How Often Should I Change My Filter Pads?

[monahan95]

Hey guys, I just want to ask you guys how often should I change my foam pads, carbon and filter media etc? The foam pads I have at the minute were replace around 3 weeks ago and my carbon and filter media hasn't been changed since I got my tank 3 months ago, is this bad? and could it affect the health of my fish. Please help!

 

[the_lock_man]

FIrst off, the foam pads, carbon and any ceramics or sponges are all, collectively, filter media.
 
Never change ceramics.
 
Only change the foam pads or sponges when they are falling apart.
 
Since you have been using carbon, don't bother changing it at this point.
 
When you remove any filter media, you are removing some of the bacteria which processes the ammonia, so leave it all where it is for as long as possible.

 

[sawickib]

You shouldnt ever change your old filter media, it holds a lot of your bacteria, so removing them virtually recycles your tank. Once a month your supposed to wash the filter media in a bucket of aquarium water. You can change the carbon though, once their deactivated they are of no worth, hold not much bacteria. I suppose if you wanted a new pad you could cram another thing into the back and wait awhile for bacteria to move onto it and remove your old one but i wouldnt it.

 

[sadguppy]

Ostensibly never, unless they're falling apart and then you need to do it slowly bit by bit. Never change the lot together as you're headed for disaster that way! Rinse it out in a bucket of tank water when the flow starts to drop. Realistically that's once a month for an internal and perhaps a bit longer for an external (mine goes months, naughty me).

 

[monahan95]

Thanks guys, my pads were getting a little grubby so I thought i would ask. I suppose i'll leave it as long as possible and then give them a scrub in a bucket of treated water.

 

[sawickib]

Not treated water, tank water.

 

[monahan95]

Oh ok, my bad 

 

[sadguppy]

When you're doing a change, just keep a bucket and do it in that. Newly treated water may be a different temperature etc and knock back the bacteria.

 

[l_l_l]

If you want to clean your media, you can always give it a shake in old tank water.
NEVER change you media, unless it's falling appart.
 
Cheers.

 

[KirkyArcher]

"Treated" (de chlorinated) water is perfectly acceptable to clean filter components including media, Nitrifying bacteria is way hardier than most people believe.

 

[sadguppy]

Unless it's a wildly different temperature, in which case it could have an effect, although I do agree. I occasionally do mine in rainwater when I'm cleaning the external and don't want to take more water out of the tank.

 

[Fishmanic]

in my aquaclear I have a foam sponge, 2 layers of filter floss,  and a bag of ceramic media.   The water flows through the sponge first, then the filter floss and lastly through the ceramics.  At about 4 to 6 weeks,  I squeeze out the sponges in tank water just enough to remove the gunk.   Then I wait another week and I replace the dirtiest filter floss layer and rotate the next dirtiest in front of the new floss (the direction the water flows).  This way I am only replacing about a third of the media at one time.  If you decide to replace some media if it's really totally falling about or super gunked up, only replace  a small portion of it as a time so as not to destroy too much of the beneficial bacteria. 

 

[monahan95]

Thanks for all the help guys!