Filter media, how often do you really need to replace it?

[esoxlucius]

I never change my carbon because I don't use any.

Biomedia might get a quick rinse every few years if convenient...if not, no.

Mechanical is almost always foam for me. Cheap foam might start to fall apart after a few months or years of squeezing/rinsing a couple times a week. Quality stuff like Poret lasts pretty much forever. Any foam will last longer if you avoid squeezing it; just pressure-wash.

Matten filters are a special case; a giant sheet of foam (I use Poret) that, depending upon stocking levels, feeding, etc. can go many months or years with literally no maintenance outside of vacuuming the surface during regular maintenance. The catch...and there's always a catch ...is that all waste material undergoes decomposition/breakdown in the tank so nitrates accumulate much more quickly than tanks whose mechanical media is frequently cleaned, removing the organic matter before it breaks down. If you like changing water, this isn't a big deal, especially with low stocking densities of small fish. Not really ideal with monster fish.

Sounds like you pretty much do exactly as I do. And yes, the only downside is that accumulated waste in your mechanical side, as it breaks down, adds to your nitrate ppm. To slow that ppm build up I often change out my mechanical filter floss in between water changes too. I think that makes a big difference for me, especially in my heavily stocked 360.

 

[jjohnwm]

Great minds...

My extended Covid home vacation has let me experiment with nitrate readings resulting from various combinations of water changes and prefilter cleanings. It seems as though, in general, a daily prefilter cleaning results in nitrates accumulating at roughly half the rate as they do in the same tank with only weekly filter cleanings. Significant. This is yet another huge benefit of sumps that allow very quick and easy access to prefilter media, as opposed to canister filters, those darlings of the techie set. The more awkward and messy it is to clean a filter, the less often it will be cleaned....and the faster the build-up of nitrates and other wastes.

I never quite get why people brag about how great their canisters filters are based upon how long they can go between cleanings. They should be demanding easy cleaning, which equates to frequent cleaning...rather than sweep-it-under-rug concealment of the gunk.