Carbon Pad Change ?'s (Power Filter)

[elipilgrim]

     Hey everyone, I have a tank that's just 2 months old but it's after going through a lot of ups and downs, literally.. After a rough fish-in cycle and facing some deaths, fish fighting, ick, eye eating, etc..  I feel like my tank is FINALLY at the point where it's stable and everyone in there gets along. (yay).
     So here's the current issue, excuse the pun ^.^ .. My filter is after backing up multiple times.. It's the basic power filter that came with my tank as a package when I bought it.. It has a changeable carbon filter bag and a thin sponge on the outside of that.
     I do have a water sprite, 2 amazon swords and one other leafy plant in there and my Green Severum likes to pick at them and there's often lots of debris. It goes up the filter tube and floats around inside the filter chamber.. I think it's what causes the clogging to happen so quickly... Maybe?
     I'm not even certain how often I'm suppose to change the carbon pad anyway.. Carbon can only absorb so much and then it's useless, right? How long do they last? I haven't changed it yet and tomorrow will be the 2 months.. I have shaken it on a few occasions.. When I did a partial change last week I shook the bag inside the dirty tank water and a lot of dirt fell off and it worked really well, but tomorrow is change day again and it's already backing up and there's a distinct foul odor as well.. Decaying plant pieces?
     Also, if I change the carbon pad, what should I do about the beneficial bacteria that's stuck onto it? I hear that there's plenty of beneficial bacteria in the substrate and on the ornaments/plants that I shouldn't have to worry about the cycle being affected.. Is this true?
     What advice do you have? Any is appreciated..
 
     Meanwhile, all my fish seem happy as pigs in poo and the water tests come back fine.. Just worried it will get worse.
 
     I read somewhere online that sponge filters are better because they rarely clog and never have to be changed.. Should I look into getting a different filter altogether? I hear carbon really sucks.. 

 

[fluttermoth]

Can you tell us what make your filter is, or exactly what is inside it, please?

 

[elipilgrim]

Can you tell us what make your filter is, or exactly what is inside it, please?

It's a Topfin 30.. Purchased at PetSmart as a complete package with heater, filter, net and canopy.. Honestly the whole box and package doesn't say much other than the fact that it's a Topfin Powerfilter and how to install it.. It says no description of the inside of the filter media or about changing.. That's part of the reason why I am left here wondering what to do..

 

[fluttermoth]

Can you open it up and tell me what 'stuff' is in it?

Once we know exactly what media is in there, we can advise on what you can replace and what you need to keep

 

[elipilgrim]

Can you open it up and tell me what 'stuff' is in it?

Once we know exactly what media is in there, we can advise on what you can replace and what you need to keep

     The reason why I came to this forum to seek advice was because I'm unsure of exactly what I have and what I should/shouldn't do.. How do you expect me to give you exact detailed descriptions of stuff? I am a 'beginner' remember..
     All that I know - like I said in the first post, was that it has changeable carbon filled pads with a thin black sponge standing next to it.. & It's a power filter.. That's the info I have..
     SO, at face value.. what would you recommend? Should I have someone who actually knows stuff come to my house and take a look?
Obviously this online method isn't working..

 

[fluttermoth]

I'm sorry
 
I was just asking if you could tell me what the stuff inside the filter looked like; sponge, ceramic rings, plastic balls or whatever, and roughly what proportion each was in (half sponge, half carbon pads, or whatever).
 
Your best bet, with what I know from these sorts of filters, is either;
 
open up the carbon pad, tip all the carbon out and replace it with another kind of media, one that will make a good home for your bacteria, like ceramic rings or Alfagrog or bioballs.
 
or
 
if the carbon pad has filter floss on the outside, then that tends to clog quite quickly, especially with large, messy fish like sevs, so it might be a good idea to dump the cartridge altogether and just have sponge in there.
 
If the carbon pad is more than a quarter of the total media, then you'll have to take it apart as best you can and replace it a bit at a time.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

If it were me I'd swap to an external/canister filter. You can move all of your current media into the trays of the new filter and you're done With a tank your size an external filter is pretty normal, 29 gallons right?
 
I'd recommend the Marineland C-160 or C-220, they are the US equivalent to what I use in my tanks but I dunno if available in Canada. There's plenty of other options though!

 

[DrRob]

Topfin 30, a fairly basic HOB filter. Often bundled with tanks and comes with pad filtration, tends to be floss on a plastic frame and that stuff clogs like crazy.
 
Personally I'm not a huge fan of any of those filter types, and you're probably right, water sprite in particular is a pain for falling apart and getting into the filter (it's what it does to reproduce, so it's intentional). Not helped by a fish like a severum, that's fairly partial to eating aquarium plants, they're difficult to keep in a planted tank.
 
Generally for changing pads they're straight replacements, which is why I don't like these filters. They end up expensive in the long run and there are far better filters out there, which I suspect is what Almost is getting at. Generally you'll find that changing out the pads one at a time doesn't mess too much with the bacteria load, but never change them all at once, although you appear to have got that bit already.
 
Anyway, carbon is a fishkeeping love/hate thing. Some love it, some hate it. I use it occasionally but it's far from essential and, as you say, it needs replacing regularly or it can start to leech things back into the water. Personally, I'd take it out (if you can separate it, which you may not be able to) and see if I could cram some sponge or equivalent in there to get more mechanical and biofilter in there, which may reduce your clogging problems. Without having actually seen the inside of one of those filter I can't offer much as to exactly how feasible adding sponge or ceramic media might be, but there's generally a way. You could also go with a pre-filter sponge on the intake, they sell round ones that'll do the job. It may be a case of giving the pad a good clean, adding more sponge and then waiting for the new sponge to colonise before changing anything else.