[Tikibirds]

if I understand this correctly, bacteria live in the filter cartridge, substrate and decor in the tank so if i replace the filter cartridge monthly as the filter packaging says, wont that destroy alot of the bacteria? So am I supposed to be replacing the cartridge or just washing it off in old tank water??

Its an aqueon quiet flow. I know for the marineland ones with the biowheel the bacteria live on the wheel which never gets replaced.

 

[vilmarisv]

You don't HAVE to replace the filter cartdrige. I never did when I had cycled tanks with those filters. I used to rinse the filter in the old water when performing water changes to get rid of loose debris but used the same cartridge.
You'll find lots of opinions on this. Some people chose to only change the carbon in the filter, others will not even bother with that.
Really up to you.

 

[Tikibirds]

OK. I think I will only change it when the water is no longer freely flowing through the cartridge.

 

[jasonh]

OK. I think I will only change it when the water is no longer freely flowing through the cartridge.

i think in most filter manuals they say to change it or rinse it out when the flow of water just has 2 streams coming out from the sides.

if you have multiple cartridges in your filter you could always retain one with the bacteria and then have one slot with a new cartridge that you use to do physical filtering.

 

[Tikibirds]

Yeah, the instructions said something like that - when the water flows up over the cartridge, it needs replacing.

I stuffed a bunch of aqua clear filter foam by the cartridge to slow down the water flow rate. Would the bacteria live in there too?

 

[Thunderloon]

Yup, bacteria will slowly colonize the filter foam. Honestly best place for filter foam in an Aqueon is where the blue thing is.

You can also get a denser foam material and cut it to fit the blue filter frame. A one inch thick pad of it will work just as well as the fiber filter and if you treat it just like the foam blocks in the Aquaclear or the foam rings of sponge filters - squeezing it clear in the settled siphon-off water - it should maintain the biology and remain a useful filter material for several years before it fails.

One fairly neat option is simply to get some chemical-free scrubby pads and use six pull-ties to attach it to the return-to-tank side of the blue filter frame. This allows you to use whatever filtration media you like and still maintain a fair amount of bacterial processing. Thus you could use the standard Aqueon filter cards, cut "rite-size" to fit or use pre-filter sponge blocks for a Fluval canister that are cut down to fit the filter frame.

 

[Tikibirds]

Honestly best place for filter foam in an Aqueon is where the blue thing is

Oh good. Thats where I put it and a huge one is wedged where the water flows out..its under one of the blue parts. Not the one that holds the cartridge but the other blue part that is removable.