Filter Change?

[PhilliesFan202]

Well its the begining of a new month my filter pads have Activated Carbon in them and from what the guy told me at the LFS he said that I need to switch them monthly becuse the Carbon goes bad and lets bad stuff back into the tank and my No3 has been rising recently is there anything else I should do besides soak the filter pad in Aquarium water taken out from a Water Change any other Tricks I should know about so I dont loose all my bacteria...

[EJ45]

the carbon loses its effectiveness after a couple of weeks. In a healthy tank its not needed. Unless you notice your flow is decreased you dont need to mess with anything in your filter. The occasional "swish around" in tank water is all you need to do if it becomes too dirty.

[Lady Hobbs]

I would cut those pads open, removed the carbon and then just wash those filter pads in tank water or dechlorinated water. You can use them a long time just by rinsing them off.

[Minderella83]

Can I use the plastic cartridge to place poly fill on for a filter? Is there a sponge I can aquire at a craft store to use for a filter?

[MCHRKiller]

I would look into a Supercartridge...these are much better IMO than those normal poly pad deals as they mimic bio-ball quality biofiltration in a powerfilter. They do have some mechanical inserts which you can rinse the crap out of before they tearup and even then you still have the bio filter so your not removing all your filtration with a cartridge change.

[PhilliesFan202]

I have a foam pad with carbon in it and then a bio wheel built into my Hood /w lights and inside the tank I have a UGF with a Penguin 1140 Powerhead