biowheel filter cartridge ?

[LizardFisher]

Okay so I have a marineland biowheel filter and it is coming time to change the filter cartridge. I was wondering if I should leave the old one and use both for a bit or just swap out with the new? Thankssss for any help

[fishbum]

Take out the old and replace with the new one.The bacteria on the wheel will be sufficient.Don't worry about your cycle crashing.

[smaug]

How long has it been in use?When you change it I recomend these and forget about buying new filters all the time.
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[fishbum]

If you get the media baskets smaug linked,you can use this to put in front of it,[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
that is if your filter is big enough for the media baskets in the first place.This will save you a ton of money.I just use the filter pads in most of my bio wheels.I have found that adding carbon really isn't necessary.

[LizardFisher]

it's the original cartridge and has been running for about 5 weeks.. Thanks for that link I have been looking for something reusable like that.

[fishbum]

These work well too,[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
I actually have found these work much better than the media baskets.

[smaug]

If yours is like mine,it has 2 slots,get 2 carts for it.It really makes these filters versatile.I put pillow fluff in one and bio media in the other.

[smaug]

These work well too,[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
I actually have found these work much better than the media baskets.
Yeah,Ive seen them but you are still stuck buying there version of the media.With the baskets its your choice,making for a wider selection of media.To each his own.

[fishbum]

I tear the blue filter pads in half and stuff them in there.I have never bought the pads they sell for them.You could also put pillow fluff in there if you wanted to.I use the media baskets you linked in some of mine to add chemical filtration.So on one side of the filter,I have the super cartridges with mechanical filtration,and on the other side the media baskets with chemical and mechanical filtration.Works great and saves $$$

[smaug]

I tear the blue filter pads in half and stuff them in there.I have never bought the pads they sell for them.You could also put pillow fluff in there if you wanted to.I use the media baskets you linked in some of mine to add chemical filtration.So on one side of the filter,I have the super cartridges with mechanical filtration,and on the other side the media baskets with chemical and mechanical filtration.
Sounds good.

[jaysee]

Okay so I have a marineland biowheel filter and it is coming time to change the filter cartridge. I was wondering if I should leave the old one and use both for a bit or just swap out with the new? Thankssss for any help

This is what I do for my biowheel filters. I cut a slit across the top of the cartridge and dump out all the carbon. Takes some shaking and rinsing, but it's easy to do. That cartridge goes in the slot closest to the wheel. In front to the filter I use filter floss and in front of that cut-to-fit filter pad. I make the sandwich and put it in with the cartidge in the second slot - this prevents the custom media from interfering with the spinning of the wheel, as it can do on some models. The filter floss is the only media I throw out - the cartridge is never dirty and I spray the front filter pad clean. The wheel holds your bacteria. I actually spray my filter pads clean every week, and I can do this on the biowheel filters because of the wheel. It preserves the bacteria. The more I clean the pads, the larger the colonies get on the wheel.

There is only ever 100% biological filtration in your tank, meaning that the size of the bacteria colonies is dictated by the amount of ammonia that's produced. The substrate holds a small amount and is negligable for this discusion. Let's say your wheel holds 60% - then your old/used cartridge holds the other 40%. When you change cartridges, you lose that 40%, but quickly make it up in the wheel. So now your wheel holds 100%, and your cart. holds 0%. As the cart. collects waste and has more and more water flowing through it a seperate, competing colony starts to grow. As this colony grows, it starves the colony on the wheel, so now it's 80% wheel 20% cart.

The advantages of the wheel are the massive colonies that can live on it and the speed at which these colonies can reproduce.

To answer your question, you can just replace it :ssmile: