carbon filter

[homerw500]

please can you tell me if all my water levels are correct do i need the carbon filter in my externell filter it says in the hand book that if one is fitted it needs replacing every 3 weeks and if its not the the external filter can go approx 3 months between maintenance


thanks for any help

 

[tstenback]

Welcome to the forum
If you run carbon in your filter i would replace it every 6 weeks not every 3 and the only tme i clean a filter is when water flow is not normal then all i do is take a bucket of water from the tank and gently swish the filter material in it to dislodge the major grime and then put it back in. Never use tap water for this as you will kill the bacteria colony in the filter.
What are your water levels

 

[thecichlidaddict]

3 months is a little long to go without cleaning the filter. Waste in the filter is still waste inside the aquarium system. I do my cleanings every month regardless of water flow. You can go longer, but frankly it doesn't take very long to give a power filter a quick rinse.

As for carbon, it generally becomes ineffective after about 2-3 weeks. Not everybody needs it. I gave up using carbon ten years ago and when I realized that it didn't make any difference to the water or fish I never looked back. If you can go 6 weeks without replacing carbon, then you probably don't need it in the first place.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

I've started using filter floss in my tanks. My tanks are doing pretty well and it's a lot cheaper than carbon cartridges.

The carbon is actually used primarily as chemical filtration. Carbon is used to remove meds and such after you treat your tank. I wouldn't use this type of filtration because it's not really necessary.

Your gravel should have colonies of bacteria, and filter floss is also a good place to colonize bacteria. I'd say that's pretty much all you need.