Night61
Fish Herder
how do you know its time to change out your filter?
Filter Question
- Thread starter Night61
- Start date
change the filter or clean the filter?
You only change filter materials when they start to fall apart. Carbon and Ammogon/ Zeolite are the exceptions to this. Carbon is a black granulated substance used to absorb chemicals from water. It should be replaced about once a month for normal carbon and once every 2 months for activated carbon. If you use medications or plant fertilisers in the tank then don't use carbon.
Zeolite/ Ammogon is a white granulated stuff used to absorb ammonia and should be recharged ever few days.
Sponges, ceramic beads/noodles, etc should be replaced when they start to fall apart. Most sponges will last several years and the ceramic beads will last a lifetime.
Filters should be cleaned once a month even if they look clean. The filter materials should be washed in a bucket of tank water and then put into the tank. The filter casing can be washed out under tap water. When everything is clean, put the filter back together and get it going.
Undergravel filters should be gravel cleaned once a week or once a fortnight, depending on your water change regime.
If your filter needs cleaning more than once a month it is too small for the tank and you need more filtration.
You only change filter materials when they start to fall apart. Carbon and Ammogon/ Zeolite are the exceptions to this. Carbon is a black granulated substance used to absorb chemicals from water. It should be replaced about once a month for normal carbon and once every 2 months for activated carbon. If you use medications or plant fertilisers in the tank then don't use carbon.
Zeolite/ Ammogon is a white granulated stuff used to absorb ammonia and should be recharged ever few days.
Sponges, ceramic beads/noodles, etc should be replaced when they start to fall apart. Most sponges will last several years and the ceramic beads will last a lifetime.
Filters should be cleaned once a month even if they look clean. The filter materials should be washed in a bucket of tank water and then put into the tank. The filter casing can be washed out under tap water. When everything is clean, put the filter back together and get it going.
Undergravel filters should be gravel cleaned once a week or once a fortnight, depending on your water change regime.
If your filter needs cleaning more than once a month it is too small for the tank and you need more filtration.
Cantbesaved
Fish Fanatic
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2008
- Messages
- 146
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
I changed my filter when the water level BEHIND the filter media is higher than in front of it, to a point where it was overflowing... There is a little slot on my filter (And I am sure on most others), that allows water to flow back into the tank without being filtered, if it is clogged, to avoid a wet floor! 
So if water is spewing out the overflow, time to change or clean!!
Change your filter ONLY IF YOU HAVE A BIO-WHEEL!!!!
IF you don't have a biowheel, just rinse off the crud and toss it back in, as best you can. If it stays clogged, put in a new filter, cut your old one in half, and toss the old one in with the new one and monitor levels closely. But REALLY try to just rinse the old one.
My filter media is extremely thick to begin with, and clogged in a month and a half. I cleaned it and cleaned it and cleaned it, but it clogged right away again. I even tried cutting it open and taking out the carbon to help with flow, but it did not work.
I changed my filter and monitored the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and they didnt change a bit, thanks to the bio-wheel
.
So if water is spewing out the overflow, time to change or clean!!Change your filter ONLY IF YOU HAVE A BIO-WHEEL!!!!
IF you don't have a biowheel, just rinse off the crud and toss it back in, as best you can. If it stays clogged, put in a new filter, cut your old one in half, and toss the old one in with the new one and monitor levels closely. But REALLY try to just rinse the old one.
My filter media is extremely thick to begin with, and clogged in a month and a half. I cleaned it and cleaned it and cleaned it, but it clogged right away again. I even tried cutting it open and taking out the carbon to help with flow, but it did not work.
I changed my filter and monitored the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and they didnt change a bit, thanks to the bio-wheel
.Similar threads
Most reactions
-
521 -
290
-
282
-
194 -
194 -
159
-
152 -
149 -
145 -
140 -
135 -
123 -
78 -
77 -
77