rinsing filter sponges and weekly water changes

[stan450z]

so i got lazy and i used to do water changes maybe monthly. and rinsing out my filter sponges in my overflow maybe every 4-6 months. they were disgusting!!! some of my fish died and i now decided to take this more seriously.

now i do water changes every 7-10 days, and rinse my overflow sponges each time. i also have a protein skimmer and sump with bio balls of course too.

my water is clear as can be, i think im beginning to see some cool pink coralline alage looks like its slowly growing and spreading as well. pics below.

my question is 1. is rinsing these out every water change a good idea? at least to get all the dirt and derbis out? also what if i were just to replace with new ones every couple months?

question 2: how does that corraline look? would it be an ok idea to also get a really nice expensive live rock to put into the tank (just 1) and watch it spread? how long would it take to take over all the other rocks of the tank? im thinking of maybe even slowly switching out each rock on a monthly basis whenever im at the store to get food..

 

[Sniperhank]

You should rinse any sponges out during every water change you do. I only have one on my tank and rinse it every week. I have 6 of them I think and can swap them out as I feel if I don't think them being rinsed is doing the trick. Not really necessary, but some people clean them with bleach and rinse until the smell is gone.

 

[PB_Smith]

if you want to retain any beneficial bacteria, rinse in old tank water, if not, hot tap water works well.
you want to clean them every time and clean filter socks daily, that way you are removing junk before it has time to decompose and impact water chemistry.

 

[Sniperhank]

Sponges and filters aren't really anything of concern when it comes to beneficial bacteria in saltwater as we aim to follow the 1 lbs per gallon rule of both rock and sand.