Help with my Top Fin Silentstream 10

[Deidre Bunch]

I’ve had this filter on my new tank for about a month and it’s clogged twice. I have been told not to replace the filter yet because I haven’t gotten my tank established. So, I’ve been “swishing” it in water I removed from the tank at a cleaning. This last time the filter didn’t unclog and the water is still coming out of the overflow. I purchased a second filter about a week ago so in the future, if necessary, I can change one at a time. However, it hasn’t been on long enough to be useful this time. I don’t know what to do. I’ve been advised to put the old filter media behind the new filter but I’m new to this and I have to clue what filter media is. I will include pictures, but there is a blue plastic piece, a pouch and the carbon goes in the pouch. Two pouches full of carbon will not fit in the filter box. If I empty the old one, and shove it behind the new filter, then aren’t I getting rid of bacteria on the carbon? Any advice on what to do?

 

[Colin_T]

Filter media is the filter materials or the items in the filter that hold bacteria, trap gunk and help clean the water.
eg: sponge, filter pad, carbon, ceramic beads, are all types of filter media.

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You need to squeeze the filter media out in the bucket of tank water, not swish it about. If you don't squeeze it out, a lot of gunk will remain trapped in the pad and reduce the water flow through it.

If you have carbon in the filter pad, make a small cut in the top of the pad and tip the carbon out and throw it away. Then squeeze the pad out (until it is clean) and re-use it in the tank. You will lose some of the bacteria on the carbon but there will be bacteria on the filter pad.

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You can buy sponges for other brands of filters like an AquaClear filter. The sponges can be added to your filter to increase the amount of filter media. You can cut the sponges wiht a pr of scissors to make them fit better. Sponges last for many years and don't need to be replaced unless they start to break down. This means you don't have to keep buying filter pads.

Some brands of internal power filter have a round/ cylindrical sponge in them. The cylindrical shaped sponge has a hole through the centre and these sponges fit over the intake strainer of most external power filters. They add extra filtration and help stop small or sick fish being sucked into the filter.

 

[Deidre Bunch]

Filter media is the filter materials or the items in the filter that hold bacteria, trap gunk and help clean the water.
eg: sponge, filter pad, carbon, ceramic beads, are all types of filter media.

------------------------
You need to squeeze the filter media out in the bucket of tank water, not swish it about. If you don't squeeze it out, a lot of gunk will remain trapped in the pad and reduce the water flow through it.

If you have carbon in the filter pad, make a small cut in the top of the pad and tip the carbon out and throw it away. Then squeeze the pad out (until it is clean) and re-use it in the tank. You will lose some of the bacteria on the carbon but there will be bacteria on the filter pad.

------------------------
You can buy sponges for other brands of filters like an AquaClear filter. The sponges can be added to your filter to increase the amount of filter media. You can cut the sponges wiht a pr of scissors to make them fit better. Sponges last for many years and don't need to be replaced unless they start to break down. This means you don't have to keep buying filter pads.

Some brands of internal power filter have a round/ cylindrical sponge in them. The cylindrical shaped sponge has a hole through the centre and these sponges fit over the intake strainer of most external power filters. They add extra filtration and help stop small or sick fish being sucked into the filter.

I was going to look into the ones you mention that go into the intake and I’ve seen people buy the sponges to put into the filter but I’m confused as to where it would go. Would it be behind the bag of carbon?

Squeezing the bag won’t knock off bacteria?