Carbon Filter Media Catridge

[tonyt13]

Hi there -

Question regarding changing the carbon filter cartridge on my Aqueon filter. The instructions do say to change the cartridge whenever the water level inside the canister rises above the cartridge - I had a cartridge in the filter for over a month while I did a fishless cycle and the water never rose above the canister. Added two goldfish 18 days ago and after about a week i did switch it out as the water did start to rise above (i know this is obvious as food and waste are now being sucked in by the filter and clogging the cartridge). Checked last night, and the water already is starting to overflow the filter canister after only 1 week. I guess my question is will frequent changes of the carbon filter cartridge disrupt the cycle (levels are all perfect as this is being typed). Should I remove the filter cartridge and try to get the gunk off with tank water and re-use?? Any insight would be much appreciated! THANK YOU!

 

[jcolon]

Don't bother with the instructions in all honesty. Only change the filter cartridges / media when it is literally falling apart. The cartridges will eventually be home to a large amount of Beneficial Bacteria and if you simply switch it for a replacement, you run the risk of starting your cycle over again ... or a mini-cycle.

Just swish it around in Tank water during PWC's to rid it of waste that clings to it and put back in the filter. It should be several months if not a couple of years before you should have to change it. I would in the future remove any carbon that may be inserted in the cartridge and stuff it with 100% polyfill instead.

Most experienced members ... myself included ... do not have carbon in our filters. It's actually unnecessary except if you want to remove any meds. For now, just leave the carbon and it will eventually get stop chemically filtrate and become part of the biological filtration.

 

[Abrams96]

IMO carbon is not needed in your filter at all, only time I use it is to remove any medication in the tank which isn't very often. Once the carbon has reached it's absorption limit it will start to release everything it's holding. I would remove the carbon all together. It may slow your cycle time very slightly due to any beneficial bacteria that may be on it but not enough that I would worry about. And if the cartridge also has a filter pad on it I would just wash it off in old tank water like you said while doing your partial water changes. I never ever replace my filter pads unless they have completely fallen apart. That's my opinion, others may think differently.

 

[Abrams96]

Don't bother with the instructions in all honesty. Only change the filter cartridges / media when it is literally falling apart. The cartridges will eventually be home to a large amount of Beneficial Bacteria and if you simply switch it for a replacement, you run the risk of starting your cycle over again ... or a mini-cycle.

Just swish it around in Tank water during PWC's to rid it of waste that clings to it and put back in the filter. It should be several months if not a couple of years before you should have to change it. I would in the future remove any carbon that may be inserted in the cartridge and stuff it with 100% polyfill instead.

Most experienced members ... myself included ... do not have carbon in our filters. It's actually unnecessary except if you want to remove any meds. For now, just leave the carbon and it will eventually get stop chemically filtrate and become part of the biological filtration.

Ditto...haha

 

[jcolon]

IMO carbon is not needed in your filter at all, only time I use it is to remove any medication in the tank which isn't very often. Once the carbon has reached it's absorption limit it will start to release everything it's holding.

Actually releasing the materials does not happen UNLESS you have a massive pH swing. Within normal aquarium pH parameters that should not be an issue.

See the link below .. I used to think the same thing.

Activated Carbon In Aquarium | Aquariums Life

 

[Abrams96]

Right, after it reaches it's limit it is no longer removing anything. Not necessarily releasing anything, is how I should have worded it. Regardless, we are on the same page when it comes to carbon. I wish your post was up before I typed mine out on my cell phone though..lol

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Actually releasing the materials does not happen UNLESS you have a massive pH swing. Within normal aquarium pH parameters that should not be an issue.

See the link below .. I used to think the same thing.

Activated Carbon In Aquarium | Aquariums Life

Oh that's neat! I just learned a lot from that article so thanks for that! I have a mesh bag full of activated carbon that's been in my filter for like 6 months. I've been meaning to remove it but have been lazy. I'm glad to know that it goes from absorbing to just being a part of the biological filter. With that in mind, guess I'll just leave it there..

 

[tonyt13]

thank u all - - as I am new to this, want to make sure I am understanding... the filter i have (aqueon quiet flow 30) - it has a bio holder to place the carbon filter cartridges in them. Should I place the polyfill directly into the bio holder or cut the cartridge open, remove carbon and place the polyfill into that and then put into bio holder. Hope that makes sense and thanks again!

 

[jcolon]

Right, after it reaches it's limit it is no longer removing anything. Not necessarily releasing anything, is how I should have worded it. Regardless, we are on the same page when it comes to carbon. I wish your post was up before I typed mine out on my cell phone though..lol

I feel your pain ... Isn't it fun typing inputs on phones? .... should be more like after you find out someone just beat you to it and you went through all phone typing.

 

[jcolon]

Should I place the polyfill directly into the bio holder or cut the cartridge open, remove carbon and place the polyfill into that and then put into bio holder.

This is what I did with my Marineland HOB ... you can stuff a good amount of polyfill in a cartridge. I didn't change 1/2 my polyfill till 4 months later, the other 1/2 I just rinsed thoroughly.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

In my newest acquisition I'm running a HOB Fluval C2 power filter. I put aside the activated carbon that came with it to save if I ever have to use meds. I filled up that extra real estate with BioMax to increase the bio filter's capacity. I'm not sure if poly fiber is better but my params are excellent in my puffer tank.

 

[jcolon]

Yep ... is a good alternative in place of the carbon. I considered it for my HOB, but I figured I had enough surface area for BB, and poly fill does a great job polishing my water.

 

[jlk]

I have a few aqueons- the filters that come with them are absolute JUNK. Trying the cut them open to remove the carbon is almost impossible without it falling apart. Theres barely any carbon in them anyway. They are not really setup in a way to stuff with polyfill easily either. My suggestion is to leave the junk filter in there because it already has good bacteria & consider placing some filter foam (sponge) in front of the junk filter (plenty of room) to house more good bacteria & help clean the water better. That way when the piece of garbage filter cartridge does fall apart, you already have sufficent bacteria established in the foam & dont have to worry about anything. Just my take on things anyway.

 

[rkilling1]

Oh that's neat! I just learned a lot from that article so thanks for that! I have a mesh bag full of activated carbon that's been in my filter for like 6 months. I've been meaning to remove it but have been lazy. I'm glad to know that it goes from absorbing to just being a part of the biological filter. With that in mind, guess I'll just leave it there..

That article is filled with mis-information. Activated Carbon does not absorb anything. It adsorbs them. Completely different process. It adsorbs them by way of van der waals forces.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

That article is filled with mis-information. Activated Carbon does not absorb anything. It adsorbs them. Completely different process. It adsorbs them by way of van der waals forces.

Thanks for the clarification. aBsorb and aDsorb sound so alike I had to do a little homework right now to know the distinction. So after its done adsorbing, does it in fact become part of the biological filter?

 

[rkilling1]

Thanks for the clarification. aBsorb and aDsorb sound so alike I had to do a little homework right now to know the distinction. So after its done adsorbing, does it in fact become part of the biological filter?

Pretty much once the carbon is full, that's it. No more removing of any chemicals or compounds. The constituents will remain trapped within the carbon unless you reactivate it.

 

[tonyt13]

Thanks for the tips everyone - really appreciated! I would love to get rid of the existing cartridge filter and replace with another - it appears aqua clear is highly recommended. At this stage, that would be extremely detrimental to the bio filter, correct???

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Aqua Clears (AC) are really good. You can run both filters on your aquarium until the AC filter has time to establish. You can also take some established biomedia from your current filter and "seed" the new one. In due time, the AC will be running like a champ!

Also check out the Fluval C-Series of filters. AC filters and Fluval C are both made by Hagen, so quality is on par. I have both filters and I really like the C-Series because of the modular compartments and how easy it is to customize the filter additives to your liking (i.e. more BioMax, filter floss / polyfiber, sponges, activated carbon, etc.).

Amazon.com has the best prices I found on these filters. But support the LFS's if you can find there. Hope this helps.