# Filter media



## Jmalone (Sep 27, 2010)

Hey everyone!

So, Ive had my 20g and 40g up for about 2-3 months each, and I was wondering about the right time to change the filter media. I read its not good to change it very often because you lose alot of good bacteria in the process, I have a tetra whisper ex20 on the 20 gal, and I have a Hagen AquaClear 50 on the 40 gal. The Tetra only has one pouch of filter media, and the hagen has multi stage, including, foam, carbon, and their bio-max media. Any advice would be extremely helpful! thanks!!


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## Black Orchid (Sep 24, 2010)

Hi there - I do water changes about every 2 - 3 weeks. I rinse the filter media every other time in either tank water or dechlorinated water. When I do change the media in the Aquaclear (great filter by the way) you only change one of the items. Again I rinse every other cleaning, I always rinse the sponge and bio max in dechlor or tank water and the one I change the most would be the carbon. Just alternate the changing of media and you should be A ok.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

rinse it. When the pouch starts to disintegrate and you can see carbon about to fall out, then change it. The other time to change it is after you medicate or when you have an oily film on the water (fresh carbon has its usages). If you have no other filter on the tank, you can trim off a piece of the old pouch to put in with the new one to seed it.


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## Chrispixx (Dec 23, 2008)

You should only have to rinse it in tank water in a bucket when the flow of the filter slows. I have had the same sponge in my Aquaclear for so long its amazing. they take along time to fall apart.

Here is something i do and it works really well, turn off the filter when feeding. or slow the flow if it has that option. just remember to turn it back on after 5 min or so. Food is the major cause of media clogging, since i have been doing this practice the time between having to rinse media has been doubled if not tripled.

All i know is i used to rinse media (sponges) at least every month +1/2 , now i can go four months if not more.


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## eaglescout316 (Sep 13, 2010)

Jmalone said:


> Hey everyone!
> 
> So, Ive had my 20g and 40g up for about 2-3 months each, and I was wondering about the right time to change the filter media. I read its not good to change it very often because you lose alot of good bacteria in the process, I have a tetra whisper ex20 on the 20 gal, and I have a Hagen AquaClear 50 on the 40 gal. The Tetra only has one pouch of filter media, and the hagen has multi stage, including, foam, carbon, and their bio-max media. Any advice would be extremely helpful! thanks!!


I had a similar Tetra whisper until last month. I tried various strategies over the ownership of the filter. For the sake of brevity, i won't go into all of them but i'll say that at the end of its tenure with me, the Tetra whisper was being changed only about once a month. In all my strategies i never saw ammonia. I used it for roughly two years and when i replaced it with a Marineland C-220 i took it apart. Do you remember a piece of plastic with round spikey patches when you first put the filter together? That's where the bacteria are actually hanging out for the most part. After two years mine looked like a bioweapon of some sort, a little gross when you think that the snot-like stuff was basically a massive pile of bacteria.

With your other filter, i think the company for that filter says change one kind of media at a time. What people actually tend to do is change the foam and carbon (on alternating months if you want) and never change the biomax.


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## Chrispixx (Dec 23, 2008)

eaglescout316 said:


> With your other filter, i think the *company for that filter* says change one kind of media at a time. What people actually tend to do is change the foam and carbon (on alternating months if you want) and never change the biomax.


That would be the Aqua Clear you are Talking about.. All filter companies have some recommendation on when to change the pad/sponge etc. Thats because they want you to buy their STUFF. They want you to spend money. 

I used to fall victim to the game but i have learned a lot along the way. I dont change pads/sponges i only rinse them in tank water when needed. the only time i change media is when it falls apart if it ever does. 

The pads i buy do not fall apart period so whats that tell you about how long they last.


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