what to do when putting in new filter cartridge?

**danthemanxx1** · 04-19-2012, 02:35 AM

well i am going out tomorrow buy a new filter pad/cartridge(not sure what yous call it.) but i have read that the beneficial bacterial in the pad is indeed beneficial to the tank (lol). so how do i get some of that onto the new pad or what do i do

**Lady Hobbs** · 04-19-2012, 02:38 AM

You rinse it out in tank water for as long as you can. If you want the carbon removed, cut the top of the bag and dump it out and replace the bag. When it's time to replace it, put a new one behind the old one for a month then pull the first one out. Or better yet, add some foam to the back of the old one and switch over to foam totally so you aren't buying cartridges at all.

**danthemanxx1** · 04-19-2012, 02:43 AM

well what kind of foam would i use... i have a hang on back filter

**Lady Hobbs** · 04-19-2012, 02:48 AM

I buy a block of foam that goes into Aqua Clear 110's and cut off what I need. After it's been in there a month, remove the cartridge and add more foam.

**genocidex** · 04-19-2012, 03:22 AM

what type of filter is this? it might be a good idea to look into some of the smaller bio rings, or break up some of the larger ones. cut open the filter like LH said and replace the carbon with the biorings, if your filter has enough room like some, you might be able to add a bag of rings behind the existing filter. this way if you like the carbon, you can buy canister carbon, and just replace the inside once every few weeks instead of the full thing. just an idea

**Cermet** · 04-19-2012, 10:48 AM

Don't use carbon (really charcoal) unless you have a very specific need (remove meds or organics)- it is useful but for the average person, does more harm than good since if you keep it in the filter too long (and there is no way to when to replace it) the charcoal will stop removing gunk and will start adding some back.

**Lady Hobbs** · 04-19-2012, 11:13 AM

These filter manufacturers really bug me. They all say to replace the cartridge every couple of weeks because that's all the longer the carbon is good for. But they don't bother telling you when you remove that cartridge you will loose the cycle on your fish tank. All they need to do is add a warning that you can only do this if you have a secondary filter.

You can't blame new fishkeepers when they follow the directions written on the darned instructions. I'm actually surprised that more manufacturers don't use the foam inserts like AC does. Foam holds far more bacteria that those crummy cartridges.

Morning rant is over.