Replacing Filter Sponge

[Lizzie71]

I have just cleaned my filter for the first time. The tank has been running for around a month and is fully cycled.

I took out the sponge (it's an internal filter) and swooshed it around in a bucket of old tank water as recommended on here. But my sponge is made up of two pieces - one third of it is a piece of mature media kindly donated by Modaz from one of his tanks, and the other two thirds is the original black sponge from my filter. The smaller piece (that is the mature media) is now totally falling apart and I wondered about replacing it. I still have the other bit of black sponge which I could put back in, but will that cause problems?

At the moment I've put the old sponge back but it is pretty much ruined.

Will I risk cycle problems if I change it?

 

[doresy]

Hi, I would leave it in there for a while longer. Providing it is not allowing bits of foam to be ejected into your tank then I would leave it in there at least till your next clean.

In many cases, black foam is just that, black foam but sometimes it can be carbon impregnated. Do you know what yours is?

Incidently, when you clean your foam media (gently) it is best to only do half leaving the other half as it is. Then next time clean the other one, leaving the one you cleaned last time alone. Clear? I see you used old tank water

Remember, a sparklingly clean filter is no good to man or beast

 

[Lizzie71]

Thanks for that, yes it does make sense

I don't think it has carbon in it, it is an aqua one filter that came with the tank. It didn't mention carbon in the instruction book.

I'll leave it for a while then.