Hello; Over the decades I have washed the filter media with a garden hose many times with no ill effects. I have also completely changed to new filter media many times with no ill effects.
The bb (beneficial bacteria) are on other surfaces throughout the tank once a tank is established. If you only rinsed or changed the media there will be bb on the surfaces of the filter body and the tubing.
The bb remaining on the unwashed surfaces in an established tank will reproduce quickly. If you are still concerned a reduction of feeding for a brief time will help prevent any additional ammonia from the decay of excess food.
If my personal experience is not reassuring, perhaps this link will help. It is a link to an article about the nitrogen cycle. In one part the author describes the bb as clinging to surfaces and being somewhat difficult to simply rinse away. The statement in the biofiltration portion to be more specific. I had wondered about this as the precautions described about sloshing dirty filter media gently in old tank water did not exactly conform with long experience. A guess on my part about the author stating to not use tap water perhaps has to do with the chlorine in much tap water. Those with well water should not have even this concern.
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/nitrogen_cycle.html
At any rate there are ways around the issue. Some of them already mentioned in other previous posts on this thread.
I add the use of two filters in a tank or the use of a filter with multiple slots for media. I rinse one clogged media section at a time and then the other some week/s later.
I also keep a sponge filter or two in use in my quarantine tank or secondary tanks. These are quick sources of surfaces colonized with bb.
Good luck.
The bb (beneficial bacteria) are on other surfaces throughout the tank once a tank is established. If you only rinsed or changed the media there will be bb on the surfaces of the filter body and the tubing.
The bb remaining on the unwashed surfaces in an established tank will reproduce quickly. If you are still concerned a reduction of feeding for a brief time will help prevent any additional ammonia from the decay of excess food.
If my personal experience is not reassuring, perhaps this link will help. It is a link to an article about the nitrogen cycle. In one part the author describes the bb as clinging to surfaces and being somewhat difficult to simply rinse away. The statement in the biofiltration portion to be more specific. I had wondered about this as the precautions described about sloshing dirty filter media gently in old tank water did not exactly conform with long experience. A guess on my part about the author stating to not use tap water perhaps has to do with the chlorine in much tap water. Those with well water should not have even this concern.
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/nitrogen_cycle.html
At any rate there are ways around the issue. Some of them already mentioned in other previous posts on this thread.
I add the use of two filters in a tank or the use of a filter with multiple slots for media. I rinse one clogged media section at a time and then the other some week/s later.
I also keep a sponge filter or two in use in my quarantine tank or secondary tanks. These are quick sources of surfaces colonized with bb.
Good luck.
how do I know it's fully cycled ?