Changing Filter Cartridges

[GetItSahn]

I'm approaching having my tank for a month now and I'm confused on what to do with my filter. Due to using medications, my carbon has only been in the filter for 2 1/2 weeks total time.
 
I've heard two things: you need to change cartridges every month....the bacteria is in your filter cartridge so if you change it you need to recycle your tank.
 
Are there truth to either of these statements? Should i just stick with the same cartridge and carbon forever. Or can i change it and have no consequences?
 
I appreciate any feedback and advice anyone can provide.

 

[David J]

Hi

I change my carbon every 3 months. Most will say not to change the sponges unless they are falling apart and therefore not doing their Job. A decent rinse in old tank water will keep them going for many many months.

If you are changing media, change one bit at a time so you keep enough bacteria to process the ammonia etc. The old ones will seed the new ones in a couple of weeks but I'd leave a couple of months at least between changing each individual piece.

David

 

[GetItSahn]

I don't mean to sound dumb but i'm lost.
 
The sponge is the cartridge right? the whole thing you remove from the filter. Mine is not falling apart.
 
And what do you mean by media?

Oops! forgot to quote you
 

Hi

I change my carbon every 3 months. Most will say not to change the sponges unless they are falling apart and therefore not doing their Job. A decent rinse in old tank water will keep them going for many many months.

If you are changing media, change one bit at a time so you keep enough bacteria to process the ammonia etc. The old ones will seed the new ones in a couple of weeks but I'd leave a couple of months at least between changing each individual piece.

David

 

[David J]

Sorry. Media are the things you put in the filter. Most filters have different spaces in the filter for different types of media ie sponges, carbon, bio media. (All fitted into a cartridge then slid into the filter) Bio media is where a lot of the beneficial bacteria colonise although they colonise on everything else too.

Hope that makes sense.

David

 

[GetItSahn]

Sorry. Media are the things you put in the filter. Most filters have different spaces in the filter for different types of media ie sponges, carbon, bio media. (All fitted into a cartridge then slid into the filter) Bio media is where a lot of the beneficial bacteria colonise although they colonise on everything else too.

Hope that makes sense.

David

I have a Aqueon QuietFlow Power filter and it has only one cartridge filled with carbon. The only way to remove the carbon that i can see is to cut it out but then i couldn't put any back in as far as i know. What do you suggest I do. My biggest concern is not having to recycle my tank because of the filter

 

[kazc31]

U could buy a filter sponge to fit it put it in with ur current media all be it it fits and have it running for awhile so the bacteria colonize onto that then ditch the carbon!!
Say it doesn't fit u can remove a third of ur media without it being affected. so as long as u leave 2 thirds, and all being that it will fit ok without it affecting the suction of the pump

 

[GetItSahn]

U could buy a filter sponge to fit it put it in with ur current media all be it it fits and have it running for awhile so the bacteria colonize onto that then ditch the carbon!!
Say it doesn't fit u can remove a third of ur media without it being affected. so as long as u leave 2 thirds, and all being that it will fit ok without it affecting the suction of the pump

But if I make a cut in my cartridge to take out some media, won't the rest spill out while in the filter?

 

[captainJackSparrow]

thats a common issue with the cheap single cartridge filters.

 

[Meeresstille]

Is there room to put a second cartridge beside or near the original one? If so you may want to do that and leave it like that until the old one starts getting too gunked up even after rinsing in old tank water, or starts falling apart. Then throw the old one away but by then the other filter will be seeded with the good bacteria also. 
 
Yes, it is true, if you throw away your filter media, which is inside your cartridge, then you lose the cycle of your tank! It is also not necessary to keep replacing the cartridge every month even though it may say so in the pamphlet! 

 

[Nordk]

Filter manufacturers claim that you need to replace the cartridge every month so that they sell more of them. By "cartridge" do you mean carbon with little floss on one side? Carbon has little use other than removing meds from the water after treatment is over, and will wear out after anywhere from a couple weeks to a month at the most. It serves no function, so sponges or ceramics are what you need. Some of the beneficial bacteria will grow on the flossy part of the cartridge though, but you really ought to have a sponge or other media in there.
Sponges are replaced after they're literally falling to pieces, at which time you should replace it by about a quarter to a third at a time, to allow colonization of the new media. Ceramics last longer and don't really need to be replaced.
What filter are you using? Did you cycle the tank and do you have a test kit?

 

[GetItSahn]

I said what filter in one of my previous posts. The tank is cycled, By cartridge i mean what i remove from the filter that contains the carbon. When you buy them they are called filter cartridges

 

[Nordk]

Ah, I missed that post. The cartridge will have some bacteria growing in the floss, so you definately don't want to throw them away. If there's room, put a sponge or other media as close as possible to the cartridge for a few weeks, once the new media is colonized, you can get rid of the old cartridge. If there isn't room, you'll have to cut the floss off the cartridge, put the sponge in, and then put the floss in to colonize the sponge. That's all I can think of other than re-cycling the tank with a sponge.