denwhite16
Aquarium Advice Activist
How often do you guys replace the four foam pads in your filter? Should I be replacing them whenever I do maintenance, or should I just rinse them off with tank water and put them back in?
I just rinse them in tank (not tap) water and throw them back in. I've had the same ones since I bought the 405. Since there's 4 of them, it probably wouldn't be a big deal to replace them one at a time when they start getting unviable, but I wouldn't replace them all at once.
A great trick I use with my 405 is putting poly-fil (pillow stuffing) in the bottom basket. I replace it weekly during pwc's (so it doesn't have time to significantly develop BB) and you'd be shocked how filthy that stuff gets after a week. It catches all the fine particles and makes my water crystal clear.