Power Filter Maintenance: Single Mechancial - Carbon Pad

[beginner_fish]

Hi,

I have a newly cycled 10 G aquarium where the kit came wth a Aqua tech 5-15 Model Pwer filter model which has a one blue filter cartridge which the manufacturer advises to change every 2-4 weeks. This does the mechanical filtration and is said to have the carbon too. The filter also has a BIO fiber which it says not to change. I wanted to ask about the maintenance for the blue one as I have not made any changes / cleaning for 40+ days on it as the tank was cycling.

Now,

1. should I just replace the blue pad with another from the manufacturer and do so every every 2-4 weeks?
2. How do I keep the older one in the tank or filter to not loose any beneficial bacteria for some time eg 1 week while the new one builds bacteria on it? The bio fiber must be having most of the bacteria but still this blue filter pad could also have some I guess.
3. I also read on the forums that you don't need carbon these days with regular partial water changes- in this case what do I substitute this pad with and again how long I need to keep the old blue one in the tank and where or how (when I put in the new substitue into the filter)?

I assume old pad would not go into filter along with a new one so one option may be to put it on the tank floor on gravel for a week horizontally held with some gravel rocks - this is just a thought - please advise. Cycling was quite an exercise and I definitely don't want to go back to start a cycle so want to be as safe as possible in the maintenance approach.

Thanks.

 

[Aqua Tom]

Dont change any filter media unless it is actualy falling apart. Its just a ploy by the manufacturesrs to get you to buy from them every month.


AT

 

[beginner_fish]

Thanks Aqua Tom.

I had read some negatives on the Internet about if the filter pad has carbon, and if it doesn't get replaced in a timely manner the very wastes that it removed can be released from the carbon back into the aquarium or other such negatives.
So is there any cause of concern thus since the current pad had some carbon originally and I need to move to a non Carbon option (and then how do I go about it etc) or

it should be fine, just let it stay as is till falls apart?

 

[JoshuaA]

Just leave the carbon in it will aDsorb as much as it can until it can't hold any more. From then it will just be a good biological filtration site as bacteria can adhere to the surface of it.

The carbon will release the stuff back into the water but under normal circumstances no one really ever needs carbon so what it is adsorbing is normally completely harmless.