I know im supposed to change the white filter once a week, and the carbon filter every few months, but what is the story with the other green and blue filters..? My LFS said dont change them unless they crumble when cleaning them.?
Sponge Filters
- Thread starter barryp
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Without knowing what filter you have its hard to say - but PLEASE don't change your filter pads every week!!!!! The white pads are the biological ones which hold all the good bacteria which eats the ammonia in the tank, your fish will die without these!!! When they get really mucky you can rinse them out in the water you remove from teh tank when you do a water change - never rinse them in clean water or tap water!!! Then simply put them back in the filter.
When you have to change sponges, only ever change one of the biological ones at a time, and monitor your water chemistry very closely to make sure the ammonia and nitrites don't shoot up again.
When you have to change sponges, only ever change one of the biological ones at a time, and monitor your water chemistry very closely to make sure the ammonia and nitrites don't shoot up again.
Bex
Fishaholic
Is this a Juwel Internal filter by any chance?
Bex
Fishaholic
Cool, ok, well to start, buy Filter Floss instead of those square white pads - will save you loads of money as the pads are the same thing just compressed into shape. A big box of filter floss is about £3-4 and will last you a couple of months. I change this weekly as this stuff keeps all the bits of food and plants that get sucked in - they don't hold the biological bacteria. Just grab a handful and stuff it on top of the filter sponges.
The green and blue ones will need cleaning. Just squeeze them gently in a bucket of tank water - not tap water - to get rid of any debris. Only ever do 1 at a time though.
The black carbon you don't really need. I don't use this. I keep some spare though in case you need to medicate the whole tank, then you can put it back in as it will remove any meds after treatment has finished. You must remove this if you ever need to medicate the whole tank though or it will soak up the meds and they won't do any good. Not using it won't have any adverse effects on your tank.
You might notice the outflow of your Juwel start to dip slightly - this is when it is probably time to clean one of your green or blue sponges and give the pump and outlet a good clean through as they build up with gunk quite quickly.
Hope this helps!
The green and blue ones will need cleaning. Just squeeze them gently in a bucket of tank water - not tap water - to get rid of any debris. Only ever do 1 at a time though.
The black carbon you don't really need. I don't use this. I keep some spare though in case you need to medicate the whole tank, then you can put it back in as it will remove any meds after treatment has finished. You must remove this if you ever need to medicate the whole tank though or it will soak up the meds and they won't do any good. Not using it won't have any adverse effects on your tank.
You might notice the outflow of your Juwel start to dip slightly - this is when it is probably time to clean one of your green or blue sponges and give the pump and outlet a good clean through as they build up with gunk quite quickly.
Hope this helps!
Thanks Bex, that helps alot. Ive become a bit complacent over the last year because i havent had one problem or death in my tank. I assumed i was doing the right thing by changing the white filter as soon as it became mucky.
So are you saying to completely remove the carbon (black) filter, replace the white square filters with cut outs of filter floss.? How often should i change the filter floss.? and when you say dont clean the green & blue at the same time what exactly do you mean.
I appreciate all your help, ta!
So are you saying to completely remove the carbon (black) filter, replace the white square filters with cut outs of filter floss.? How often should i change the filter floss.? and when you say dont clean the green & blue at the same time what exactly do you mean.
I appreciate all your help, ta!
Bex
Fishaholic
Hi Barryp
I treat the filter floss exactly the same way as the filter pads - when it gets mucky, change it. It usually needs changing weekly anyway, messy fish! Filter floss is the same stuff they use in the white pads, the white pads are just compressed and shaped - and more expensive!
The filter floss looks a bit like the stuffing you get for cuddly toys - just grab a handful and put it on the top. In my opinion it works better than the pads as you can use more or less. No need to cut it or shape it.
You don't really need the black carbon filter. I don't use it at all in my tank. It doesn't aid the biological filtration at all. The only time I use it now is if I have to medicate for something, put it in when the course of medication is finished and it will remove any left over meds in the water. Again, it's a bit of a money spinner!
Only ever clean 1 of the blue or green sponges in one go. So, say you do a water change, gently squeeze the green sponge out in some tank water and put it back in. Leave the blue sponge as it is. You should only need to do one or the other once a month at the most. Never squeeze both out at the same time as you will lose too much of the beneficial bacteria and start a mini cycle in your tank. Only doing 1 won't hurt as there will be plenty of bacteria in the other sponge while the one you cleaned catches up again.
I treat the filter floss exactly the same way as the filter pads - when it gets mucky, change it. It usually needs changing weekly anyway, messy fish! Filter floss is the same stuff they use in the white pads, the white pads are just compressed and shaped - and more expensive!
The filter floss looks a bit like the stuffing you get for cuddly toys - just grab a handful and put it on the top. In my opinion it works better than the pads as you can use more or less. No need to cut it or shape it.
You don't really need the black carbon filter. I don't use it at all in my tank. It doesn't aid the biological filtration at all. The only time I use it now is if I have to medicate for something, put it in when the course of medication is finished and it will remove any left over meds in the water. Again, it's a bit of a money spinner!
Only ever clean 1 of the blue or green sponges in one go. So, say you do a water change, gently squeeze the green sponge out in some tank water and put it back in. Leave the blue sponge as it is. You should only need to do one or the other once a month at the most. Never squeeze both out at the same time as you will lose too much of the beneficial bacteria and start a mini cycle in your tank. Only doing 1 won't hurt as there will be plenty of bacteria in the other sponge while the one you cleaned catches up again.
Bex
Fishaholic
Bex thanks for all the info that answers a few questions i have been meaning to ask!
Hi Coomon10
Yep, available from the LFS and will save you lots of dosh in the long run. It won't affect any treatments as it is exactly the same as the white filter pads that you buy, just not compressed into shape. It's just a big box of fluffy stuff and you break off how much you need to use. The only sponge that will affect any treatments is the black carbon sponge as it will remove treatments from the water so always remember to remove if you need to treat your tank if any of your fish are sick!
Arfie
Fish Herder
For the white floss you can use any cheap filter floss, or better yet rinse and re-use the old stuff. If you blast it under a tap to get all the crud out, it is fine to re-use, then I just swish it in either old tank water or new dechlorinated water to remove any traces of chlorine, before popping it back in the filter. Only bin it when it is falling apart 
Liek Bex, I only use the carbon to remove meds, otherwise it's not in my filter.
The blue or green sponges can just be rinsed in old tank water when they are gunged up and carry on using them. Mine have been in over 2 years now, If Juwel had their way i'd have done 4 total changes of filter media in that time.
Arfie
Liek Bex, I only use the carbon to remove meds, otherwise it's not in my filter.
The blue or green sponges can just be rinsed in old tank water when they are gunged up and carry on using them. Mine have been in over 2 years now, If Juwel had their way i'd have done 4 total changes of filter media in that time.
Arfie
Bex
Fishaholic
I would wash mine but I don't like getting all the crud on my hands! 
LOL!
LOL!
Wait a minute here................. 
All by itself, filter floss has long been, and probably still is, the best media available for holding beneficial bacteria. Each tiny strand is a place that this bacteria can cling to. It's also the least expensive. It's made of 100% polyester fiber and will last a long, long time if it is occasionally rinsed out in used tap water.
Filter floss not only helps biological filtration, it does a great job of mechanical filtration. As the soil accumulates between the strands, the spaces between them becomes smaller and it will trap even very small particles of dirt in the water. It's only when it gets too clogged and the water flow through it slows down, that it even needs to be rinsed out.
As for the dirt that gets trapped, well it has already been processed by the beneficial bacteria, so it's not like it was fresh poop you are handling when you clean it. Cleaning out a cat litter box is much worse, IMHO!
All by itself, filter floss has long been, and probably still is, the best media available for holding beneficial bacteria. Each tiny strand is a place that this bacteria can cling to. It's also the least expensive. It's made of 100% polyester fiber and will last a long, long time if it is occasionally rinsed out in used tap water.
Filter floss not only helps biological filtration, it does a great job of mechanical filtration. As the soil accumulates between the strands, the spaces between them becomes smaller and it will trap even very small particles of dirt in the water. It's only when it gets too clogged and the water flow through it slows down, that it even needs to be rinsed out.
As for the dirt that gets trapped, well it has already been processed by the beneficial bacteria, so it's not like it was fresh poop you are handling when you clean it. Cleaning out a cat litter box is much worse, IMHO!
Bex
Fishaholic
LOL Inchworm - that's why i get my hubby to clean the cat litter box!
Didn't realise filter floss was any good for biological filtration though. I just thought as it gets so messy it was only good for trapping all the bits of food and stuff? Well, you learn something new everyday!
Didn't realise filter floss was any good for biological filtration though. I just thought as it gets so messy it was only good for trapping all the bits of food and stuff? Well, you learn something new everyday!
Arfie
Fish Herder
Ah but Inch, Juwel recommend weekly replacement of the white filter floss. On the small Juwel filters it's only a few mm thick anyway so not much lost and the flow can get seriously restricted on the smaller ones if they get clogged.Wait a minute here.................
All by itself, filter floss has long been, and probably still is, the best media available for holding beneficial bacteria. Each tiny strand is a place that this bacteria can cling to. It's also the least expensive. It's made of 100% polyester fiber and will last a long, long time if it is occasionally rinsed out in used tap water.
Filter floss not only helps biological filtration, it does a great job of mechanical filtration. As the soil accumulates between the strands, the spaces between them becomes smaller and it will trap even very small particles of dirt in the water. It's only when it gets too clogged and the water flow through it slows down, that it even needs to be rinsed out.
As for the dirt that gets trapped, well it has already been processed by the beneficial bacteria, so it's not like it was fresh poop you are handling when you clean it. Cleaning out a cat litter box is much worse, IMHO!
I'm not sure if you have the Juwel filters yourself, but if not, the floss is used as a mechanical prefilter before the water drops into the rather large sponges SEE HERE.
Arfie
Majjie
Fishaholic
I completely agree with what Bex said. I change my white pre-filter about every three weeks or so - just rinse it out in between - because after that it won't come clean. I will definitely change to filter floss - never thought of that - and I have a big bag of it.
The only other thing I'd say is that if you have a black carbon sponge in there - there's no need to change it. It will be acting as a biological filter - anything with large surface area will - and once it's been in there a few weeks the carbon is inactive anyway. There's no need to remove it for medication after that time. (You might want to have new one spare - just in case you want to remove some meds in a hurry in the future). You can eventually replace the carbon sponge with a blue one - when it falls apart.
The only other thing I'd say is that if you have a black carbon sponge in there - there's no need to change it. It will be acting as a biological filter - anything with large surface area will - and once it's been in there a few weeks the carbon is inactive anyway. There's no need to remove it for medication after that time. (You might want to have new one spare - just in case you want to remove some meds in a hurry in the future). You can eventually replace the carbon sponge with a blue one - when it falls apart.
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