Bio media

[yg2089]

So when i went to my lfs today the boss mention that any type of media should be change every 6 months . I always thought is to put it in and just rinse every filter cleaning . And have a good prw filter . He also mention that it will soon become a nirate factory if not swap out for new ones

 

[tlindsey]

So when i went to my lfs today the boss mention that any type of media should be change every 6 months . I always thought is to put it in and just rinse every filter cleaning . And have a good prw filter . He also mention that it will soon become a nirate factory if not swap out for new ones

I personally never throw bio media away such as sponges, biomax, ceramic rings just swish media around in water removed from aquarium during water changes. Manufacturers suggest that to change every 6 months of course they would for sales of the product.

 

[tlindsey]

I personally never throw bio media away such as sponges, biomax, ceramic rings just swish media around in water removed from aquarium during water changes. Manufacturers suggest that to change every 6 months of course they would for sales of the product.

In some cases if sponges or you notice any degrading of bio media then I would replace. Most bio media used will last for years.

 

[viejafish]

If he is referring to bio media in canister, he is right that failure to change frequently will turn it into a nitrate factory. Change does not mean throwing it away and replace with new one, but a good rinsing is adequate. He is wrong to say that you only need to change it every 6 months, unless you have very low bioload. You need to change the media frequently to maintain a high ratio of autotrophic bacteria to heterotrophic bacteria. The autotrophs are the beneficial nitrifying bacteria. The heterotrophs feed on organic wastes and compete with autotrophs for oxygen and living spaces while producing more ammonia. So letting the media gunk up will create faster nitrate built up at the and in a power outage, there is danger of turning anaerobic. There is a misconception that rinsing the media will wash away the BB. No, you are getting rid of the heterotrophs to make room for more BB.

 

[yg2089]

what if its a wet dry? will need to change isnt it the same as canister?

 

[yg2089]

what about taking some old ones out then replace with new ones after a month or so throw away the remaining old ones the fill.back withe new ones . will this work

 

[tlindsey]

what if its a wet dry? will need to change isnt it the same as canister?

If you notice detritus building up in your Sump just swish the media as well, but if using Bio balls you may want to rinse a small portion at a time. Also if you use filter socks you should be fine for a while.

 

[Finagain]

Sounds like the guy is trying to get you to spend $$$$. Denser media allows anaerobic bacteria to colonize interior portions of media which help take care of nitrates. Throw it out and you need to find another way to keep nitrates in check. Rinse, yes. Replace, no way!

 

[viejafish]

If you notice detritus building up in your Sump just swish the media as well, but if using Bio balls you may want to rinse a small portion at a time. Also if you use filter socks you should be fine for a while.

The advantage of a sump system over a canister system is that you can clean the bio media easily. So you should do it weekly as a maintenance routine to optimize efficiency. I wouldn't worry about cleaning the entire media all at once because in a cycled system, the BB are already in the circulation system and will reestablish at no time after cleaning.

 

[duanes]

I agree with Viejafish on all counts.