This Is Probably A Stupid Question..

[sillyrabbit]

ok...so, all the good bacteria from the cycle is in the filter.
what happens when you change the filter after a few weeks?

 

[JoshuaA]

ok...so, all the good bacteria from the cycle is in the filter.
what happens when you change the filter after a few weeks?

You don't change the filter, or even the media. Only change the media after a couple of months or even more and even then you should do it gradually not to disturb the bacteria causing a spike in Ammonia/Nitrite.

The weekly/Monthly renewal of filter materials is a marketing gimmick floss/foam/ceramic last a long time, however carbon/zeolite would need replacing, unless of course you baked the carbon in a very hot oven for a few hours... Anyway moving on!

Assuming you've actually cycled the filter the most you should be thinking about doing is simply squeezing the the first sponge in some old tank water to get rid of the gunk/debris it has caught.

 

[sillyrabbit]

i have a carbon filter...so, what should i do when it's time to change it?

 

[JoshuaA]

i have a carbon filter...so, what should i do when it's time to change it?

What is the name/brand of your filter and we will have a look into it, it sounds more like carbon cartridges. Many people advise against having them in the tank unless you want to remove meds. I however found it useful for housing bacteria, there is a visually noticeable colony on the carbon pad.

 

[sillyrabbit]

it's a top fin..i couldn't afford better, unfortunately.

 

[kaivalagi]

I'm not sure on your filter media but I'd just treat the carbon pad as another piece of media and don't remove it. If you need new activated carbon in your filter to remove meds, then put a new pad in and remove again once finished with it...they're normally only good at what they do for a few weeks then the carbon is inactive.

Unless the main media is falling apart in your hands leave it be

I tend to clean my filters every few months, and have 2 so I never clean both at the same time. The only media I have replaced is the polishing pads (white fine material for catching smaller particles) and then I replaced with floss from a bag rather than the manufacturer rip off bits.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with the others. If its one of those carbon sponges, it can be left in a treated as a "biomedia sponge" same as any other. The bacteria will cling to it just like any other sponge. The just be saving up for a decent filter somewhere on down the line.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[abih2005]

Just read this through, if squeezing in old tank water is what's acceptable - I've done that - why has my cycling gone to pot already? I'm sorry if I'm coming across as a total moron but seriously confused!!!

 

[PDSimon]

Just read this through, if squeezing in old tank water is what's acceptable - I've done that - why has my cycling gone to pot already? I'm sorry if I'm coming across as a total moron but seriously confused!!!

Update your log

 

[arobinson1984]

Just read this through, if squeezing in old tank water is what's acceptable - I've done that - why has my cycling gone to pot already? I'm sorry if I'm coming across as a total moron but seriously confused!!!

You shouldn't be touching your filter media whilst in a cycling situation.


Andy

 

[OldMan47]

Topfin is a house brand in a Petsmart store. In general, they are selling whisper cartridge filters with their own name on it, or filters that are hard to distinguish from the whisper cartridge filters. The media in them is a simple disposable felt cartridge with a tiny filling of carbon it it that can be hard to use for more than about a year before it is worn out from cleaning. What I do with mine, no reason to buy a filter when I have one, is take that filter felt that is falling apart and place it into the new cartridge that I am going to start using. That way I get a 100% clone of the old filter cartridge.

 

[waterdrop]

Amazingly useful that we have OM47's "laboratory" of filter types. Its just great that a guy with big powerful Renas can also give a hands on account of fiddling with the little felt fluff in a topfin. Allows us to have some quite useful info for beginners OM and my hats off to ya. WD

 

[OldMan47]

As it turns out, I am a cheapskate, who would have ever guessed. That means that any filter that I get with a tank is going to be used. As WD pointed out, it means that I have one of these and two of those so my experience is often related to what I have had work for me. Most filters that come as a part of a tank "kit" can be made to work for you if you understand the basics of biological filtration. As WD points out, my own habits make me familiar with many different configurations of filter systems. I am certain that other configurations might be superior, but as long as things keep working for me, I will be here to tell you how to make it work. All filter setups are not created equal but most can be made to serve the need.

 

[PaulQ]

Topfin is a house brand in a Petsmart store. In general, they are selling whisper cartridge filters with their own name on it, or filters that are hard to distinguish from the whisper cartridge filters. The media in them is a simple disposable felt cartridge with a tiny filling of carbon it it that can be hard to use for more than about a year before it is worn out from cleaning. What I do with mine, no reason to buy a filter when I have one, is take that filter felt that is falling apart and place it into the new cartridge that I am going to start using. That way I get a 100% clone of the old filter cartridge.

So are you saying to take the TopFin cartridge out, empty the carbon from the middle, cut it open and wrap it around a new filter? Or to cut it up further and stuff it inside the new filter with the new carbon?

 

[OldMan47]

When a filter starts to fall apart, I open the new filter up, stuff the old felt inside and place the new filter cartridge into the filter housing. That way I do not lose the benefit of my existing worn out felt material but I get some new felt to hold everything in place. After a few cleanings while running like that, I simply toss the old media so that the new felt can build up a better bacterial colony before it has worn out and must be stuffed into a new cartridge. There is a limit to how many worn out filter cartridges can be stuffed into a new one after all.
This is the replacement cartridge system that I work with.