Should I be changing my filter?

1055 Views 14 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Tamyu, May 5, 2012

agent89201

Discussion Starter · May 1, 2012

I haven't been on here in a while but I have some more questions!

I have a 5 gallon tank that is cycled. I have some kind of filter that came with the tank. I'm confused about what to do with it. Should I be rinsing it out every now and then? Should I be replacing the little blue spongey thing in there? I'm confused.

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Micho

· #2 · May 1, 2012

To be honest, you don't have to really change the things inside the filter that much. Maybe every 3 months, some people don't change it at all.

Rinse the sponge with old tank water, maybe do a water change and wash the sponge in the old water. Don't use tap water, it'll kill the beneficial bacteria.

Oldfishlady

· #3 · May 1, 2012

The sponge just needs a good rinse/swish in the bucket of old tank water with a water change a couple of times a month to get the big pieces of gunk off-it should look dirty but still have good water flow.

I don't change my sponge until its falling apart...usually 1-2 times a year at best....

If you want to use carbon (not needed) this needs to be changed per package directions....Carbon is more of a personal choice than a need.....

The filter box itself-can be dumped and rinsed in old tank water or dechlorinated water-but generally its not needed.

I dump mine on a regular basis-but only due to the baby shrimp that end up in them and I like to get them out before they die.....

Mo

· #4 · May 1, 2012

You don't have to change the cartridge inside the filter or the filter itself at all. Filters honestly require minimal maintenence, the reason why you would not want to change the filter is because the vital Bacteria is contained within that system, the bacteria that breaks down harmful substances into less harmful compounds, changing the filter or filter cartridge will surely get rid of the majority of the bacteria as it colonizes in the filter because of the oxygen level and the flow of food.

The only maintenence that you should perform is washing out the cartridge in old tank water monthly so it won't get clogged up

agent89201

Discussion Starter · #5 · May 1, 2012

Phew. Ok. That's what people on this site had told me before, but I was reading the package of some filters while cleaning my tank and I was getting worried. Thanks for clearing that up for me!

Mo

· #6 · May 1, 2012

Yes. Corporate spmpanies main priority is to make money, hence why they recommend to replace them which means to buy more constantly

Thunderloon

· #7 · May 2, 2012

**IF** the filter itself, the impeller and pipes, become clogged you can use straight hot tap-water from the sprayer to rinse the layers of muck off then use vinegar to dissolve any deposits that have developed on the pin-shaft axle of the impeller. Just wave dry-ish and then put it on the back of the tank and pour freshly treated replacement water through it before you turn it on.

There's no need to use chemical cleaners since the 115°F tap water will break down most the slime/sludge that develops on the plastic parts.

Hallyx

· #8 · May 2, 2012

I know all these answers are correct IF you're running a cycled tank or are in the process of cycling it---which means paying close attention to the NH3,NO2 and NO3 as befits a fish-in cycle.

But what if Agent (the OP) is not running cycled nor is interested in cycling his tank? Would your advice be the same?

Thunderloon

· #9 · May 2, 2012

Not cycling a 5g tank is harder than cycling it...

The world is full of bacteria that consume ammonia and nitrite by diluting them with oxygen. They WILL form and build up in a tank on their own unless you live in a completely sterile environment.

If the tank is definitely not cycled you should replace the water cumulatively at about 20% per day of operation. This means a couple 50% replacements per week AND a sterilization of all materials.

That's a lot of work and handling of the tank.

In my experience most people think their tank isn't cycled and it is anyway. Its just the way of the natural world. For something so difficult to set up the nitrogen cycle is also undefiable. It WILL happen even if it takes time for a chlorine resistant amine consuming bacteria to form.

(In such a circumstance where you want to keep the tank as absolutely clean as possible it's usually the best choice to get a sponge filter.)

With all that in mind, gunk of various sorts will still build up inside the impeller housing. Same treatment but if you plan on having a forced-uncycled tank you'll want to use a one teaspoon per pint chlorine solution to kill off the bacteria on everything then rinse it all out with treated water. Vinegar still necessary for mineral build up.

Don't risk poisoning fish by adding un-treated equipment back onto a tank.

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Hallyx

· #10 · May 2, 2012

Apologies to Agent for this hijack, but I want to thank Thunderloon for getting me closer to a full understanding of the nitrogen cycle.

So you don't think that my twice weekly 50% to 80% changes in my 2.5gals are sufficient without breaking down the tank and sterilizing everything? If I keep doing this, will my tiny tanks eventually cycle? Bare-bottomed with no filter and only a few slow plants? Hard to imagine.

Oldfishlady

· #11 · May 2, 2012

The beneficial bacteria responsible for the nitrogen cycle are dependent on oxygen, food and surface area to colonize.
The BB are sticky and adhere to all the surface areas within the tank, in the top layer of the substrate and in the filter media-very little are in the water column itself.

Due to limited surface area in a 2.5gal tank as well as the limited dissolved oxygen-your 2.5gal unfiltered tank most likely will not establish the nitrogen cycle, however, while live active growing plants can provide some oxygen-usually not enough to support a healthy colony of BB unless you have mass amounts of live active growing plants. Also, 2.5gal is limited on surface area and this alone can make the nitrogen cycle unstable.

Depending on the number, species and growth state of the live plants-your water change schedule may or may not be enough to maintain water quality.

Hallyx

· #12 · May 4, 2012

Thank you, Ma'am, for your thoughtful post.

I have a few slow-growing column-feeders (Anubias, Wisteria, Moneywort, mossballs). I hand-feed and remove waste diligently. I test (API) every third day and always read <0.25. Am I being sufficiently careful?

By the way, I'd like to devise a method of combining these 2.5gals into a 5gal system that I can then cycle. Any suggestions?

Tamyu

· #13 · May 4, 2012

Hallyx said:
By the way, I'd like to devise a method of combining these 2.5gals into a 5gal system that I can then cycle. Any suggestions?

I personally have never had a problem cycling and keeping a cycle in a smaller tank... But it is all about the filter when the tank is small. The inside of the tank doesn't offer enough space for the bacteria to populate, so you have to make up for it with a good flow through filter media that provides more than enough surface area.
I personally use a porous ball type that provides and incredible amount of "surface" for bacteria to populate. I usually don't use the filter cartridges for any of my filters, and instead make something that provides more bacteria living space out of filter balls and porous gel sponge (something else that gives a ton of "surface" space. For HOB filters you can usually use a piece of plastic and some filter media to rig it up so the water flows in and has to travel through all the media to get out. (This is what I have going on my 3 gallon, which is cycled and going strong.) For an internal filter you can take the cartridge out and fill it with your own stuff instead (this is what I have going on my 6 gallon.)

If you have two 2.5g, you can set it up with two filter power heads... One sending water from tank 1 to tank 2, set tank 2 up to be full of filter media (cut sponges, Easter grass, really anything that provides a lot of surface) and then another filter power head on the other side pumping the filtered water back into the first tank. It would make a great filter, but you would only be able to use one of the tanks for fish.

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Hallyx

· #14 · May 5, 2012

Tamyu said:
...it is all about the filter ...media that provides more than enough surface area.

Understood...I'm with you so far

Tamyu said:
I personally use a porous ball type .... and porous gel sponge

I'm new to this game and have never heard of either of these. Can you direct me to more information?

Tamyu said:
For HOB filters .... For an internal filter you can take the cartridge out and fill it with your own stuff instead

I've never had space for an HOB before, but now I do. Do they make more noise than a fully-submerged cartridge type?

Tamyu said:
If you have two 2.5g, you can set it up with two filter power heads... but you would only be able to use one of the tanks for fish.

My limited space requires that both be show tanks. I originally wanted to place the filter and heater in a separate utility tank between the show tanks--output into both, then siphon back into the sump. A pond professional friend advises against this. He says it's finicky and can be quite a mess. My small experiments in almost equal water level siphoning bear this out. It's not really like a sump or like a Betta barracks. I had hoped someone here with more experience might have been able to advise me otherwise.

Your suggestion--lots of filter area---is the simplest and most reliable method. The only drawback seems to be the tank volume occupied by filters, heaters and foam.

Thanks, Tamyu, yours have been the most helpful suggestions I've received so far.

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Tamyu

· #15 · May 5, 2012

Hallyx said:
I'm new to this game and have never heard of either of these. Can you direct me to more information?

Well, umm... I can give you the links to what I use, but I doubt they would be too much help.
The porous balls I use are these:
http://www.ph-clion.com/product/filtration/products/01.html
I use the soft water type S size for bettas - it keeps the ph from rising, and bettas like low ph. It has 1620 square meters of "surface" per liter of pellets... It can really help to keep a good and steady cycle in a small tank. (I use a different type of their product - monoballs - for my goldfish, minnow, and medaka+shrimp tanks.)
The gel sponge is this:
http://www.shopping-charm.jp/ItemDetail.aspx?tid=10&catId=1005100000&itemId=44609
I just cut what size I need from it.
I think that the Eheim filter balls and the like are similar to the balls I use, but I don't know about the sponges... I really like the gel type as they can be used repeatedly with washing instead of falling apart and needing to be thrown away like the "wool" types.

I've never had space for an HOB before, but now I do. Do they make more noise than a fully-submerged cartridge type?

I'll be honest and say that I only have one HOB... It is about the same in noise level as the two fully submerged filters I have. I find it is a lot easier to reduce surface agitation with the HOB... It was a huge pain to do so with the submerged filter in my female's tank.
The quietest, by far, is an external filter, but that is kind of overkill for a 2.5 gallon.
The biggest plus for an HOB is that there is usually a lot of space to put media, and it isn't as picky about shapes. It is usually just a "cup" to put media in. Water is pulled up into the filter on one side, and flows out of a lowered point on the other side. You can do all kinds of DIY stuff with a really cheap HOB to make it be a really good filter. I cut up plastic cups to make a sort of water "maze" so that it has to flow through a bunch of filter balls and then the gel sponge before it can go back into the tank.

My limited space requires that both be show tanks. I originally wanted to place the filter and heater in a separate utility tank between the show tanks--output into both, then siphon back into the sump. A pond professional friend advises against this. He says it's finicky and can be quite a mess. My small experiments in almost equal water level siphoning bear this out. It's not really like a sump or like a Betta barracks. I had hoped someone here with more experience might have been able to advise me otherwise.

Having two tanks going into one filter is a bad idea for several reasons.
Let's say you get it set up and running well. What happens if a chunk of gravel or even a big piece of plant material is sucked into one of the pumps? Or even if one of them slows just a bit more than the others? Water ends up going out and not coming back in... You could easily end up with something overflowing. At worst, you end up with an emptying tank and dead fish.
Not to mention spreading illness...

Even with a single tank and single filter tank, you have to be really careful and set the tank water levels low to make sure that if something fails you don't have and serious problems... With two you don't have as much leeway.

Your suggestion--lots of filter area---is the simplest and most reliable method. The only drawback seems to be the tank volume occupied by filters, heaters and foam.

For the most tank space in a small tank, the easiest has to be an HOB. It will actually increase the water volume by a small amount, while an internal filter displaces water and reduces it slightly.
The best would, of course, be an external filter... But from what I hear, they don't sell small ones in the US. If I ever put something more demanding than a betta in my smallest tank (shrimp or the like) I will probably pick a small one up as they are available here for very small size tanks.

[quote ]Thanks, Tamyu, yours have been the most helpful suggestions I've received so far.[/QUOTE]

I am really glad I could help in some way. I am actually fairly new to the betta world, but have other fish, so know a bit about filters and the like.

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