Carbon change

[leopardfrog]

There is a theory you should change a little media every now and then, as it promotes growth of new bacterial cultures as old ones are disposed of. Not sure either way. I understood any polishing should be done after the biomax, you want some small amounts of gunk getting to the media first I thought?

 

[hyperman]

Went to the store. They had a large box of Fluval bio max. There is no netting in the box. Is it ok to put these in the second layer loosely? Also since I have the large box is it recommended to change this second layer on some schedule?

 

[Fresh2o]

Went to the store. They had a large box of Fluval bio max. There is no netting in the box. Is it ok to put these in the second layer loosely? Also since I have the large box is it recommended to change this second layer on some schedule?

If you do not have any netting, you could try fishing line. Tie I knot around the first ring and feed the line through the remaining rings. Leave a little space between them; meaning don't bunch them up because you will need some slack in the line to allow the rings to conform to the area they are placed in. Tie a knot on the last ring. Place on top next to or on top of the existing biomax. It may take some trial and error to figure out how many rings will fit in the space available.

This makes it much simpler for maintenance as opposed to retrieving loose rings. Also, I found this works well for cartridge type filters.

For maintenance I usually dip the rings or biomax in water from a water change and give it a shake. Not with every water change but maybe every other.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Fresh gives some good advice; indeed, don't really place loose BioMax rings into the filter basket -- get some kind of mesh media bag to place them in. If you buy them prepackaged from the store, if they're the Hagen/AquaClear brand (the Fluval from what I understand works as well in the Hagen filters), they already come in mesh bags ready to drop into the filter...

And, for maintenance, Fresh is correct as well -- simply remove the bag(s) of BioMax during a water change (after some time when you think there has been a lot of gunk buildup) as well as the sponge if you're running it and dunk/swish these around in removed tank water...this will get off some heavy waste and debris while keeping the beneficial bacteria colonies intact. I just did this today, as a matter of fact, when I did my 50% water change...

This new tank has been running for a few weeks now, so I have been wanting to let the colonies build up (I prepped the tank with Seachem's Stability to kick start this process and protect the fish during transfer) and as such, I haven't touched the media in either tank...however, today, while I was doing the water change, I just had a feeling to start looking at what the Aqueon cartridges look like as well as the sponge in the AquaClear. The Aqueon cartridges were brown and yucky, as I suspected, so I dunked those and got some loose food and waste particles off, then I removed the sponge from the AquaClear 110 and dunked and rinsed that a little, but not too much was caught in there...the BioMax rings I left alone for now because they didn't look overwhelmed with mulm/debris and it looked as though BB colonies were attempting to grow...

 

[leopardfrog]

If you bought biomax wash it well in tap water first, use a sieve or colander. Its really dusty if not. I use biomax in 2 of my fx5 baskets and haven't even gently cleaned it yet.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Yes, Frog makes a good point too that was overlooked here -- with ANY new media, rinse it well in cool tap water, whether it's cartridges or sponges/BioMax etc., to remove any packaging dust/carbon dust/etc...

 

[hyperman]

Just returned from the lfs with a full test of the water. The only thing they saw was some ammonia in the water. They claim I need to replace the sponge and carbon in my aquaclear 50 hob filter. Is it advisable to do this? I thought it was a bad idea to replace the sponge because of the bb? I was able to find a bio max cartridge so i have the sponge and 2 bio max cartridges today. Should I replace the carbon and sponge as they suggested and go back to just one bio max cartridge? We have started to loose quite a few fish the last month. I have a separate thread on this. The lfs said it was because i do not have a new sponge and carbon insert for the aquaclear. So do I purchase the carbon and new sponge or do I just rinse the old sponge in tank water and leave the 2 bio max cartridges that I have. Just did a really good gravel cleaning and 50% pwc last night. They do not advise any medication right now. The only symptoms the fish get are a descended stomach and then they die after a few days. So what do I do about the filter?

 

[Jmunroe]

If there is ammonia in the water then your bacteria colony has not grown big enough. Why would they suggest that you replace the sponge and the carbon????. To make a few bucks off you while your there. That's why. Your sponge NEVER needs to be replaced until it is falling apart. Take it out of the filter and swish it gently in tank water to remove large debris and put it back in the filter.. Remove the carbon.. Through it away and buy another bio max to replace it. Why a LFS would tell you to get rid of parts of the filter that are housing bacteria is idiocy and a money grab.

 

[Fresh2o]

If there is ammonia in the water then your bacteria colony has not grown big enough. Why would they suggest that you replace the sponge and the carbon????. To make a few bucks off you while your there. That's why. Your sponge NEVER needs to be replaced until it is falling apart. Take it out of the filter and swish it gently in tank water to remove large debris and put it back in the filter.. Remove the carbon.. Through it away and buy another bio max to replace it. Why a LFS would tell you to get rid of parts of the filter that are housing bacteria is idiocy and a money grab.

+1 on this. LFS advice makes me so mad sometimes

 

[Jmunroe]

Do daily water changes until the tank is cycled. Your tank is not cycled hence the ammonia reading. Keep ammonia and nitrites as close to zero as you can and wait for nitrates to start to rise. Get yourself a test kit. API master test kit is good and not to much $. I wouldn't trust a fish store to tell me my water parameters. Get the kit and post your results here and people will tell you exactly what to do and I promise it won't be something as stupid as " replace your sponge and carbon"

 

[ArtesiaWells]

If there is ammonia in the water then your bacteria colony has not grown big enough. Why would they suggest that you replace the sponge and the carbon????. To make a few bucks off you while your there. That's why. Your sponge NEVER needs to be replaced until it is falling apart. Take it out of the filter and swish it gently in tank water to remove large debris and put it back in the filter.. Remove the carbon.. Through it away and buy another bio max to replace it. Why a LFS would tell you to get rid of parts of the filter that are housing bacteria is idiocy and a money grab.

Just to clarify something a bit -- and something which I have questions on myself and will begin a new thread regarding it in the Equipment/Hardware section -- with SOME filters, such as the Aqueon QuietFlow line which I personally use (along with an AquaClear 110), there are some parts of the filter which are supposed to "grow" and "house" the bacteria OUTSIDE of the actual pads, which is why some manufacturers such as Aqueon say you can toss the old, used pads and replace them...

In other words, with these Aqueons I speak of, you could, if you wanted to, toss the cartridges that actually catch the debris without fear of destroying the BB colony because the bacteria, on these specific filters, grow on "other parts" such as the "diffuser grid" and "cartridge holders"...here's some interesting information on how these work:

Aqueon Videos

Aqueon Videos

 

[Jmunroe]

Just to clarify something a bit -- and something which I have questions on myself and will begin a new thread regarding it in the Equipment/Hardware section -- with SOME filters, such as the Aqueon QuietFlow line which I personally use (along with an AquaClear 110), there are some parts of the filter which are supposed to "grow" and "house" the bacteria OUTSIDE of the actual pads, which is why some manufacturers such as Aqueon say you can toss the old, used pads and replace them...

In other words, with these Aqueons I speak of, you could, if you wanted to, toss the cartridges that actually catch the debris without fear of destroying the BB colony because the bacteria, on these specific filters, grow on "other parts" such as the "diffuser grid" and "cartridge holders"...here's some interesting information on how these work:

Aqueon Videos

Aqueon Videos

True even in the aquaclear the sponge isn't going to house as much bacteria as the bio max and is more for mechanical filtration. You could throw it away and replace it but why waste money on a perfectly good sponge that can be cleaned and put back in. In my aquaclear 110 I clean the sponge aggressively in the water to clean it really well, even squeezing it out several times as I use the 110 more for water polishing with a sponge layer, filter floss and a bag of biomax on top to hold the floss in. I let my FX5 take care of the bio filtration with all bio max in the middle baskets. I have no filter media that requires replacing except for the filter floss which is cheap and too hard to clean. I would hate to have to buy the sponges for the FX5 every time I needed them cleaned. If you have a filter that has media that is really hard to get clean and is going to restrict water flow no matter how clean you get it then you may have to replace these. And it won't hurt anything if not much bacteria is disturbed by doing this. I avoid filters and media that require replacement.

 

[hyperman]

Let me clarify one thing. The tank has been set up since September 2012 and has been cycled. Ammonia was at 0 for the longest time. We just started seeing small traces of ammonia and have been doing pwc. I was pretty sure it was bad advice which is why i did not purchase anything. I just went and swished the sponge in tank water. It did have quite a bit of heavy matter that came off. The newer bio max cartridge looks fine. The original one did have some heavy matter which I swished also in the tank water. The water levels have been consistent at these numbers

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates 30 -35
PH 8.2

We have platys, mollies, and swordtails

I would say the ammonia has been between 0 -.25 lately. Anything else other than weekly gravel cleaning and pwc that I should be doing?

 

[Jmunroe]

Let me clarify one thing. The tank has been set up since September 2012 and has been cycled. Ammonia was at 0 for the longest time. We just started seeing small traces of ammonia and have been doing pwc. I was pretty sure it was bad advice which is why i did not purchase anything. I just went and swished the sponge in tank water. It did have quite a bit of heavy matter that came off. The newer bio max cartridge looks fine. The original one did have some heavy matter which I swished also in the tank water. The water levels have been consistent at these numbers

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates 30 -35
PH 8.2

We have platys, mollies, and swordtails

I would say the ammonia has been between 0 -.25 lately. Anything else other than weekly gravel cleaning and pwc that I should be doing?

Sounds like you are maybe under filtered or overstocked if you are now starting to get ammonia readings. Or maybe going through a mini cycle due to your filter changes. I would do daily water changes to keep the water good and get that other bio max in the filter and let it establish some bacteria to see if it is enough filtration.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

.25ppm of ammonia is such a small amount. It would not be affecting the fish. What are the LFS using to test? It is advisable to get your own test kit. That way you know if the kit is in date and if the test is being done correctly. If your tap water contains chloramine it can cause a positive in the ammonia test.

 

[Convict2161]

Carbon isn't needed at all IMO, unless used to remove medications after treatment. Leaving carbon in like the carbon bags supplied with the aqua clears will become a nitrAte factory TRUST me.

 

[hyperman]

29 gallon tank with an aquaclear 50 hob. The tank currently only has 2 swordtails, 1 molly, 1 platy, 1 guppy, and 2 corydora catfish. No one is over 2 inches long.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Carbon isn't needed at all IMO, unless used to remove medications after treatment. Leaving carbon in like the carbon bags supplied with the aqua clears will become a nitrAte factory TRUST me.

Indeed? Well that's not good...much like everything else surrounding this hobby, I have found this "carbon factor" in terms of leeching toxins back into the water is steeped and riddled in rumor and hypotheses; many say it does not leech anything or create nitrates while others, like you, say the exhuasted carbon will indeed be harmful if left in...

That being the case, I suppose I better start replacing my Aqueon cartridges instead of dunking the (exhausted) ones...

 

[Darkseid76]

I wanted to chime in here to give my opinion based on my experience.

I have a 55 gallon and I run both an Aqueon and Aquaclear HOB filters.

Because my Aqueon uses 2 cartridges I swap one out a time every 4-5 months. Maybe longer. I've NEVER rinsed the blue cages that hold them ever. Only removed large debris.

On the Aqueon I run the standard setup of biomax carbon sponge. I get the sponges dirt cheap online so I don't mind swapping them out every few months. I've changed my biomax insert only once since I've had my tank. And the only reason I did that was to use the rings in the bag to seed a small box filter for my 5 gallon QT tank. Which only has the rings and floss, no carbon.

I'm my opinion I've never had a problem with carbon. My nitrates are .5 ppm. But I like the idea of adding an extra biomax insert. I'm surprised I didn't think of it sooner lol

I also cover my filter intakes with women's hose now. So no more large debris problems or snails and shrimp living in my Aqueon filter box either.

 

[Darkseid76]

I have the QuietFlow 55. And yes I meant the Aquaclear for the sponge carbon biomax insert setup.

And no I've never had a problem with exhausted carbon inserts. Mind you my tank is planted though.

I have Java Moss, Water Sprite(floating), dwarf sag, and Rangeri Sword( which I just got maybe 2 weeks ago).