Filter Changing Question....

[MeganL3985]

Okay so i've had my 5 gal up and running for just over 2 months now, I have yet to change my filter yet, even though the filter box says to change it every 3 weeks, I just havent cause i'm confused about taking out all that good bacteria that its holding. I don't want to mess up my cycle since it took so long for me to get through it all. So what do I do, change it every 3 weeks like it says, or just rinse it out with tank water?

[jessie]

You can probably just take it out and rinse it in a bucket of tank water. This is what I do when I am tired of spending money on cartridges, and it works just fine. You can get by doing this for several cleanings usually. Also, if your tank has been running for several months you probably have enough bacteria on your gravel, decorations, etc.., to keep the cycle going if you decide to discard the filter cartridge and start with a fresh one.

[Kuli_Loach]

Ditto on that. I just got done rinsing mine in a bucket of dechlorinated water I keep on hand beside my tanks.

[MeganL3985]

What happens if you rinse it in regular tap water? Thats what I did the first time I did it last month. Then smacked myself in the head right afterwards when I realized what I did. I rinsed it in tank water this time though.

[Kuli_Loach]

Ive done that to and nothing happened but I am sure it is better to use tank water and I have it right there so I don't have to drip water all over the dang house.:c3:

[coachfraley]

Using tap to rinse will probably kill some of the bacteria on the sponge, but if you have a good bacterial colony in the tank, it shouldn't really matter.

I know that some SW people who use sponges ALWAYS rinse them in tap water because it is easier to clean out the detritus if you are running it under a tap (I would be too scared to do this). Of course, those people aren't using the sponge to host bacteria, they are just using it for mechanical filtration.

I personally like the aquaclear filters because they do not require any cartridge replacement, you just rinse the sponge and you are good to go!

[Lady Hobbs]

The charcoal in the pads are only good for a couple weeks is why they recommend you continue to change them. It's not necessary. Just rinse as the others suggested but if you ever do need to remove medication from the water, a new one will be needed that has fresh charcoal.

[MeganL3985]

Thanks you guys! :)

[salman]

You dont need to change anything but the floss. The rest of the stuff thats in there, just rinse them in a bucket that has water from your tank. I think you can leave it running for another month and then clean it. When my filters get really messy inside they stop working and then i clean it.