Filter Cleaning And Changing

[mak]

My tank is only a few weeks old, how often should I clean and change filter cartridges? I have 3 cartridges .

 

[Livewire88]

You should only need to clean the filter media once you notice that the flow has dropped, the media should not need to be replaced for new inless it is falling apart/crumbling (which will take a very long time to happen under normal conditions)
 
And as always if you do clean the media make sure you clean it in used tank water and not tap water, the chlorine in tap water will kill of your beneficial bacteria. 

 

[KirkyArcher]

Change filter media when it's no longer able to fill all the gaps it's supposed to fill and only then replace one element at a time (if there are several within the filter), cleaning should be no more thorough than a few squeezes in a bucket of tank water taken when doing a water change to remove any excessive build up of mulm* usually every 2-3 weeks
(fish poo, excess food and other waste products trapped in the media)*

 

[mak]

What do you mean when you say 'you should only clean the filter media once you notice that the flow has dropped'?

 

[phoenixgsd]

when the spray bar or output no longer ripples the surface of the water like it should, this means the flow has been interrupted, usually by gunk build up, thats when you gently squeeze the sponge or what ever is in your filter in old tank water

 

[This Old Spouse]

Do not replace the cartridges according to what the box says. They only want lots of your money. You only need to completely replace a cartridge once it starts literally falling apart. And then only one at a time.
 
Those cartridges are growing wonderful bacteria that's eating all the ammonia and nitrite that's produced by fish and food waste. If you were to throw out the cartridges all at once and according to the manufacturer's directions, you'd be starting the cycle over each time, and fish would be dying.

 

[Gvilleguy]

If one of your cartridges is a flossy carbon based one, I would recommend swapping that one out for a sponge. A carbon sponge is fine, but floss carbon will saturate and need replacing more often, causing you to discard helpful bacteria that colonize the floss itself. Carbon is normally only needed periodically to filter out medicines.

 

[Lunar Jetman]

If you have multiple cartridges in the filter, don't change them all at once either. This will destroy any good bacteria you have built up.

 

[mak]

Thanks, can I clean/rinse all my cartridges at the same time? how often would you recommend? once a week?

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Thanks, can I clean/rinse all my cartridges at the same time? how often would you recommend? once a week?

See my comment above yours...