Changing Filter Media

[taylorlaud19]

hey can anyone tell me the best way to change my filter media plz, should i put the new media in with the current ones so the bacteria will get on it quicker or wat? thanks.

 

[waterdrop]

Hi taylor,

If I remember right you are cycling with fish and scotty was advising you that you could add other types of media in your filter?

Not really enough info to go on here, but in general, if you absolutely have to change out media, then yes, it is better to only change in about 1/3 volume of new media, leaving the old media for the other 2/3 volume to preserve most of the good bacteria hopefully.

In the "fish-in" cycle you are doing (if I've got that right) you should be able to tell if it is finished if your ammonia and nitrite readings can stay at zero for two days without you needing to do a water change. It should take about 4 weeks before this will happen in a fish-in cycling process.

If your fish-in cycling is not yet finished, then making changes to your media will cause a set-back in the process and temporarily slow things down usually. On the other hand, if you have the wrong type of media, it may be important to start getting it right.

Good Luck,
~~waterdrop~~

 

[Miss Wiggle]

mmmmm can we have some more background, why do you want/need to change the media?

 

[taylorlaud19]

Hey yeah thts correct about the fish in cycle (not they way i planned on cycling but yeah thts how it turned out) , uh im not changing the media at the moment but when i do i just want the relevant info on what to do as and when i need to. reason being some1 at LFS said to change ev 6 weeks which i find unlikely?? and also another fish shop said with carbon media it will finally just "collapse" i think he said, and it will just start letting everything out i have no idea what he meant by this. so do you think i should change to sponge or keep with carbon or should i even change my media? i'm starting to wonder do Fish shop employees actually know what they are talking about? every store has a different answer/method for everything. anyways i think ill take my info from this forums and go with what you guys say and not fish stores.

 

[Rooster]

This should go onto the "10 commandments" of stickies !!! - YOU DO NOT NEED TO CHANGE MEDIA AS A MATTER OF COURSE ! lol

Manufacturers and a lot of fish shops would have you believe that you must change it as a matter of course, but that is absolutey incorrect....
BUT - it WILL need maintaining... this is ONLY to alleviate clogging, and usually involves nothing more than a swish about in a bucket of OLD tank water... not, and I repeat NOT tap water !

Foam elements may need a good squeezing to release the "gunk" but you cannot overdo it - so give it some welly ! lol
Carbon is a matter for debate, I wouldnt use it unless I want to remove medication from the tank, so in my opinion - if thats your only medium, I would swap it out... but this must be done gradually (or you cycle will need doing again) say, 10% a week or so...

Media will degenerate over time, foam will fall apart for example, but this can take years - I have an internal filter with the SAME foam in it for 20 years ! My external filters use ceramic media... which will last longer than me - barring mistakes ;-)

You have to appreciate that these folk are in business to MAKE MONEY.... so you cant really blame them for trying, but this advice causes more heartache and discouraged noobs if you ask me.

Let us know which filter you use, and Im sure youll get some suggestions for media to replace the carbon...

 

[steve01]

I would like to jump in here if I may, I have got a Fluvall 205 external filter in a 44gal tank it has only been running for a week and a couple of day's with five fish in, now I have two baskets filled with Bio-Max ceramic media and two Carbon pouches, do you think that I should take the Carbon out and if so what media do suggest that I replace it with?.

Thanks.

Steve.

 

[rabbut]

How are the water stats holding out? If ammonia and nitrite are zero, replace one this week with bio-max or similar. Wait two weeks and then get something mechanical in there like floss or sponge to replace the second lot of carbon. If the water stats are still off, leave well alone would be my advise. Wait for them to zero out and then replace the carbon in two lots as above

HTH
Rabbut

 

[OldMan47]

Steve, if you are in the second week of a cycle, the carbon may be the main place that has any bactria in it. I would leave well enough alone until the cycle has finished, then, as rabbut said, change things gradually.