Replacing floss filter with sponge?

[Beckett]

Hey all,

I have had my tank running about 6 weeks now. Maybe a bit more. It is cycled and has had 14 cory cats for close to 3 weeks in it. They are actually spawning the last couple days too which is cool! Anyway, I have a floss filter cartridge in right now that came with my Aqueon Hang on back filter system. I want to swap the floss filter for a sponge that I plan to cut down to size. What is the best way to make this change without ruining my cycled tank?

right now I have the sponge piece I plan on cutting down floating in the tank. I am hoping this will allow BB to build up on it and then the transition will be smooth and maintain the cycle. The sponge has been floating in the tank for two weeks.

will this method work? Is there a better way to switch over to a sponge? I figure at the very least I should be a step up from doing this the way the Aqueon instructions recommend which is to buy a brand new floss filter every 6 weeks and replace it. I feel like that would destroy BB in my filter immediately.

 

[Essjay]

Is it just a layer of floss, or is the floss the 'bag' part of a cartridge?
Is there anything else in the filter besides the floss? If the floss is just a layer it is usually used as a polishing pad in addition to other media.

 

[Beckett]

This is the exact setup: https://www.aqueon.com/products/filtration-media/quietflow-led-pro-aquarium-power-filters

Also attaching an image from the site that I added a pink arrow showing the piece I need to replace with sponge. What I circled in green is what they call a 'specialty filter pad'. It's not that big but I plan to leave that in for at least a few more weeks, in hopes of helping to maintain BB after replacing the floss cartridge with the sponge.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Does the pad that you pointed to with the pink arrow have carbon in it? Or is it just floss?

 

[Essjay]

Does the pad that you pointed to with the pink arrow have carbon in it? Or is it just floss?

That is important. If it has carbon inside you can cut a small hole in the cartridge and empty out the carbon. Then put the cartridge back and put sponge in the space which used to be filled with carbon. Carbon is not needed full time.

 

[Beckett]

Yes, the filter cartridge with the pink arrow does have carbon inside, which is why I want to get rid of it. From what I have learned on this site, carbon is not necessary and also floss breaks down much faster than sponge.

Okay, so an option is to cut open the floss and replace the carbon with chunks of sponge?

Would it be better to just remove the floss all together (since my sponge has been floating in the tank for a couple weeks), and cut the sponge to be the same size as the cartridge and replace? I am just concerned the floss will break down and get ruined pretty quick, resulting in me being in the same boat in a couple months.

 

[Essjay]

I would flatten the 'bag' and place the sponge alongside it. Leave them both in the filter for a couple of months then throw the cartridge 'bag' away. If there is more than one cartridge, wait a couple of weeks before throwing the next one away.
Floating the sponge in the water for 2 weeks won't have grown many bacteria. They grow better when the old and new media are in physical contact.

 

[seangee]

I would...

• Put the sponge into the holster
• Remove the carbon from the cartridge as described
• Cut the floss off the frame and stuff it into the inlet chamber (or into the holster with the sponge).

To address your concern - the bacteria colony can (very approximately) double in size in a day. There is bacteria in your little sponge and on the plastic mesh. So if you are absolutely certain the tank is cycles there is actually little risk in throwing out the floss - but its always better to err on the side of caution.

 

[Beckett]

Thanks so much everyone! I will do the more cautious method and try to flatten the floss alongside the sponge, so both are still in the holster and in contact.

 

[Beckett]

One more question... I looked back on my posts on this forum to try and get an exact time frame of when I had my tank starting up. I managed to track that I added some new plants on June 18, this was before fish. So the tank wasn't cycled yet.

I am wondering if the 6 week countdown to changing my filter starts when the tank was considered cycled on June 30 and I added fish, or when I first started the tank and began my fishless cycle sometime prior to June 18?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

One more question... I looked back on my posts on this forum to try and get an exact time frame of when I had my tank starting up. I managed to track that I added some new plants on June 18, this was before fish. So the tank wasn't cycled yet.

I am wondering if the 6 week countdown to changing my filter starts when the tank was considered cycled on June 30 and I added fish, or when I first started the tank and began my fishless cycle sometime prior to June 18?

We will need to know your current water parameters.

The common myth - 4 weeks and your tank will be cycled is false. Every tank takes different times.

 

[seangee]

One more question... I looked back on my posts on this forum to try and get an exact time frame of when I had my tank starting up. I managed to track that I added some new plants on June 18, this was before fish. So the tank wasn't cycled yet.

I am wondering if the 6 week countdown to changing my filter starts when the tank was considered cycled on June 30 and I added fish, or when I first started the tank and began my fishless cycle sometime prior to June 18?

TBH it doesn't really matter. The 6 weeks is only a guideline. Some people leave their carbon cartridges for 3-6 months and others swear they are exhausted after 2 weeks. Its not worth worrying about