I have a Penguin biowheel filter on my tank. I do weekly water changes and also change the carbon filter cartridge. I'm wondering if it's even necessary to change it every week. Would just rinsing it out and reinserting it back in the filter be enough? Filter cartridges are costing me about 15 bucks a month. Would be nice to save some money.
Filter cartridge question
- Thread starter fishinAZ
- Start date
Unless you wwant to get rid of medications or tannis from new driftwood, carbon doesnt really do anything. I would just leave it in there though as it will be good for colonizing benificial bacteria on it. The only reason to rinse it/rplace it is if you want to get rid of medications and stuff.
-Dan
-Dan
You can replace the filter cartridges with filter wool or foam. I think that you can buy bulk filter foam from www.bigalsonline.com
Rinse your filter media weekly in tank water when you do your water change. There's no need to replace media until it begins to fall apart.
Carbon will be exhausted after a couple of weeks, or less depending on your stocking load, feeding schedule, tannins in the tank... Technically you could regenerate it by rinsing in alcohol, baking, rinsing in distilled or RO water, but why go through the hassle? It's simply not worth it, activated carbon won't gain you anything that frequent water changes, proper stocking and light feeding (in other words, proper fish husbandry) won't accomplish alone.
Rinse your filter media weekly in tank water when you do your water change. There's no need to replace media until it begins to fall apart.
Carbon will be exhausted after a couple of weeks, or less depending on your stocking load, feeding schedule, tannins in the tank... Technically you could regenerate it by rinsing in alcohol, baking, rinsing in distilled or RO water, but why go through the hassle? It's simply not worth it, activated carbon won't gain you anything that frequent water changes, proper stocking and light feeding (in other words, proper fish husbandry) won't accomplish alone.
I also have a Penguin, and I typically take some water from the tank before a water change and swish the cartridge around to clear any gunk out of the foam, then replace the filter cartridge and do my water change. I replace the cartridges when they don't rinse clean easily - it can be more than a month or two and I've got a heavily stocked tank.
Hey fishinAZ
This is what i did with my penguin 125.
I took a new filter cartridge and cut all the blue filter stuff out and emptied out the carbon. That leaves you with the black frame that you slip into the filter. Buy some sponge or foam bulk from a LFS and cut it so its a little larger than the black frame. Wrap an elastic or two to hold it into place. Voila, a homemade filter cartridge. All you have to do is rinse it with every water change.
I noticed that the cartridges you buy clog super fast because of they are so fine. I tried just washing it clean, but it didn't work. Oh yeah, you can also take the rest of the bulk sponge or foam and shove it into all the open spaces in your filter. Hope this helps.
This is what i did with my penguin 125.
I took a new filter cartridge and cut all the blue filter stuff out and emptied out the carbon. That leaves you with the black frame that you slip into the filter. Buy some sponge or foam bulk from a LFS and cut it so its a little larger than the black frame. Wrap an elastic or two to hold it into place. Voila, a homemade filter cartridge. All you have to do is rinse it with every water change.
I noticed that the cartridges you buy clog super fast because of they are so fine. I tried just washing it clean, but it didn't work. Oh yeah, you can also take the rest of the bulk sponge or foam and shove it into all the open spaces in your filter. Hope this helps.
Also- PetSolutions.com sells something called a "cartdidge frame" (I couldn't bring up a photo of one but the product number is 47401215- ballpark $3 for a 2 pack) that is just what it sounds like- an empty reusable frame that opens and closes so you can just cut bulk floss (like Big Al's) to fit and click the frame shut.
I've used the real ones, trimmed off the media and rubber banded floss to the bare backing, and these frames are the easiest thing yet.
"Scuse the crappy photo- I had like two spare minutes...
I've used the real ones, trimmed off the media and rubber banded floss to the bare backing, and these frames are the easiest thing yet.
"Scuse the crappy photo- I had like two spare minutes...