When To Change My Filter Elements When Doing A Fishless Cycle

[TimFok]

I own a 23L fluval edge tank with fluval filter. The filter elements come in 3 different parts, two of which recommend changing a different intervals once a month (the other is around 3-4 months IIRC).

The tank is brand new. I put water in it around November 20th, and started the Add and Wait fishless cycle method o November 30th.

I know that the fishless cycle can take 6-8 weeks. Meaning some of my filter elements will be two months overdue a replacement. But replacing them will slow the process of getting the tank up to cycle right?

What do I do? Do I replace the filter elements as and when necessary and put up with the prolonged cycle process?

Or do I wait until the tank has reached cycle, then replace?

Thanks in advance.

 

[fluttermoth]

You don't replace them, ever, unless they start to disintegrate, then no more than one third at any one time, leaving a month between.

The manufacturers just say that get money out of you! If you replace it, you'l be constantly 'un-cycling' your tank.

I've got filter media that's been in continuous use, in one tank or another, for well over 20 years!

 

[KCB]

Ditto, I've never changed the media in my 120L tank and I've had it for nearly 10 years. The media is still in almost new condition as well, so just goes to show how long it'll last and that you definitely don't need to change it every month.

 

[TimFok]

Thanks for the info guys, appreciated!

So what about washing them out? Do I still do that?

 

[Yanks15]

There's really no reason to touch your filter during a fishless cycle. It is not being filled with any waste so nothing to clean out.


Thanks,
Steve

 

[KCB]

So what about washing them out? Do I still do that?

You only need to do that if you lose flow (which means there's a clog in the media/filter). You should just rinse the media gently in used tank water if this happens, though as yanks said you shouldn't need to do this during a fishless cycle .

 

[TimFok]

Yeh sorry I was referring to long term maintenance over the fishless cycle.

So talking about general use (after the fishless cycle and where I have full stock of fish), I should never touch my filter unless I lose flow?

 

[techen]

Yeh sorry I was referring to long term maintenance over the fishless cycle.

So talking about general use (after the fishless cycle and where I have full stock of fish), I should never touch my filter unless I lose flow?

I myself open my filter and dump whats left in the bottom out. But as everyone says you don't need too really, everyones got different ways of cleaning a filter.

 

[TimFok]

And how regularly do you do that?

 

[techen]

And how regularly do you do that?

I do that once a week, when my water change is due. But I have a 200L tank wih a canister not a interal fiter.

 

[KCB]

Yeh sorry I was referring to long term maintenance over the fishless cycle.

So talking about general use (after the fishless cycle and where I have full stock of fish), I should never touch my filter unless I lose flow?

I have a Fluval Edge too, but it's the 46L version. If it's the same hang-on-back (HOB) filter as the one I have, you shouldn't need to clean it or the media unless it loses flow .

 

[TimFok]

Yeh sorry I was referring to long term maintenance over the fishless cycle.

So talking about general use (after the fishless cycle and where I have full stock of fish), I should never touch my filter unless I lose flow?

I have a Fluval Edge too, but it's the 46L version. If it's the same hang-on-back (HOB) filter as the one I have, you shouldn't need to clean it or the media unless it loses flow .

Yep that's the one!

Awesome thanks for the advise!