Filter cleaning

[dianel64]

When I'm doing my pwc I rinse out 1 or 2 of the filter sponges in tank water but my friend rinses out all of her filter sponges when doing her weekly pwc. I always thought that would lead to a mini cycle or am I wrong?

 

[mom2reds]

As long as you rinse them in tank water so that you don't kill the good bacteria you should be fine. You should rinse them this wAy so your filter can operate properly, if you don't it my become clogged .

 

[mfdrookie516]

If you rinse them in water removed from the tank during the PWC, it won't hurt anything. I've got to where I do all mine. There's nothing wrong with doing half one week, half the next unless they get really dirty and start causing nitrate issues in between cleaning.. but that would probably indicate insufficient filtration.

 

[dianel64]

If you rinse them in water removed from the tank during the PWC, it won't hurt anything. I've got to where I do all mine. There's nothing wrong with doing half one week, half the next unless they get really dirty and start causing nitrate issues in between cleaning.. but that would probably indicate insufficient filtration.

I'm glad I found this forum, the help & advice here is great. I've kept various aquariums of & on for 30 years & I never thought of cleaning all the filter sponges at once, lol. Just goes to show, you can teach an old dog new tricks, lol.