How often should I change my filter cartridge?

ellamay said:

I’ve had my tank up and running for about 6 weeks ish. Just put some fish and 2 shrimp in a couple of days ago. I was told on here not to change my filter cartridge yet but it’s looking very brown! I did try to clean it in the old tank water but it seems pretty hard to clean compared to other filter media I’ve seen. My local pet shop said when I do change the filter cartridge, to lay the old one on top of the new one so some of the healthy bacteria goes into it. Not sure if this is right though as I know the healthy bacteria is all over the surfaces in the tank.
When/ how often should I change the filter cartridge and is the one I’m currently using any good? Thanks ?

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Slaphppy7 said:

Nothing wrong with it being brown in color....you just don't want it gunky.

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Essjay said:

The best thing to do is cut a slit in the carbon containing bag and empty out the carbon. Then cut some sponge down to the same size and hold that next to the cartridge and slide them both into the filter together. if there's more than one cartridge, do them one at a time with a month between. The description says it also has a biogrid so you shouldn't lose many bacteria when you throw away the carbon.

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ellamay said:

What kind of sponge? The filter only has one cartridge in it. So Ill just carry on cleaning it when I do a tank clean. What am I looking for as a sign that it needs changing?

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Slaphppy7 said:

What kind of filter is this?

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Tetra EasyCrystal FilterBox 600

Internal Aquarium Filter with heater compartment for crystal clear, healthy water thanks to innovative filter cartridge: fast, clean replacement – dry hands!

www.tetra.net

Slaphppy7 said:

When it literally falls apart.
What kind of filter is this?

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Neleono said:

Here's a video on a great way to optimize your filter. It saves a lot of money and time in the long run, and it allows you to keep your cycle. The filter used in the video is a Hang-on-Back filter but you can use the same process for all kinds of filter.

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PheonixKingZ said:

You don’t need to replace it until it’s literally falling apart.

I’ve had the same cartridges in my internal filters for over a year.

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Neleono said:

Here's a video on a great way to optimize your filter. It saves a lot of money and time in the long run, and it allows you to keep your cycle. The filter used in the video is a Hang-on-Back filter but you can use the same process for all kinds of filter.

Click to expand...