Question about Carbon filter in eclipse system

[Anaxus]

In the eclipse systesm there is a filter that has a blue filter with carbon under it. I was reading in a post below, and someone mentioned replacing these types of filters with sponges. Would this work in a eclipse system? What are the benifits of having a spong over the normal filter with carbon?
Also it is recommended to change the filter once a month, won't I lose some of my bacteria growth doing this?

 

[beviking]

Carbon loses it's potential for absorbing "stuff" quite quickly and although it does support bacterial growth, sponges do the same and are better at mechanical filtration. Sponges are cheap, easy to clean, and rarely need replacement. Also, as you mentioned, if you're replacing part of the filter media once a month, you remove some bacteria. Sponges are rinsed and reused.
Generally, anything the carbon is going to remove is removed with regular water changes. Carbon is very effective at removing medications and many people use it strictly for this.

HTH

 

[OrionGirl]

I have an eclipse system and I have replaced the filter cartridge with a sponge. It's much cheaper--not only to get the original sponge, but you should be able to use the same sponge for several months. Depending on what size eclipse you have, you may want to look at the AC sponges for replacement. I use an AC200 sponge in my Eclipse 6, and it fits snugly--no gaps on the sides. I just take it out and rinse it completely. The only other advice is if you have lots of sold wastes, you may want to put a cup under the outtake to catch the released guck-otherwise some of it won't stick to the sponge and will get dumped back in the tank.

 

[Anaxus]

Its a eclipse#3system. It is the largest one they make that fits a 37 gallon. Where can I find the ac200 sponges? Is there a certain type which work best?

 

[OrionGirl]

Mine is the 6 gallon Eclipse--guess that did look a little weird.

Any LFS should carry the sponges--they are replacement sponges for the AquaClear filters.

 

[Anaxus]

For 3 months the eclipse filters are about 6$. How long does the spong filters usually last?

 

[OrionGirl]

I've had mine in this tank for about 4 months and haven't changed it yet, just rinsed it out each water change. If you have a higher bioload, it might reduce the life a bit.

If you are more comfortable using the cartridges, you don't have to replace them montly either. You can just clean the gunk off and put it back in. I did this when I first setup the tank, and that cartridge was used for about 6 months with no problems, with a light bio-load. The sponges offer much more surface for bacteria colonies, so I switched over. Just keep in mind that the carbon is basically just another handful of gravel after about a week. It won't hurt the tank.

 

[Anaxus]

So basically the filters and the sponge clean out the gunk the same, but the sponge provides a better surface for bacteria growth?
If I get a sponge should I place it in the tank for a couple of days so that when I remove the cartridge I don't lose too much bacteria?
Do you rinse the sponge with tank water during water changes?

 

[OrionGirl]

Yes, either the filter cartridge or the sponge work for mechanical filtration. The sponge will have more surface area that the cartridge, which means the bacteria colonies have more room to grow. Putting the sponge in the tank so that it can build up a bit of a bacteria colony before removing the filter cartridge would help prevent a serious cycle. I rinse my sponges out under tap water, but only once they've becomed established (ie, the tank is completely cycled and has been stable for 6+ weeks). For a newer setup, rinsing out in either the old tank water, or fresh, dechlorinated, room temp water is preferred, just to stay on the safe side.

 

[dbrown17]

I have an Eclipse 3 system that I rarely purchase a new cartridge for. I've taken an old cartridge and cut the filter media around 3 sides so I can fill it with carbon when I want/need it. Otherwise I just rinse out the media as good as I can - when It gets too bad I cut a new piece to sit on the plastic cartridge frame and pitch the old one.