Rinsing your filter media in dirty water....should this happen?

[coach_z]

Picture is worth a thousand words right? well. is there any way that this can be considered normal after rinsing my filter media in old tank water?

i do a 26% water change every 7-10 days and always rinse out my filter media. upon doing so my water turns from clear to a terrible brown.

i dose pmdd daily, my nitrates are usually around 15
-chris

 

[andyjh]

I'd say very normal- did you mean dirty aquarium water? I rinse my filter sponges in water that just came out from a water change. After wringing out my sponge I've seen the water turn BLACK!
Andy

 

[Kashta]

Yep, that's normal. Filters get filthy nasty dirty... that just shows it's working.

 

[coach_z]

I'd say very normal- did you mean dirty aquarium water? I rinse my filter sponges in water that just came out from a water change. After wringing out my sponge I've seen the water turn BLACK!
Andy

yea i caught that right after i posted it. dirty tank water.

 

[snappyguy]

I agree that it looks normal. Filter material catches a lot of gunk that you don't want in your tank, so being that brown isn't a problem.

 

[coach_z]

Thanks for the responses!

i didnt figure that it would turn out to be crystal clear after rinsing. but i also never thought that it should be this brown and gross. although i have been so little concerned it took me 2 months to ask the question

 

[drunkenmastera]

im a little confuse.
at what point do you use new filter?

 

[vampie]

Yeah, it's normal. I actually use it as sort of an indicator - if it the water doesn't turn that dark, I keep rinsing the media until it does.

 

[coach_z]

im a little confuse.
at what point do you use new filter?

when water no longer flows through it. the day that water flows over and not through my filter cartridges i swap out a filter cartridge. every two months i think? i dont pay that much attention to how often i change them out.

Vampie. the water was practically that color the second i put the filters in the bucket.

 

[CBWMN]

Those buckets look just like mine.
i gravel vac at least once a week,
but I don’t clean my canister but once every six weeks or so.
I use pillow floss in my canister and hardly ever change it.

Charles