Changing First Filter

[Francesjane]

My filter is due a change any day soon as they only last a month in the filter I have. I am now in the final stages of my cycle and have worked very hard over the last month to keep my few fish in as good water as I could (never knew about cycling until I had them) i know that my filter holds a lot of good stuff and it does not feel right to just swap it with a clean filter....any suggestions as to what to do?

 

[nortonmad213]

if your filter has multiple foam cartridges etc then only change one of them,
you can also place a new cartridge in your tank now to start developing bacteria in that foam before you change it.
its what i have done and i havent had any problems
good luck

 

[Francesjane]

I have one white floss and carbon cartridge and an alegeaway cartridge...there is a spare slot to hold one more cartridge if needed but I don't know if I added another cartridge to the holder that it would become too full to allow the water through if you know what I mean?

 

[Nordk]

Firstly, you should NEVER change the media in a filter unless it is physically disintigrating, and only then by 1/4-1/3 at a time, to avoid breaking the cycle. Companies reccomend replacement every month to sell more. Since you have a cabon cartridge, your tank is only partially cycled, as the floss on the cartridge isn't enough to keep a tank going in the long run. Carbon is only used for removing meds from the water, and does wear out after a month (that's why they tell you to replace it every month), but other than de-medicating, it has no use. You need to get some bio-media (sponge, ceramics, etc. in the filter, preferably touching the cartridge, to allow the bacteria to colonize from the floss to the new media.
One other thing, did you change the cartridge while you were cycling?

 

[Francesjane]

No I have not changed the cartridge at all...and it is pretty intact...so, you suggest getting some ceramics or sponge to add into the filter, leaving the cartridge in there also.....and only changing it bit by bit as much as I can do to keep the media in there as much as I can?

 

[Nordk]

Yes and no.
You needn't worry about the cartridge coming apart anytime soon, sponges degrade the fastest and need to be replaced in quarters or thirds, but ceramics last for a very long time (I've never heard of anyone having to replace them). As for the cartridge, keep it in for a few weeks, allowing bacteria to colonize on your media, which should be touching the floss. After about the time it would take to cycle (anywhere from 2-6 weeks, this is where a test kit comes in handy, if you don't have one you need to get one aswell), you can remove the cartridge, as your tank is cycled.

You also don't need to keep buying replacement cartridges afterwords.

 

[GRD1985]

Cartridge will last a lot longer then a month. Replacing filters on a time interval is just a marketing gimmick. I still have the original meida/sponges on some of my 6 year old filters. Just clean them regularly and reuse them.