recycling Filter media?

[srcooper]

I am wanting some opinions from those of you who have been into the hobby longer than myself.

I have a marineland emperor 400 power filter on a 55gal aquarium. I recently moved all my fish and the filter from a 20gal tank into the 55gal. I needed to change my filter media because it was not passing water fast enough. I wanted to get as much bacteria into the new tank as I could so I put in new filter cartridges and placed the old ones inside the tank on top of the gravel. This worked because It has only been a couple of weeks and my ammonia and nitrite levels are zero.
In doing this, I noticed one thing. The fish cleaned my filter media, completely.
My question is, Will this do harm to my tank if I do this each time my media is dirty and just continue to reuse the cleaned ones? The cartridges are rather expensive.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[fishfreek]

What needs to be replaced is the AC (activated carbon) that is in the filter media. This carbon will aborb chemicals and such that are in your water on a short term but over the long turn could leach it back into the water.

If you can find filter floss bags and then buy granulated AC you can make your own filter cartrages.

If your filter has 2 sides to it you could replace 1 cartrage and then wait a few days and replace the other one.

 

[CRaZeeeBiTcHisH]

i am not sure about your specific cartridges, but you can remove the carbon, rinse and reuse your cartridges--i have some that are 'all in one' in my smaller tanks , and i just slice the pad and remove the carbon, rinse well under running water and replace....i wouldn't rely on the fish to clean it, most will be decomposing waste and food, and though fish might stir it around, they won't eat most of the junk on there, so it will just end up back in your tank and defeat your purpose

 

[spewns]

I don't rinse my cartridges in tap water as it seems the chlorine in my city water kills the bacteria on the cartridge. I use the old water from a water change and swish it around in that.

 

[CRaZeeeBiTcHisH]

yes, chlorine will kill your bacteria