How often should I change my filter pads?

[edmond]

I have a 50 gallon fish only tank with 30 lbs of live rock. I have 2 clowns, a goby, a tang, an angel and 4 turbo snails.

My filtration is a Prizm protein Skimmer and an Eheim Ecco 2234 canister filter.

The filter has 3 pads, a blue pad, a white pad and a carbon pad. I know I am only supposed to change the blue pad once a year.

My question is, how often do I need to change the white pad and the carbon pad? Should I even be using the carbon pad? Do I need it/Does it hurt?

[cmor1701d]

Are you testing your water for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

I don't use a cannister but there is a lot of annecdotal evidence that they are 'nitrate factories'. That problem can probably be elminated by removing and cleaning the filter pads every week. The carbon pad sounds like it doesn;t do much at all. You can probably get rid of it. I beleive that filter has 3 compartments for media. You can run a good quality GAC in one of those for a week, then remove it.

Hopefully someone who runs a similar set up will chime in.

How long has your tank been set up?

[roka64]

I agree with Cmor, with regular cleaning you can keep the nitrAtes down. Personally, I remove the foam as soon as I get one.
Those pads are course (white) and fine (blue) right? It appears they are part of the bio-filter that will host the beneficial bacteria (at least the course one). The carbon should be replaced about every 1-2 weeks.
I don't run carbon in any of my tanks unless I need to. It will get full and start leaching stuff back into your tank.
I use LR rubble in my filters and run purigen as well.

[melosu58]

The carbon does not need to be run all the time but it`s good to have in case it is needed.

[tawolcott]

If you use a canister, what would you recommend running all the time. Assume a every 2 week cleaning cycle.. My problem is I never know what I should have in there and what should be 'when needed'. FOWLER but no rock in the can, with that little space does LR in the can work enough to be worthwhile?

[roka64]

Folks will run carbon after putting meds in a tank or to polish the water. The more LR the better for your bio-filtration.