how to clean my filter media?
- Thread starter SSnyder
- Start date
The things that have the carbon in them are ment to be replaced more than cleaned. You coiuld clean them once or twice but after that the carbon will be exhausted and should be replaced.
Either way you mentioned will work to clean your media.
Either way you mentioned will work to clean your media.
Sorry but i disagree with you aquaman. IMO always always always rinse any filter media in old tank water. Ssnyder when you say media with carbon in them what do you mean? Filters should have other kinds of media in them like sponges or sinitered glass products like Eheim substrat pro. What kind of filter are you using?
SSnyder it would help if you were to state what type of filter you have.
I always rinse my mechanical media in hot tap water. I do not want the beneficial bacteria colonizing something that will eventually need replacing. Even my AC110 sponges are rinsed weekly in tap water, I have plenty of designed places for the BB to grow.
I always rinse my mechanical media in hot tap water. I do not want the beneficial bacteria colonizing something that will eventually need replacing. Even my AC110 sponges are rinsed weekly in tap water, I have plenty of designed places for the BB to grow.
When you do a WC just use some of the water youre taking out,put it in a clean bucket and slosh it around to get all the physical dirt out.
Or you can clean the sponges with tap to remove all the dirt, but separate the biomedia containers.
More filter media IMO is always better.
These are what I was thinking of.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13037&Ntt=emperor%20filter&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=2004&Nty=1
I didn't fully explain what I was thinking. Here goes.
The carbon in those emperor pads will be effective for about a month if you have messy eaters, maybe longer if you have a bio-load on the light side. If you do water changes every 10 days and rinse thses out every time you do a water change they should be replaced by the third water change or every 30 days. The carbon is what I'm thinking about. It adsorbs stuff and gets used up and needs to be replaced.
Some people don't use carbon at all. Some people replace it more often than others.
Rinsing out the media in de-chlorinated tap water or old tank water makes no difference. Those pads are made for mechanical and chemical filtration. Not biological. I would rinse biological media only in tank water
These are what I was thinking of.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13037&Ntt=emperor%20filter&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=2004&Nty=1
I didn't fully explain what I was thinking. Here goes.
The carbon in those emperor pads will be effective for about a month if you have messy eaters, maybe longer if you have a bio-load on the light side. If you do water changes every 10 days and rinse thses out every time you do a water change they should be replaced by the third water change or every 30 days. The carbon is what I'm thinking about. It adsorbs stuff and gets used up and needs to be replaced.
Some people don't use carbon at all. Some people replace it more often than others.
Rinsing out the media in de-chlorinated tap water or old tank water makes no difference. Those pads are made for mechanical and chemical filtration. Not biological. I would rinse biological media only in tank water