Seachem Purigen (Chemical)

This has been working pretty well for me. I don't know if it is technically "the right" way, but it works. Some people like to put another section of Filter floss on top to polish the water before it goes back in the tank and some have their bio-media last. Pretty much you are looking to reduce to use mechanical filters to prevent your other media from clogging so easily when it pulls debris out of your water. If your water is clear and your parameters are good, I would say don't fix what isn't broken.

Thanks for the reply!
I ended up buying bio max , polishing pad and mesh bags to place my ceramic rings in the back. The pads are right behind the intake slits and folded them so it covers the black sponges on my intakes. I've also added coarse sponge in front of the intake so it can be like an intake sponge. That's all I pretty much did.. I wish I had a stronger water pump because even with it on blast the circulation isn't impressive, I had it on blast before adding filtration and with it on its the same. Hm... Now to look for a stronger suction submersible pump

 

Thanks for the reply!
I ended up buying bio max , polishing pad and mesh bags to place my ceramic rings in the back. The pads are right behind the intake slits and folded them so it covers the black sponges on my intakes. I've also added coarse sponge in front of the intake so it can be like an intake sponge. That's all I pretty much did.. I wish I had a stronger water pump because even with it on blast the circulation isn't impressive, I had it on blast before adding filtration and with it on its the same. Hm... Now to look for a stronger suction submersible pump

If it is doing the job filtering, I would leave it be. Betta like nice, calm water.

 

If it is doing the job filtering, I would leave it be. Betta like nice, calm water.

I figured, however when I feed my betta pellets.. and she doesn't chase them they get swooped around in a circle instead of going into the intake.. and I noticed for other floaties or particles it's the same.. that's when I wondered "I think I may need more suction..on my pump. But my pump is a 40gpg flow rate but it never looked "40gph since I've had it , the current looked weak"