Question About Changing Water

[Dpayton11]

I know when you change water you need to turn the heater off and keep your filters submerged in water.

My question is, I need to do almost an entire water change. Do I need to keep the entire filter underwater or just the sponges inside the filter?

 

[fluttermoth]

You can just switch your filter off. The bacteria will come to no harm in the time it will take you to do a water change
 
For future reference though, it's only the sponges/other filter media that needs to be kept wet.

 

[Dpayton11]

Thank you

 

[frapadoodle]

Or fill a container with tank water and pop the filter media in it. It's what I do to clean or do maintinence on the filter. Or when I rinse the media. Used tankwater is great for house and garden plants, but the mulm from the filter is fantastic plant food.
Waste not, want not.