Brown muck on filter and fake plant

[daisy531]

There is a brown muck on the filter and fake plant in my 2 month old, 10 gallon tank. Last water change was a 40% 2 days ago. I have not touched my whisper 2-10i filter since set up a little over 2 months ago but I'm going to replace the carbon bag tomorrow. Temperature usually ranges between 76-78 F. The tank gets a good amount of natural sunlight and the tank lights stay on for 10 hours a day. Could it be lighting or something else? I really appreciate any feedback since I'm a newbie, so don't hold back.

 

[imasillymomma]

My understanding is that the brown stuff is our beneficial bacteria. I hope someone corrects me if I'm wrong, but it worked wonders when I put it into my new tank to cycle it!

Also, too much light can cause algae growth in the tank. When I "adopted" my tank from its former owner it was covered in green algae because she said she couldn't get it to come off. I used a magnetic scrubber that she left with the tank and it came right off...

 

[imasillymomma]

By the way, when you replace the cartridge, put that one behind it (so the water goes through it first). This should help you maintain your cycle and get some of the beneficial bacteria transferred to the new cartridge. You can take the old one out after a few days.

 

[V227]

That Brown stuff on your filter is probably just a bio-gunk accumulation. Harmless but a little unsightly.
Imasillymomma gave you a good tip on how to switch out your filter pad. One of my power filters has a bio-wheel and a filter pad similar to yours. I change the pad out once every 5-6 months.
You can get a lot more mileage out of the filter pads by simply shaking them out under used tank water in your WC bucket and wiping off the surface with your hand. I do that during WC' s once every two weeks. Saves a lot of money. That power filter has been running steady for 19 years.
Good luck.