Magnum H.O.T 250 Filter question

[Flyingyahoo]

I have a magnum 250 HOT filter that came with the aquarium I bought. It currently has carbon in the filter that has been in there for over 6 months. I understand that carbon looses its effectiviness after about a month or so. I wanted to switch the carbon out for bio filtration. Was thinking about adding some bio balls as well as filter floss.

Question. Is this Ok to do?

Should the filter floss go in the bottom part of the filter cartridge or on top?

Should I drop the bio balls in the aquarium for a specified amount of time to build up bacteria before replacing the carbon in the filter? If so how long?

Finally, I have a heavily planted tank so should I skip the filter floss altogether?

 

[hpiguy]

I had a number of these back when they were "new". If they have stayed the same, the carbon should be in a larger plastic screened container inside that filter. The cartridge should be covered with a blue foam prefilter.

You can fill the cartridge with bioballs or whatever media you want. You do not have to have carbon in there.

I'd recommend using the blue foam prefilter with the container at all times as it catches larger stuff before it clogs the biomedia. If it does not have that blue foam now, you can buy replacements anywhere supplies are sold. Just rinse it out now and then in a bucket of tank water like a sponge. If you use the prefilter over the cartridge, you won't need the floss.