I've noticed that on both my HOBs -- an AquaClear 110 and Aqueon QuietFlow 55 -- when I pull the media out to dunk in removed tank water from time to time that the carbon cartridges of the Aqueon AND the sponge of the AquaClear are both really never that dirty...this seems weird since I house three fancy goldfish in my 60 gallon, though I AM religious with big water changes, doing 50% weekly and a 15-gallon "mini change" about mid-week (treated with Prime at every change).
No matter how many times I rinse the spone and dunk the cartridges, not that much -- if any at all -- debris goes into the bucket; there is always some kind of food or waste debris that I can see getting flushed into the bathtub when I empty the bucket and the water is slightly discolored, but it's not like "Oh my G-d! That is BLACK!" or tons of gunk is coming out of the media...
Is this merely because my water is actually in good shape, or is it something to be concerned about? Neither of the filters are blocked in any way and flow isn't restricted in either of them -- is it somewhat "normal" for HOBs not to build up a great deal of debris and gunk like this? Is it merely a sign of a more healthy tank?
No matter how many times I rinse the spone and dunk the cartridges, not that much -- if any at all -- debris goes into the bucket; there is always some kind of food or waste debris that I can see getting flushed into the bathtub when I empty the bucket and the water is slightly discolored, but it's not like "Oh my G-d! That is BLACK!" or tons of gunk is coming out of the media...
Is this merely because my water is actually in good shape, or is it something to be concerned about? Neither of the filters are blocked in any way and flow isn't restricted in either of them -- is it somewhat "normal" for HOBs not to build up a great deal of debris and gunk like this? Is it merely a sign of a more healthy tank?
