throw away old biological filter media?

[godkins]

I notice the directions on filter media (ceramic and plastic) state to replace about a third every six months. Any comments on this? Seems like a waste of good bacteria.

 

[Brookster123]

It's nonsense, just want you to buy more "stuff". Never throw away ceramic media unless you have a nasty disease in the tank and you're re- booting

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[_Drago_]

I definitely agree! Your tank would never have a well established colony of beneficial bacteria if you replaced that often. As said above, only replace if you have a very persistent disease or parasite that you can't seem to rid of.

 

[stingrays4]

Hi Bio media needs replacing periodically but only as and when needed. If its looking well soiled and seems hard to clean then I tend to replace some of the media but not ALL of it! I replace about a third of my bio media about every couple of years.

 

[nirbhao]

Good instinct. Sponges should be replaced when they start to degrade. There really isn't any reason to get rid of ceramic media.

Carbon, however, does lose its charge after a few weeks. At that point it becomes mechanical instead of chemical filtration. I've replaced my carbon with Purigen, another media that shouldn't need to be replaced.