Filter Question

[Arashi]

So, I haven't had a fish tank in a LONG time, and I've kinda forgotton a few basic things. In our 2 1/2 gallon tank we have an outside filtration system, and in our 25 gallon tank we have both an outside system and an undergravel one. My question is, how do you know when it's time to change either the BioBags or the carbon cartridges? There's no sign of instructions on the boxes either of them came in...

 

[vantgE]

i think carbon should be changed every month however you can slack on this as it is not the most important aspect of filtration

and i'm not sure what bio bags are but if they are just normal biological filtration rinse it in dechlorineted what whenever it starts getting clogged

 

[Great Lakes]

This could almost be one of those "how long is a piece of string" questions.

The deciding factors would be how many fish you keep and what type, along with how often and much you feed, and how much you care for your little friends.

On one end you have the hobbiest who buys filters by the bulk so it is economical to just arbitrarily change them every two weeks, and on the other end of the spectrum you have the keeper that one day notices the water flow from the filter drasticly reduced because it is so dirty.

If you have clean inhaitants and tend not to overfeed, your filter should take weeks to get clogged with debris, but I would only rely on the internal carbon staying active for no more than two weeks.

GL

 

[Arashi]

Much thanks. I do care about my little friends and want to make sure they get the best care possible, so I'll change them often. I just couldn't remember from the last time I had a tank...it's been so long.

vantgE, BioBags are the filtration bags that go into SecondNature brand filters. Unfortunately I couldn't think of anything else to call them when I wrote up my posty, so I used the offical name for them, not a generic one.