change my filter media help

[slowmo115]

i know that good bacteri (i cant spell sorry) live in the filter media but how do i change it so i dont loose all of that bactieri?

[marc515192]

Bacteria also lives in the substrate (gravel) so you should have no problems. I totally break down my filter every month and clean it with no problems.

[Rbishop]

What kind of filter are you using?

[zazz]

Bacteria also lives in the substrate (gravel) so you should have no problems. I totally break down my filter every month and clean it with no problems.

I am surprised you don't see any rise in ammonia levels after that. Do you test for it? Do you have live plants?

Slowmo, If it is a filter that hangs on the back of the tank, I don't usually change the filter media. I just rinse it out in dechlorinated water if it appears very dirty. Is there a special reason you need to change it?

[hankn]

If it is a filter that hangs on the back of the tank, I don't usually change the filter media. I just rinse it out in dechlorinated water if it appears very dirty. Is there a special reason you need to change it?

My fishstore told me to change the media every 3 months (some whitish cottony looking material and some underneath charcoal). Is this necessary? My filter hangs on the back of the tank, external to the bowfront 30G tank.

[enrique4jc]

I have wondered about this myself. I'm running a bio-wheel 350. Since the bacteria is supposed to build up in the bio-wheels, can't I change out the filter cartridges from time to time with no problems?

[zazz]

hankn
unnecessary. also, not advisable because as you already figured out, youd loose the majority of your bacterial filtration. That's the kind you can rinse out. many people suggest swishing it in the bucket of tank water that you take out at water change time. The charcoal in this case becomes just another surface for bacteria to colonize. It isnt necessary for anything other than that under normal circumstances.

Enrique - That's right.At least thats how it was with My biowheel. I don't know what's in your filter cartridge, but the bacterial filtration happens mostly in the biowheel.

[NeonJulie]

I try to keep an extra filter in there when I think the old one's getting past it's time to go, leave it in for two weeks and then remove the old one. (If I'm going to switch out filters.) Although I hadn't done that for the past few times, and I never saw a blip. (Plenty available apparently on the Bio-Wheel, plastic floating plants and gravel apparently.)

[marc515192]

I am surprised you don't see any rise in ammonia levels after that. Do you test for it? Do you have live plants?


I do check 24hrs after and every thing is normal. I do have live plants and there is no effect on them either.

[zazz]

Thanks. Live plants help process nitrogen. Also bacteria on all surfaces including substrate as you said. It sounds like in your aquarium those things together can handle your bioload. If that is whats really going on, I wonder how common this is.

"I try to keep an extra filter in there when I think the old one's getting past it's time to go, leave it in for two weeks and then remove the old one. (If I'm going to switch out filters.) Although I hadn't done that for the past few times, and I never saw a blip. (Plenty available apparently on the Bio-Wheel, plastic floating plants and gravel apparently.)"

If your filter has a biowheel, that is where the significant majorityof the biofiltration is supposed to happen. It is a large surface area for bacteria and it keeps highly oxegenated water flowing over this surface. I would guess that's why you saw no blip when replacing the other filter the last few times. The other filter is primarily for filtering particles out of the water. That double-up-for-two- weeks idea is a good one though,for filters without biowheels.

[aardvark1]

I run an extra filter cart in all my Penguins, clean one at one water change (actually every 2-3 weeks or so) then do the other cart at the next time.

Also, if I set up a new tank (having done this a bit here recently), I have a "seasoned" cart ready to go. Running Penguin 350's on the 55 gallon tanks; I'll swap one of the bio-wheels to a new filter also( P350 uses 2)

Works for me!

[hankn]

hankn
unnecessary. also, not advisable because as you already figured out, youd loose the majority of your bacterial filtration. That's the kind you can rinse out. many people suggest swishing it in the bucket of tank water that you take out at water change time. The charcoal in this case becomes just another surface for bacteria to colonize. It isnt necessary for anything other than that under normal circumstances.


Ok. I'll wash the charcoal, but on top of the charcoal filter there is this white cottonish type of material that does the initial filteration and is now stained quite brown. Should I be rinsing this as well or replacing it? What is it called?

Thanks.

[Weezer]

Yes i use 4 filters in my bio but only change 2 at a time and try to service the magnum at diferent intervils.....:thm: