Biowheel filter question

[KenW]

I have a Penguin Biowheel 200 on my 8 month old 45g FW tank. I changed the carbon filter media about 6 months ago, and the biowheel I have never changed. I also use Marineland filter padding that I cut to fit and put in the filter box every other time I clean the tank so about once every two weeks its replaced.

I don't want to lose my beneficial bacteria in replacing the biowheel. But when should I change it? If the numbers are where they are supposed to be and the water is crystal clear, should I bother to change it? What should I look for to know that its time to change the filters?
Thanks!

 

[timwag2001]

the biowheel is designed to never be replaced

 

[HooKooDooKu]

Unless the biowheel physically begins to deteriate, you don't ever want to change it out.

 

[missileman]

The only maintainance on the biowheel is to clean out the holes on the spraybar every once in a while and keep the pins and slots they sit in clean so it will spin easily.
If it gets really loaded up and becomes a problem you can lightly rinse it in some aquarium water but that should only be done if it gets so loaded that it will not spin any more.

 

[KenW]

Thanks!

Great information! This confirms my suspicions that changing them every few weeks is bad for my tank, but good for the manufacturer!

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

it wouldnt really be bad for the tank.. just wouldnt be required.. the biowheel lets aired out culture thrive on anything that gets passed by water.. if you remove it.. your just cutting back on those.. you will have the media in the tank.. the filteration.. all that.. it wouldnt hurt to change.. however.. its pointless to.. cause of what little the wheel is actually designed to do.


Dont hate on me.. i own 4 emperor 400's =P

 

[HooKooDooKu]

it wouldnt really be bad for the tank.. just wouldnt be required.. the biowheel lets aired out culture thrive on anything that gets passed by water.. if you remove it.. your just cutting back on those.. you will have the media in the tank.. the filteration.. all that.. it wouldnt hurt to change.. however.. its pointless to.. cause of what little the wheel is actually designed to do.


Dont hate on me.. i own 4 emperor 400's =P

Yes and No.

Generally speaking, the bulk of the bacteria that converts ammonia to eventually nitrate live in the filter. Sure some lives on the various tank surfaces, but the majority of the work occurs in the filter. So if you replace the filter media, you loose a majority of your bacteria.

As a simple example, I mistakenly rinsed my FluVal filter media in tap water one day. The chlorine in the tap water killed enough bacteria in the filter that my tank did a 3 day mini-cycle. Basically, it took three days for what bacteria was left on the filter after the rinse to repoplulate the filter to keep ammonia/nitrite levels at zero.

However, my example is NOT quite like what is going on with these bio-wheel filters. Usually, before the water flows on the bio-wheel, it's already passed through a floss filter that also has a pocket of carbon in it. Because the water is constantly flowing through this floss filter, the bacteria will also grow there too. So if you have a mature floss filter (and you have NOT been changing it out weekly like the manufacturer wants you to) then you might have enough bacteria in the floss filter to avoid a serious mini-cycle when you change out the bio-wheel.

But if you have recently changed out the floss filter, then changing out the bio-wheel should cause your tank to undergo a significant mini-cycle.

 

[missileman]

There is an extra slot for a media basket in that filter, I don't know if yours came with that basket, all of mine are the Emperor model and did.
I put fluval biomax noodles in my basket for extra bio filtration.
This is the basket:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...page=1&list=2891,2892,2893,2894,2895&breeds=1