Filter Floss

[Amicus]

Hello all,
I have quite a bit of Mopani wood in my 29g aquarium, I boiled each piece three times before installation. I have an emporer 280 and after a week it appears that the filter floss is catching a lot of the tannins and the filter is turing orange. Can I leave the filter in place until I see a different coloration or do I need to change it. It looks as though the filter could be changed every week based on the tannins and it is getting a little expensive. All of my test results are normal with nitrates a little above zero but not really concerned. I perform water changes on a weekly basis and am considering two per week. I'd love to not have to not go through a filter per week.

 

[jsoong]

The tannins are not harmful (some fish even loves it & people buy extracts to add to the tank), so there is no problems leaving it in the tank. Changing the filter is only needed for cosmetic reasons. <ie if the yellow color bothers you>

 

[itsgracia]

I wouldnt change the filter floss. A lot of your beneficial bacteria lives in there and changing it will mean loss of bacteria and a chance for a mini cycle (or worst restart of cycle). I would just rinse it in old tank water.