Change filter or rinse and reuse?

[FishDad]

OK so if some of you guys remember I was thinking about buying a bigger tank. Well I did, I bought it used, already established and it even came with one red zebra cichlid about three inches. Unfortunately we had other semi aggressive fish that we had no choice but to mix. Everything has been relatively peaceful thus far especially since I introduced a couple of other small africans. They helped to calm down the zebra. My guess is that this will someday be an exclusively african tank. I'm watching them closely so if anybody starts getting seriously bullied I can move them to the ten gallon temporarily, but so far so good.

Anyway I think it may be time to change the filter but I have heard to different schools of thought, rinse and reuse or replace. Its a Tetra whisper ex70 with two cartridges and established bio bags. What do you guys think?

 

[FishDad]

By the way the tank is 70 gallons with lots of hiding places.

 

[Fuzz16]

When you do a water change, clean filter pad in the water removed from tank. If you clean them in tap water it'll kill bacteria. When the pad starts deteriating, replace it. Don't use carbon, it'll start leaking toxins into your water that it removed.

To help wit the aggression, move everything in the tank weekly. It'll change boundaries and make your other fish last a bit longer against the african. He will attack them and destroy their fins to the point the die though, so id rehome african or the others

 

[skjl47]

Hello; I have done it both ways over the years.
For a long time I replaced the filter medium at the point it became too ragged to reuse. While still in good condition I would often take the filter pads outside and clean with a garden hose or some other rinsing in a bucket. Being on a septic system I do not put tank stuff into that system. I did this with filter pads from filters with only one pad and cannot say there was ever an issue with he loss of beneficial bacteria (bb) to the level of causing a problem in an established tank. Even putting a new pad into the filter did not cause an issue. I suspect there are plenty of bb in the tubes and housing surfaces of the filters and the other tank surfaces.
After several decades of cleaning filters as described above, I began looking at these forumns. I to saw the posts suggesting that the filter pads be gently rinsed in a bucket of tank water to be discarded in order to preserve the bb. I have tried this method for a couple of years abd find it works well enough. I have found so far that it works out but there is often a substantial cloud of fine material in the tank for a few hours when the semi clean pad in replaced in the filter body. I tend to use this method during the winter when my outside hoses are not in use and he hose rinse method during warmer months.
One of my filters has two pads and I will clean only one at a time.
My initial thoughts after cleaning pads with a hose/or replacing with new pads for a few decades versus a couple of years shaking a dirty pad in old tank water is that I have yet to see a big problem either way. I tend tp prefer the hose rinse method for now as the cloud of stuff in the tank is smaller and the pads have much more detritus removed.
Based on my personal observations, I have not found an issue with bb either way.

 

[Thyra]

I have to stick my neck out and agree with you skj. I have not found any issue with either cleaning the pads that way or changing them. The Aqueon filter has that grid and teeth area both were the water runs through and also the cartridge that holds the filter and from everything I have read that would be where the most BB are located because they would get the most oxygen. I just leave the filter alone and changed the material that slides in.

 

[FishDad]

Good info guys. Fuzz16, I have heard other people warn against carbon filters, but I just checked the box of replacements I have and they are in fact carbon. So with that said, do you think I should just replace the old one with a new one and not risk the leak of toxins? I feel pretty confident that there is plenty of BB in the bio bag and elsewhere. Also is there a brand of non carbon filters that you guys might recommend? And Skjl47, is there a reason you used your hose water in place of say your kitchen water? Thanks again for the help guys.

 

[OrangeCones]

So with that said, do you think I should just replace the old one with a new one and not risk the leak of toxins?

There is no risk of leaking toxins. That is an 'old wives tale' that has been circling around for years. The chemical changes required to make the carbon release what was adsorbed cannot be done in an aquarium.

 

[skjl47]

Good info guys. Fuzz16, I have heard other people warn against carbon filters, but I just checked the box of replacements I have and they are in fact carbon. So with that said, do you think I should just replace the old one with a new one and not risk the leak of toxins? I feel pretty confident that there is plenty of BB in the bio bag and elsewhere. Also is there a brand of non carbon filters that you guys might recommend? And Skjl47, is there a reason you used your hose water in place of say your kitchen water? Thanks again for the help guys.

Hello; Yes there is. I have a septic tank and feel that the less I put down the drian the longer the septic tank will last before needing a cleanout. Not a big reason in the overall range of things. I also pour my old aquarium water on outside flowers and bushes.
carbon is optional, I have not used it in years. It is also my understanding that it becomes saturated after a few days. I have left it in filters for months with no problem. It is porous and will provide surfaces for bacteria to colonize and can be used to seed a new setup if needed.

 

[FishDad]

So I think the idea of rinsing the filter in the old water makes sense but when the time comes to really replace the filter, will I dramatically upset the tank cycle? The tank had been long established and as I understand it bacteria grows on all the surfaces. Actually as I'm typing this my wife said she read that some people put a new filter behind the old one to allow it to colonize for a time before removing the old one... that sounds like a good idea. Any opinions?

 

[OrangeCones]

Excellent way to replace a filter's media.

 

[skjl47]

So I think the idea of rinsing the filter in the old water makes sense but when the time comes to really replace the filter, will I dramatically upset the tank cycle? The tank had been long established and as I understand it bacteria grows on all the surfaces. Actually as I'm typing this my wife said she read that some people put a new filter behind the old one to allow it to colonize for a time before removing the old one... that sounds like a good idea. Any opinions?

Hello; Another option is to run a sponge filter in the tank for a while to allow it to become colonized with bb.
You can stick the old filter medium in the new filter for as while. You can put the old filter medium in a mesh bag and hang it on the tank while the new filter becomes colonized.
I have completly cleaned all parts of filters and replaced with new filters many times in an established tank without any problems. I suppose there is some risk of problems but I cannot recall anything from my personal experience from setting up a new filter in an established tank.

 

[lauraf]

When I've changed out my filter I've rubbed the goop from the old one onto the new one.

 

[KcMopar]

I like to have the filters with the double sides, like the marineland emperor 400, it has two filters one each side plus has an optional spot for a second filter on each side. The best thing about the filter is it has two bio wheels that grow BB so even if you change both at one time, as I do with this filter, its no big deal. Its a great added security.