# filter consern for cycling



## manda (Feb 9, 2006)

I am in the process of cycling a 10 gallon to hold three male bettas in a divided tank.

i have always used sponge filters because they dont make much current. these sponge filters i use also have carbon. they are made by pen plax. its just a little filter you hook into your aeration and it suction cups to the side.

my question is... you are supposed to change these every two to three weeks. how can i keep a tank cycled if i have to change the filter media? Can i leave a dirty cartledge in the tank. maybe just place it in the middle of the tank on the bottom. and put in my two new cartridges?


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

Changing the filter won't "uncycle" your tank. A lot of the benificial bateria reside in the gravel. Although I do suggest dipping the new filter into some of the rinse-off from the old filter.

However, I would suggest you go with a HOB filter. You can turn down the intake rate so it doesn't make too much water current. It will work better and you can set it up so that it doesn't use one of those pre-made combination filter packs with sponge on one side and carbon on the other - you can use a sponge and a sac of carbon, and just replace the carbon on a monthly basis.


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## manda (Feb 9, 2006)

thanks zoe.
i have been thinking about a HOB filter.


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

It's definitely worth it, Manda  I used to have one of those little filters you're refering to - it's really a world of difference when you switch to HOB


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

I use those filters in my spawning tanks for bettas. YOu dont have to change the media. The carbon and white diamond charcoal is the perfect media for bacteria. A HOB will be more efficient for mechanical filtration but the corner filters work just fine for biological filtration.


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## judya (Jan 23, 2005)

Take a fish bucket and put some tank water into it, then rinse and squeeze out the filter pad in that water, then put the pad back in the tank. Gets rid of the solid particles, and keeps the biological action going.

I use sponge filters on all my tanks and I use sponge filters only on several of my tanks.


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## manda (Feb 9, 2006)

yes i do prefer them with my bettas.


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## jasno999 (Oct 16, 2006)

Or you could add another devider and make is so the HOB filter disscharges into an area where no fish is. 

The thing I question is how do you get the clean filterd water to go from one area to the other? Meaning you may have some holed in your dividers but how does that guarntees flow between each enclosure?


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

Dividers are made of a poreous material, yup. Reminiscent of cheese-cloth (someone can be more accurate, I'm sure, about what material is used). So the water will flow as it normally would.


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## manda (Feb 9, 2006)

i just made my dividers out of plastic mesh grid from the craft store, like always.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I vote for rinse and reuse. Old carbon makes a good substrate for bacteria to grow on, new carbon isn't necessary unless you are trying to take out meds or pollutants from your water. The only thing you see if your carbon is too old is oily film on the water.


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## jasno999 (Oct 16, 2006)

Like I said even a pours material is goign to degrade if not stop flow. There is no way aroudn that and we are nto sure what he is using for his divider.


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

It will degrade but in a loooooong time.


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## manda (Feb 9, 2006)

there is plently of flow.
its flowing away!


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