Q about replacing filter media.

[[email protected]]

Hi guys,

I have a aquaclear 70 filter with three medias, the sponge one, the
coal and I beleive some biofilter.

The instruction says to replace them every month or so.

Is it really necessary?
When does one really need to replace the media?

In some posts I've been reading about adding salt to the tank.

Is this something that should be automatically done?
Just curious...

[Elaine T]

wrote:
> Hi guys,
>
> I have a aquaclear 70 filter with three medias, the sponge one, the
> coal and I beleive some biofilter.
>
> The instruction says to replace them every month or so.
>
> Is it really necessary?
> When does one really need to replace the media?
>
> In some posts I've been reading about adding salt to the tank.
>
> Is this something that should be automatically done?
> Just curious...
>
I've used an aquaclear sponge for over 2 years. Replace the sponge when
it stops trapping fine particles. You can tell because the carbon
starts catching them instead - you'll see when you rinse. The carbon
needs to be replaced every month if you don't have a heavily planted
tank. If you have plants, only use carbon if you need to remove a
medication from the water because the plants need the minerals and
dissolved organics that the carbon filters out.

I'm new to the aquaclear bio media. I just bought a filter with it as
well. My manual says every three months, but I think I'm going to try
half every 6 months instead. The fine pores in good bio media gradually
clog from bacterial growth, but they shouldn't clot THAT fast.

I'm curious to see what other folks do with their aquaclears.

As for salt, I used to run all my tanks with 1 tsp/gallon salt. I
stopped the salt because I decided my plants do better without. I still
salt tanks with guppies, mollies, platies, and swordtails. Mollies in
particular need salt to thrive.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[[email protected]]

Thanks Elaine for your info.

I think it is safe to say that my 33gal tank is now heavily planted. :)

I have 9 plants and plan on getting a couple more.
I didn't know about the carbon sucking minerals needed for the
plants... that is good to know, I will remove it tonight. Isn't it also
meant to remove odors? Won't the tank start to stink quickly?
I was also targeting the 6 month period for the biofilter.

I have 2 guppies, gouramis and tetras and barbs, do I need salt?

[[email protected]]

Btw check my tank:

http://photos.yahoo.com/hammer=AD=ADjoe

:)

[dfreas]

A planted tank won't usually stink. It may have a damp earthy smell but
most people don't seem to consider it objectionable. In general tanks
stink because of nutrient buildup and since you have plants you'll
never have nutrient buildup unless something goes seriously wrong.

-Daniel

[[email protected]]

I have fancy guppies and even though they supposedly thrive better with
salt I never add any. I use canister filters with them being connected
to bio wheel pro 60s inline and my biofilter is thus permanent. The
only biological filtration maintenance is occasional cleaning and I
have heard that once in a while (one of my biowheels has been running
for about a year without having to replace any bearings and the other
biowheel hasn't had any bearings needing to be replaced either) you
need to replace a bearing but it is very unlikely to ever be a
requirement. I never use chemical filtration (charcoal) and my tanks
emit no odors. I do regular water changes though (15-20% biweekly), but
for me good biological and mechanical filtration is all I need and my
fish are thriving. Good luck, later!

[lgb]

In article . com>,
says...
> I never use chemical filtration (charcoal) and my tanks
> emit no odors. I do regular water changes though (15-20% biweekly), but
> for me good biological and mechanical filtration is all I need and my
> fish are thriving. Good luck, later!
>
Same here, although I have used carbon for a short period to remove
leftover medication. I replace the carbon cartridge with another sponge
or the ceramic beads.

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

[[email protected]]

It depends on the media. Carbon once a month. Mechcanical and bio
filters can be washed and reused as long as they can be unclotted by
washing.

Salt requirement depends on the species of the fishes. My advice is
that u get species that do not require salt. Most don't.

So how much have you spent so far?

[[email protected]]

Alot, I dont really have any numbers right now, and to be honest I
don't want to know otherwise I will freak out. :)

For sure with all the equipment more than $500Cad.

[[email protected]]

By ceramic beads I gather you are taolking the bio filter media? Those
white beads? I might do that, but does that anything to the tank at all?

[Nikki Casali]

wrote:

> Hi guys,
>
> I have a aquaclear 70 filter with three medias, the sponge one, the
> coal and I beleive some biofilter.
>
> The instruction says to replace them every month or so.
>
> Is it really necessary?
> When does one really need to replace the media?
>
> In some posts I've been reading about adding salt to the tank.
>
> Is this something that should be automatically done?
> Just curious...
>

My Interpet canister filter media is years old. The only media I've ever
changed is the filter floss and that only gets changed every 2 or 3
months. The sponges get rinsed in tank water whenever the flow slows to
a level I don't think is adequate. The ceramic tubes or cylinders are
lightly rinsed at the same time. I don't think there really is a need to
be pedantic about this. Then again, I know someone that changes the
media religiously, at set intervals. This at 2 weeks, that at 6 weeks,
another at 12 weeks. Hmmm.

Haven't used charcoal in years. I'm partial to the natural aroma.

I used to add salt until I got my tanks planted. There's no way now. My
mollies are just about managing. I'm sure they'd do better with it.

Nikki

[Tom Randy]

On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:58:47 -0700, wrote:

> Hi guys,
>
> I have a aquaclear 70 filter with three medias, the sponge one, the coal
> and I beleive some biofilter.
>
> The instruction says to replace them every month or so.
>
> Is it really necessary?

No! Ditch the charcoal, get a 2nd sponge and rinse them out in removed
tank water.

> When does one really need to replace the media?


When the sponges are really shot looking.

> In some posts I've been reading about adding salt to the tank.
> Is this something that should be automatically done? Just curious...

No. Some fish like it, some do NOT. Research your particular fish to see
if they tolerate it.


Tom

[Tom Randy]

On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 14:57:56 -0700, wrote:

> Btw check my tank:
>
> http://photos.yahoo.com/hammer**joe
>
> :)


Nice kid but no tank!

[[email protected]]

If you search one of my older replies to your, I did warn you about the
cost of this hobby.

This is my advice to you. Stop spending any more money. Feed your
fish once a day and no more than that. Do 20% water change at least
once a week. Wait until your tank stablize, aka no diseased or dead
fish, and a stable flora before buying anything more.

Once your tank stablized, fish keeping can be very low maintenance. If
you keep adding new fish and stuffs to your tank, you will always be
fighting fire. It is no fun for you and even less so for your fish. I
won't say it is cruel, because they are fish.

[Dick]

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 23:41:52 GMT, Tom Randy >
wrote:

>On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 14:57:56 -0700, wrote:
>
>> Btw check my tank:
>>
>> http://photos.yahoo.com/hammer**joe
>>
>> :)
>
>
>Nice kid but no tank!
>

Tom, I went to the page yesterday and there were only fish and tank
pictures. I used the link above this morning and got to the fish and
tank pictures. I think the problem is on your end, you seem to be
getting diverted.

dick

[NetMax]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
<snip>
> This is my advice to you. Stop spending any more money. Feed your
> fish once a day and no more than that. Do 20% water change at least
> once a week. Wait until your tank stablize, aka no diseased or dead
> fish, and a stable flora before buying anything more.
>
> Once your tank stablized, fish keeping can be very low maintenance. If
> you keep adding new fish and stuffs to your tank, you will always be
> fighting fire. It is no fun for you and even less so for your fish.
<snip>

Words of wisdom above.

In regards to the AC filter, I recommend using two sponges and alternate
their positions (ie: clean the bottom sponge, push the top sponge down
and leave uncleaned, replace cleaned bottom sponge into top position). I
replace them with brand new sponges about every 20 years, whether I need
to or not ;~).

In regards to ceramic media, you can keep these going for a long time
(years) by periodically rinsing half of them. Position them in the
portion of the filter with the cleanest water.

In regards to salt and anything else new, see instructions above.
cheers
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Dick]

On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 11:34:25 -0400, "NetMax"
> wrote:

> wrote in message
oups.com...
><snip>
>> This is my advice to you. Stop spending any more money. Feed your
>> fish once a day and no more than that. Do 20% water change at least
>> once a week. Wait until your tank stablize, aka no diseased or dead
>> fish, and a stable flora before buying anything more.
>>
>> Once your tank stablized, fish keeping can be very low maintenance. If
>> you keep adding new fish and stuffs to your tank, you will always be
>> fighting fire. It is no fun for you and even less so for your fish.
><snip>
>
>Words of wisdom above.
>
>In regards to the AC filter, I recommend using two sponges and alternate
>their positions (ie: clean the bottom sponge, push the top sponge down
>and leave uncleaned, replace cleaned bottom sponge into top position). I
>replace them with brand new sponges about every 20 years, whether I need
>to or not ;~).
>
>In regards to ceramic media, you can keep these going for a long time
>(years) by periodically rinsing half of them. Position them in the
>portion of the filter with the cleanest water.
>
>In regards to salt and anything else new, see instructions above.
>cheers

Netmax,

I don't understand all the concern about keeping a dirty filter.

Yesterday, I decided it was time to replace the filter media as
cleaning no longer brought back the flow and the extra water was just
returning through the inlet in the case of the 330s, the other is
built in to the hood and the extra was flowing over a barrier and
returning to the tank.

So, I cut new media to fit (In the 330s I have removed the charcoal
from the cartridge and just lay the micro media sheet on the intake
side, it clings nicely to the old coarse media) and replaced the dirty
pieces. This morning both tanks are crystal clear. I routinely clean
the Whisper Jr. filters and start them up.

Why alternate or do anything else to preserve bacteria that are
everywhere in the tank?

dick

[Elaine T]

Dick wrote:
> On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 11:34:25 -0400, "NetMax"
> > wrote:
>
>
> wrote in message
oups.com...
>><snip>
>>
>>>This is my advice to you. Stop spending any more money. Feed your
>>>fish once a day and no more than that. Do 20% water change at least
>>>once a week. Wait until your tank stablize, aka no diseased or dead
>>>fish, and a stable flora before buying anything more.
>>>
>>>Once your tank stablized, fish keeping can be very low maintenance. If
>>>you keep adding new fish and stuffs to your tank, you will always be
>>>fighting fire. It is no fun for you and even less so for your fish.
>>
>><snip>
>>
>>Words of wisdom above.
>>
>>In regards to the AC filter, I recommend using two sponges and alternate
>>their positions (ie: clean the bottom sponge, push the top sponge down
>>and leave uncleaned, replace cleaned bottom sponge into top position). I
>>replace them with brand new sponges about every 20 years, whether I need
>>to or not ;~).
>>
>>In regards to ceramic media, you can keep these going for a long time
>>(years) by periodically rinsing half of them. Position them in the
>>portion of the filter with the cleanest water.
>>
>>In regards to salt and anything else new, see instructions above.
>>cheers
>
>
> Netmax,
>
> I don't understand all the concern about keeping a dirty filter.
>
> Yesterday, I decided it was time to replace the filter media as
> cleaning no longer brought back the flow and the extra water was just
> returning through the inlet in the case of the 330s, the other is
> built in to the hood and the extra was flowing over a barrier and
> returning to the tank.
>
> So, I cut new media to fit (In the 330s I have removed the charcoal
> from the cartridge and just lay the micro media sheet on the intake
> side, it clings nicely to the old coarse media) and replaced the dirty
> pieces. This morning both tanks are crystal clear. I routinely clean
> the Whisper Jr. filters and start them up.
>
> Why alternate or do anything else to preserve bacteria that are
> everywhere in the tank?
>
> dick

I've found that planted tanks are much more resilient to cleaning lots
of filter media at once than unplanted, high pH ones like African
cichlid tanks. Then I like to alternate like NetMax does so there's no
chance of a high pH ammonia spike. As for keeping sponges for a long
time and so forth, it's simply less expensive to reuse them. Aquaclear
sponges can be rinsed for years with little decrease in performance -
I've never managed to make one last for 3 or 4, though!

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[NetMax]

"Dick" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 11:34:25 -0400, "NetMax"
> > wrote:
>
> wrote in message
oups.com...
>><snip>
>>> This is my advice to you. Stop spending any more money. Feed your
>>> fish once a day and no more than that. Do 20% water change at least
>>> once a week. Wait until your tank stablize, aka no diseased or dead
>>> fish, and a stable flora before buying anything more.
>>>
>>> Once your tank stablized, fish keeping can be very low maintenance.
>>> If
>>> you keep adding new fish and stuffs to your tank, you will always be
>>> fighting fire. It is no fun for you and even less so for your fish.
>><snip>
>>
>>Words of wisdom above.
>>
>>In regards to the AC filter, I recommend using two sponges and
>>alternate
>>their positions (ie: clean the bottom sponge, push the top sponge down
>>and leave uncleaned, replace cleaned bottom sponge into top position).
>>I
>>replace them with brand new sponges about every 20 years, whether I
>>need
>>to or not ;~).
>>
>>In regards to ceramic media, you can keep these going for a long time
>>(years) by periodically rinsing half of them. Position them in the
>>portion of the filter with the cleanest water.
>>
>>In regards to salt and anything else new, see instructions above.
>>cheers
>
> Netmax,
>
> I don't understand all the concern about keeping a dirty filter.

I'm happy to elaborate :o) The food supply for bacteria (ammonia) is
basically fixed (according to the amount of fish food you put in on
average). These bacteria will spread themselves out by the millions on
surfaces. They use oxygen in converting the ammonia to NO2 (or to NO3),
so they will take up residence in larger numbers where the water
circulation is higher (the oxygen is being replenished). If you have a
filter running, it acts as a magnet to the bacteria, and because it is a
fixed population, there will now be less bacteria in the tank (on the
glass, in the gravel etc). With these greater numbers in the filter, it
behooves us to try not to significantly affect their numbers. With 2
sponges, even if you were sterilize one sponge every month, the remaining
bacteria in the untouched sponge would reach their previous population in
about a day. Sterilize both sponges and you are much closer to cycling a
new tank that you would like to be.

> Yesterday, I decided it was time to replace the filter media as
> cleaning no longer brought back the flow and the extra water was just
> returning through the inlet in the case of the 330s, the other is
> built in to the hood and the extra was flowing over a barrier and
> returning to the tank.

Makes sense. If there isn't enough water flow through the filter media,
then the bacteria doesn't have enough O2 to do their work and they would
migrate elsewhere in the tank. Cleaning a clogged filter like this
probably doesn't affect the population significantly, as they would have
already mostly moved out. Replacing the filter gets the mechanical
filtering happening again (plus the chemical filtering if there is
carbon, plus the bacteria start moving in boosting their effeciency in a
higher O2 environment).

> So, I cut new media to fit (In the 330s I have removed the charcoal
> from the cartridge and just lay the micro media sheet on the intake
> side, it clings nicely to the old coarse media) and replaced the dirty
> pieces. This morning both tanks are crystal clear. I routinely clean
> the Whisper Jr. filters and start them up.

Does the 330 have a biowheel? If it does, then the extra care used with
the sponges is not applicable as the biowheel is where you have a lot of
bacteria taking up residence, and these are very efficient (very high
O2). Also if you have other filters running, lots of plants, low fish
load etc, then the extra care is again not as applicable. The less
dependant you are on the bacteria (with plants) or the more distributed
they are (multiple filters) and the lower your fish load, the less
concern you need to have with the care given to the sponges.

> Why alternate or do anything else to preserve bacteria that are
> everywhere in the tank?

Unfortunately, many aquariums are over-stocked and running on one
undersized filter, so in this case there is very little margin for
messing up the biological balance. My advice increases your safety
margin, which in your case might not be warranted, and in others it might
be critical. In any case, following this extra care will not cause
anything to worsen. It just won't make any significant difference to the
tanks which don't need the extra safety margin, and those are sometimes
in the minority ;~)
--
www.NetMax.tk

> dick

[Ozdude]

"Elaine T" > wrote in message
...
> I've found that planted tanks are much more resilient to cleaning lots of
> filter media at once than unplanted, high pH ones like African cichlid
> tanks. Then I like to alternate like NetMax does so there's no chance of
> a high pH ammonia spike. As for keeping sponges for a long time and so
> forth, it's simply less expensive to reuse them. Aquaclear sponges can be
> rinsed for years with little decrease in performance - I've never managed
> to make one last for 3 or 4, though!

I agree with your comments about planted tanks. My big one which is now very
overgrown (I have to do something about this - Mr Amano would have a heart
attack if he saw it ;) can handle complete media changes, I've noticed.

I would think this is beacuse all of the foliage seems to be where a lot of
the biology also resides, plus the plants are a type of chemical absorber.

You have to have a lot of plants though. I wouldn't do it on my 10GAL for
instance, which has artificial plants and two real ones. It would mean
certain death, I'm sure. It's got a sponge filter and (at the moment) a
Hailea internal in there. I'm seeding the Hailea, so I can remove the air
driven sponge because the sponge doesn't provide enough circulation, and
I've just had a very close call with ich in this tank, and the sponge filter
was (I suspect) 50% of the problem.

Funny, I started this little tank off with BATs and Tiger Barbs in it
because those two species weren't two of my favorates for the large tank -
with the view to a "tough" environment for them, but over time I've grown to
really like both species, especially the Barbs. The BATs have doubled their
size since I got them and will need a new tank soon - they are 2" at least
now and I feel they will be too much for such a small tank regardless of
what filtration is in there or how established it is.

Oz


--
My Aquatic web Blog is at http://members.optusnet.com.au/ivan.smith

[Dick]

On Sun, 24 Apr 2005 15:39:12 -0400, "NetMax"
> wrote:

>"Dick" > wrote in message
...
>> On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 11:34:25 -0400, "NetMax"
>> > wrote:
>>
> wrote in message
oups.com...
>>><snip>
>>>> This is my advice to you. Stop spending any more money. Feed your
>>>> fish once a day and no more than that. Do 20% water change at least
>>>> once a week. Wait until your tank stablize, aka no diseased or dead
>>>> fish, and a stable flora before buying anything more.
>>>>
>>>> Once your tank stablized, fish keeping can be very low maintenance.
>>>> If
>>>> you keep adding new fish and stuffs to your tank, you will always be
>>>> fighting fire. It is no fun for you and even less so for your fish.
>>><snip>
>>>
>>>Words of wisdom above.
>>>
>>>In regards to the AC filter, I recommend using two sponges and
>>>alternate
>>>their positions (ie: clean the bottom sponge, push the top sponge down
>>>and leave uncleaned, replace cleaned bottom sponge into top position).
>>>I
>>>replace them with brand new sponges about every 20 years, whether I
>>>need
>>>to or not ;~).
>>>
>>>In regards to ceramic media, you can keep these going for a long time
>>>(years) by periodically rinsing half of them. Position them in the
>>>portion of the filter with the cleanest water.
>>>
>>>In regards to salt and anything else new, see instructions above.
>>>cheers
>>
>> Netmax,
>>
>> I don't understand all the concern about keeping a dirty filter.
>
>I'm happy to elaborate :o) The food supply for bacteria (ammonia) is
>basically fixed (according to the amount of fish food you put in on
>average). These bacteria will spread themselves out by the millions on
>surfaces. They use oxygen in converting the ammonia to NO2 (or to NO3),
>so they will take up residence in larger numbers where the water
>circulation is higher (the oxygen is being replenished). If you have a
>filter running, it acts as a magnet to the bacteria, and because it is a
>fixed population, there will now be less bacteria in the tank (on the
>glass, in the gravel etc). With these greater numbers in the filter, it
>behooves us to try not to significantly affect their numbers. With 2
>sponges, even if you were sterilize one sponge every month, the remaining
>bacteria in the untouched sponge would reach their previous population in
>about a day. Sterilize both sponges and you are much closer to cycling a
>new tank that you would like to be.
>
>> Yesterday, I decided it was time to replace the filter media as
>> cleaning no longer brought back the flow and the extra water was just
>> returning through the inlet in the case of the 330s, the other is
>> built in to the hood and the extra was flowing over a barrier and
>> returning to the tank.
>
>Makes sense. If there isn't enough water flow through the filter media,
>then the bacteria doesn't have enough O2 to do their work and they would
>migrate elsewhere in the tank. Cleaning a clogged filter like this
>probably doesn't affect the population significantly, as they would have
>already mostly moved out. Replacing the filter gets the mechanical
>filtering happening again (plus the chemical filtering if there is
>carbon, plus the bacteria start moving in boosting their effeciency in a
>higher O2 environment).
>
>> So, I cut new media to fit (In the 330s I have removed the charcoal
>> from the cartridge and just lay the micro media sheet on the intake
>> side, it clings nicely to the old coarse media) and replaced the dirty
>> pieces. This morning both tanks are crystal clear. I routinely clean
>> the Whisper Jr. filters and start them up.
>
>Does the 330 have a biowheel? If it does, then the extra care used with
>the sponges is not applicable as the biowheel is where you have a lot of
>bacteria taking up residence, and these are very efficient (very high
>O2). Also if you have other filters running, lots of plants, low fish
>load etc, then the extra care is again not as applicable. The less
>dependant you are on the bacteria (with plants) or the more distributed
>they are (multiple filters) and the lower your fish load, the less
>concern you need to have with the care given to the sponges.

I have removed the biowheels some months ago. I got tired of cleaning
everything just to get the wheels to rotate. So, when I changed the
media on the 4 cartridges, I only had the interior plastic untouched.
I have also noted that my other 4 tanks do not have biowheels. I
believe the gravel makes the tank stable as all 5 of my tanks have
plants, even the hospital tank has a fair amount of plants kept
upright and on the bottom by lead weights.

The hospital tank is the only one that has a milky appearance and the
only significant difference it has is "no" gravel.
I
>
>> Why alternate or do anything else to preserve bacteria that are
>> everywhere in the tank?
>
>Unfortunately, many aquariums are over-stocked and running on one
>undersized filter, so in this case there is very little margin for
>messing up the biological balance. My advice increases your safety
>margin, which in your case might not be warranted, and in others it might
>be critical. In any case, following this extra care will not cause
>anything to worsen. It just won't make any significant difference to the
>tanks which don't need the extra safety margin, and those are sometimes
>in the minority ;~)

In the last 6 months or more, my 4 good tanks, ranging from 10 to 75
gal, are all running very clean with only media changes, no charcoal
and no biowheels. I rely on the 20% partial water changes, twice
weekly. All 5 tanks have been running for about 2 years and have
about 140 fish and 14 species among them.

Only the hospital tank runs without gravel and it is the only tank in
which the water is milky. Yesterday, I swapped the Whisper filter
cartridge with that from another 10 gallon tank. This morning the
water is clear.

So, I conclude that gravel is keeping the tanks stable. By swapping
filter cartridges, I believe I can now keep the hospital tank cycled.

dick