StellaStars
Aquarium Advice Activist
I'm so full of questions lately - thank you for indulging me.
I have a question about filter maintenance:
My 5G came with a Cascade 300 internal filter. After about a month or so, when according to the package I should have replaced the carbon cartridge with a new one, I instead swapped it out with some ceramic bio media.
I'm not sure I can say that's to blame, but I feel like I've had water quality issues since then.
About once a month when I'm doing a water change I'll pull out the filter and give both the sponge and the media bag a swirl around in the removed tank water to get some of the crud off. I find that enough stuff collects that the filter flow is effected.
Should I be cleaning it differently? Should I go back to charcoal and if so should I swap it out once a month?
Should I ever be changing the sponge?
Now, I just set up a 23 gallon tank. It came with an AquaClear 30 which has a sponge, charcoal, and bio media.
According to the instructions, each of those should be replaced every 1-3 months, on a rotating schedule, so you're never removing all the bb at once.
Do you think that's true? I feel like the advice I see on here leans towards far less changes and cleaning than the packages suggest.
Any help is much appreciated!
I have a question about filter maintenance:
My 5G came with a Cascade 300 internal filter. After about a month or so, when according to the package I should have replaced the carbon cartridge with a new one, I instead swapped it out with some ceramic bio media.
I'm not sure I can say that's to blame, but I feel like I've had water quality issues since then.
About once a month when I'm doing a water change I'll pull out the filter and give both the sponge and the media bag a swirl around in the removed tank water to get some of the crud off. I find that enough stuff collects that the filter flow is effected.
Should I be cleaning it differently? Should I go back to charcoal and if so should I swap it out once a month?
Should I ever be changing the sponge?
Now, I just set up a 23 gallon tank. It came with an AquaClear 30 which has a sponge, charcoal, and bio media.
According to the instructions, each of those should be replaced every 1-3 months, on a rotating schedule, so you're never removing all the bb at once.
Do you think that's true? I feel like the advice I see on here leans towards far less changes and cleaning than the packages suggest.
Any help is much appreciated!