Best Thing To Do With Filter Media, During A Large Water Change

[Mola Mola]

Hi,
I am thinking about doing a large water change. Even if I don't do it now, I'll be doing one at the end of my current fishless cycle.

I'm just wondering what the best thing is to do with the filter media during the water change.

I thought that perhaps I should:

1) Fill a bucket with tap water, and dechlorinate it
2) Take the filter media out of the filter area, and drop them into bucket of dechlorinated water
3) Empty any further water that I plan to change, from the tank
4) Prepare new water in another bucket (including adding dechlorinator)
5) Fill up the tank with the new dechlorinated water
6) Repeat 4 and 5 until tank re-filled
7) Put the filter media back into the tank

Is that a good approach? Am I over-complicating things?

 

[blappy]

I think your plan is good. I don't think you should take the filter and drop it in a bucket of dechlorinated water. I usually just put the filter in regular tap water, shake the debris out and run it under the faucet a few times.

I dump the dirty water from the filter. Then I soak the filter in a container of dechlorinated water. :3

 

[fluttermoth]

I think your plan is good. I don't think you should take the filter and drop it in a bucket of dechlorinated water. I usually just put the filter in regular tap water, shake the debris out and run it under the faucet a few times.

I dump the dirty water from the filter. Then I soak the filter in a container of dechlorinated water. :3

blappy; you should never clean any of your filter in tap water; you sohuld only ever use old tank or dechlorinated water as the chlorine and choramine in water straight from the 'faucet' (sorry, I'm in the UK!) will kill off the good bacteria that eat ammonia and nitrite and your tank will never cycle properly.

There's some really good articles on the nitrogen cycle and cyling filters in the beginner's resource centre (link is in my sig) that I really suggest you read.

Mola Mola; you don't need to take the filter media out for water changes, as long as the new water is dechlorinated. Of course you'll take it out when it needs rinsing off, but it doesn't have to come out every time

 

[fishguy2727]

Leave it in the filter and don't bother it.

The only media you need to worry about is the biomedia that actually houses most of your nitrifying bacteria. I clean all the mechanical media in tap all the time, no issues.

 

[elisew]

I think your plan is good. I don't think you should take the filter and drop it in a bucket of dechlorinated water. I usually just put the filter in regular tap water, shake the debris out and run it under the faucet a few times.

I dump the dirty water from the filter. Then I soak the filter in a container of dechlorinated water. :3

blappy; you should never clean any of your filter in tap water; you sohuld only ever use old tank or dechlorinated water as the chlorine and choramine in water straight from the 'faucet' (sorry, I'm in the UK!) will kill off the good bacteria that eat ammonia and nitrite and your tank will never cycle properly.

There's some really good articles on the nitrogen cycle and cyling filters in the beginner's resource centre (link is in my sig) that I really suggest you read.

Mola Mola; you don't need to take the filter media out for water changes, as long as the new water is dechlorinated. Of course you'll take it out when it needs rinsing off, but it doesn't have to come out every time

+1

 

[Mowbz]

Agree, way too much hassle. If you want to remove the filter for the water change, there is nothing wrong with that, I do it occasionally to clean the thin film of crud that builds up aroung it on the glass, but i wouldnt bother tanking the media out.

I siphon my tank straight out onto the plant border in the garden, so i half fill a bucket with tank water first, and throw anything i need out of my way during cleaning in there.

 

[Miles_hot]

Don't do anything with the media. To do a 100% change during our cycle (of which we had a lot) we:
Drain out all the water you can with the siphon (this will leave around an inch in the bottom)
Add dechlorinator for the while tank
Refill using a hose
Run filter for 10 mins
Remove all the water again
Refill with dechlorinated water
Switch heater and filter on

 

[Louiseness]

Yeah, I agree with everyone else, there's really no need to remove your filter at all unless you particularly want to clean it. The bacteria in the media will be fine for the 10 minutes or so that it takes to get some more water in

 

[Mola Mola]

Yeah, I agree with everyone else, there's really no need to remove your filter at all unless you particularly want to clean it. The bacteria in the media will be fine for the 10 minutes or so that it takes to get some more water in

Thanks to everyone for the advice. My fear (as Louise alluded to) was that having the media out of the water for more than a few seconds, might kill of the bacteria.

What is the maximum that they can be out of the water without being killed?

 

[Tizer]

A few hours really, depends how quickly you let the media dry out. keep it moist and they can do ok for 36 hours then you will start to see them suffer as they stop getting oxygen which they need to survive.

 

[mattyydunn]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. My fear (as Louise alluded to) was that having the media out of the water for more than a few seconds, might kill of the bacteria.

my filter is a hangs on the back of the tank mine drains out when its turned off (suppose mostly all do dont they ) befor i turn my filter off i use my gravel cleaner to get some of the water into a cup and poor it back into the filter there the media is

i suppose if yours is the same and isnt one of the ones that detaches you could just poor some water back into the filter box after its drained out that will keep it wet and should keep the bacteria alive

 

[Mola Mola]

A few hours really, depends how quickly you let the media dry out. keep it moist and they can do ok for 36 hours then you will start to see them suffer as they stop getting oxygen which they need to survive.

Ah, OK, so in that case I can quite comfortably just leave them in the filter area, when I empty the tank. Maybe keep dumping a cup of tank water over them occasionally.

 

[Louiseness]

If you were really concerned or your water change was going to take AGES (like, an hour) I;d just chuck it in a bucket for your peace of mind. however, I leave mine stuck to the side of the tank (not underwater) routinely and it's honestly never been a problem. The casing of internal filters (I presume that's what we're talking about) will keep some water in anyway.

 

[Mola Mola]

The casing of internal filters (I presume that's what we're talking about) will keep some water in anyway.

I'm not really sure on the terminology. The tank is a Boyu MT-50, and has a compartment at the back, which is the whole height of the tank, almost the whole width of the tank, and about 2 inches across.

The water level in that compartment is probably an inch lower than the tank water. If I empty the tank, I assume that the filter compartment will empty. But, if the inlet into the filter compartment is a one way valve, I suppose the water might even stay in the filter compartment.

I posted some pictures recently. I'll try to find them.

EDIT: Here they are

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/368767-trying-to-understand-the-parts-of-my-new-tank

There is also a sponge compartment at the side, which has a grill connecting it to the main body of the tank, so the water level is the same in that compartment.

 

[Tizer]

Logic implies that if the water can no longer flow into the back through the grill, that section will not fill up, thus if the filter is running, it will empty into the main area of the tank and be drained out. If you turn the filter off, it will not pump out and remaining water in the compartment. However, i have a feeling there will be a hole near the base that will allow the water to stay level with the main section of the tank.

Is it time to go home yet?