When and how to change filter media

[105man]

I set up a 54 gallon tank 6 months ago. The Fluval 404 was filled by LFS with lots of great stuff (though I don't know what!).

At that time, I was told that the filter needs changing or cleaning or new media maybe twice a year.

The tank is doing superbly. It is a fish and reef tank, soft corals only, live rock, live sand, UV light, two powerheads, skimmer, shrimp and algae critters. I have done regular water changes.

Should I open the filter and change all or some of the media? Should I do it at the same time as a water change?

Thanks....your advice and suggestions are appreciated!

[OrionGirl]

Depends on what is in there. I probably would not replace it, but I would remove it and clean it out--sently rinse it off with SW to remove any built up solid wastes.

[g. mcclean]

We run a Fluval in both of our salt tanks and aim for a complete cleaning every 2 weeks. It is amazing the debris that collects. We rinse the pads and the bio chunks. About once a month we take the hoses off and rinse them. It is amazing the gunk that collects there also. We removed about 1/2 of the bio media once we felt our live rock had become "active" enough to support the tanks. We also run carbon in the cannister. Borneman's book on corals suggests that the carbon might help keep the water purer for the corals, also he also states the the info is ancedotal rather than scientific. Hope this helps.