Filter Changing Advice

[davefish]

My filter (and heater) came with the tank when I bought it. It seemed like the easiest thing to do.

I hadn't thought about using a different kind of media, but I suppose it is an option. I will have to look at my local shop to see what is available. Long term it would be nice to have something I don't have to replace as that will save money!

 

[The Mighty Boosh]

Carbon/Active Carbon has a place, and is useful for removing medicines or bad smells from your water.

The problem is if you leave it in there for any length of time it will soon have a detrimental effect and will start to leech its absorbed toxins back into your tank over time

so if you do use it, make sure you take it out after several days

 

[waterdrop]

Carbon/Active Carbon has a place, and is useful for removing medicines or bad smells from your water.

The problem is if you leave it in there for any length of time it will soon have a detrimental effect and will start to leech its absorbed toxins back into your tank over time

so if you do use it, make sure you take it out after several days

This has been supposedly debunked according to several other threads on TFF. It was thought at one time that the adsorbed chemicals leeched back in but now the word is that they do not (not including such long times that the carbon itself crumbles!)and you are safe with the chems stuck inside the carbon until you take the carbon out. So its more a matter of simply wasted filter space after the 3 days - by which time the carbon is mostly full and useless.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[The Mighty Boosh]

[/quote]
This has been supposedly debunked according to several other threads on TFF. It was thought at one time that the adsorbed chemicals leeched back in but now the word is that they do not (not including such long times that the carbon itself crumbles!)and you are safe with the chems stuck inside the carbon until you take the carbon out. So its more a matter of simply wasted filter space after the 3 days - by which time the carbon is mostly full and useless.

~~waterdrop~~
[/quote]

Very interesting waterdrop, I missed the posts has it been tested and proven as a myth?

 

[fish are friends....]

I wouldnt change the inserts every 4 weeks, just rince them in a bucket of tank water to keep all the healthy bacteria in the filter every 3-4 weeks. Thats what i do with mine. Just make sure you have a phosphate remover spounge, thats the important part. (they are black rough one)