Filter Question

[fuddmaster]

Hi there i have had my tank almost 2 months. i was reading and it says to change the filter every 2-6 weeks. i have 2 penguin bio-wheel 150 in my 55 gallon i have 6 zebra danios 3 male guppys(gonna get 6 females this weekend) and 3 Platys. i know not to ever change the bio wheel unless it is in pieces. My question is when do i change my filters? there are 2 slots that i can use. should i put the new one in for a few weeks and then take the old one out. How long can i go with the same filters.

 

[drobbyb]

I never change mine, they just get a swish in old tank water to keep them from getting clogged. Basicailly, the manufacturer wants you to spend money to buy the inserts.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree. Sponges get a squeeze-out in tank water and loose media get a dunk/swish in tank water. You basically just want to free up the debris and have it float away from the media in the bucket of tank water you just removed from the tank (or in some new tank you want to fishless cycle! (sorry, that's rare, don't mean to confuse...))

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

I would go ahead and add a filter of some sort to the extra filter slot. The filter cartridge that you have running right now can be rinsed out in a bucket of used tank water and put right back where it started. You do not keep buying new uncycled cartridges to stress out your fish, you re-use the one you have until it falls apart. By then the wheel will probably have enough live bacteria on it to minimize the impact on your fish of tossing the worn out cartridge.

 

[fuddmaster]

thanks every one