Yet Another Filter Question

iceband

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Hi, I've got a 70l "Fish R Fun" tank witha filter that sits in the hood. It came with 2 sections for some white pellet type things (Zeolite??) and a bag of carbon in the middle, wrapped around some sponge. I've been using med for whitespot and now for the shimmies, so I took the carbon and white thingoes out, just leaving the sponge in there. When I took the sponge out to clean it (in the tank water) I couldn't get it to go back in properly, is it time for a new one? If so..........

Will any old sponge do? or
What type of sponge do I need?
What do I do to replace it without losing the bacteria?
etc

Cheers.
 
Hello --

The white pellets are zeolite. Chuck 'em away. They absorb ammonia, yes, but in doing so prevent your biological filter from maturing, and even the best zeolite will only last about 6 weeks before it needs to be recharged or replaced. Use the vacated space for some more filter wool or a piece of sponge.

The carbon is another relatively pointless addition. Carbon serves a very specific function, adsorbtion of organic compounds, and otherwise is nothing more than a relatively good substrate for bacteria. Since it will remove medicines as well as waste organics, you may as well replace it with filter wool or sponge. Again, carbon needs to changed 6 weeks or so.

The sponge should fit in properly; I've yet to see a sponge that didn't go back in after cleaning. Are you sure you are assembling the filter properly? You may need to squeeze the sponge a bit to get it back in. In my experience, the lifespan of a standard plastic foam sponge is several years, at least.

I wrote a topic on filter media you will probably find useful. It will explain the different "grades" of sponge and what they do; it is important to choose the right sponge for the right job.

The best way to conserve the bacteria is simply replace only a half or a third of the filter media in a filter at any one time. Bacteria from the old sponges in the filter will quickly colonise the new one.

Cheers,

Neale
 
Ta for that. The old sponge is a bit of flimsy stuff that the carbon sat in, so cos ther's no carbon, it just falls flat and the water tends to pass straight over it :rolleyes: I'll get a new one and stick it where the carbon went. Hopefully that'll do the trick :good:
 
Very good. You may find filter wool works better. Filter wool is cheap, very effective, and removes silt particles better than anything else. You can wedge in as much as you want really, although the denser it is packed, the slower the filter will run. A slow filter turns over the water less often, reducing the filtration rate. Ideally, you want the filter to turn the water out 4 times per hour.

Cheers,

Neale
 

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