Changing flitration media

[minkin]

So I have a innovative marine nuvo 30.

It says that I should replace the filter media every month.

I thought that your filtration kept all the beneficial bacteria. So changing it would create a 'mini cycle'?

Would I be better off just cleaning it then putting it back in?

 

[Convict2161]

Clean it and put it back. Save your money.

 

[baron1282]

The Carbon filters is what you replace every month. Keeps the water clear! Helps anyway. The sponges you keep until they are falling apart and you can't keep them no more.

When cleaning make sure you clean in dirty tank water! Don't squeeze out the sponges! Just swish them around in the bucket of old tank water to get the big stuff off them. Clean all the plastic parts with warm clean water, but no soap. If you got the bio-rings just set the container that is holding them in the old tank water and clean off the container. Basically any filter media that contains life is cleaned in old tank water, anything that does not just warm water and paper towel.

Oh and one more thing I learned! Put a fish net over the return in the tank, when you turn back on the filter a-lot of junk comes out of the return and into your tank. Mine does anyway. Put the net over it and you have no issues!

 

[baron1282]

I thought you had a canister filter! I see the tank is all in one! That's cool!!

Same basic principle! Do a water change, and clean all the filter media in the old dirty water making sure not to squeeze the life out of the sponges. You are just trying to get all the big stuff off your sponges and other area's of the filter media.

 

[BillD]

The information above is incorrect. Swishing the foam inserts around in tank water will not clean them. They need to be squeezed vigorously to remove the solid material embedded in the foam. It usually takes 5 or 6 changes of the water before a foam insert will become relatively clean. Putting a plugged foam back into the filter after "rinsing" it doesn't do much to restore flow through the foam. It needs to be cleaned.

 

[minkin]

Ok I have Mechanical Sponge, Activated Carbon Sponge and Phosphate Sponge in my filtration chamber.

How and when should I wash these out?

And with what water, R/O? Tank?

 

[Al.Ilgaz]

The Carbon filters is what you replace every month. Keeps the water clear! Helps anyway. The sponges you keep until they are falling apart and you can't keep them no more.

When cleaning make sure you clean in dirty tank water! Don't squeeze out the sponges! Just swish them around in the bucket of old tank water to get the big stuff off them. Clean all the plastic parts with warm clean water, but no soap. If you got the bio-rings just set the container that is holding them in the old tank water and clean off the container. Basically any filter media that contains life is cleaned in old tank water, anything that does not just warm water and paper towel.

Oh and one more thing I learned! Put a fish net over the return in the tank, when you turn back on the filter a-lot of junk comes out of the return and into your tank. Mine does anyway. Put the net over it and you have no issues!

Why the heck didn't I think of the last part!!! Genius!

 

[baron1282]

The information above is incorrect. Swishing the foam inserts around in tank water will not clean them. They need to be squeezed vigorously to remove the solid material embedded in the foam. It usually takes 5 or 6 changes of the water before a foam insert will become relatively clean. Putting a plugged foam back into the filter after "rinsing" it doesn't do much to restore flow through the foam. It needs to be cleaned.

I was always told not to squeeze the sponges. I normally would just take my hand and knock off the solid stuff.

 

[baron1282]

Ok I have Mechanical Sponge, Activated Carbon Sponge and Phosphate Sponge in my filtration chamber.

How and when should I wash these out?

And with what water, R/O? Tank?

I clean with every other water change. So once every two weeks.

 

[minkin]

I clean with every other water change. So once every two weeks.

Ok and what water do you use - r/o? tank water?

 

[baron1282]

You use the tank water you took out to do a water change to clean.

 

[BillD]

I was always told not to squeeze the sponges. I normally would just take my hand and knock off the solid stuff.

This "advice" is often repeated. You will find that the sponge will be full of solid material and will take an extensive amount of squeezing to get it out. Usually the first few squeezes don't move much out, but once it starts to break up it comes more easily.
Try it your way and then try to give it some serious squeezing and see what comes out. The beneficial ( nitrifying ) bacteria is firmly attached to the sponge, and doesn't let go easily. Beneficial bacteria is aerobic and when a filter becomes plugged with solid material, the hetertrophic bacteria that consumes this competes for available oxygen with the nitrifying bacteria. If there is enough blockage, you will have areas in the sponge that become anaerobic, with neither type of bacteria alive.