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I have a Penguin Bio-Wheel 150 for a 20 gal tank. The mnaufacturer recommends changing the filter media every 4 weeks. Is this appropriate/too often/not enough/are they just trying to sell filter media? My tank is in the process of cycling. Does this make a difference? Also, after it is cycled, does that make a difference? Thanks!

The only media that would need changing would be the carbon insert. You should never need to switch out the wheel itself. Activated carbon gets used up over a couple of weeks and becomes useless. In my opinion, the carbon is only really helpful in removing medicine from the water after treating a tank. I don't use it at all, and there are others on this site who feel the same way about carbon. If you want to keep the carbon, then it should be replaced about every two weeks or so in pretty much all cases. If there's a situation where the carbon becomes ineffective sooner (after using it to absorb meds or other chemicals, for example), then it will need to be replaced more quickly.

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newatthis,

I don’t have a Penguin Bio-Wheel, but I would assume that you talk about Activated Carbon and a Sponge, right?

Activated Carbon, if used at all, has to be replaced frequently as it loses its activation . Some people, me included, don’t use it at all, with the exception to remove medication from the water column. Some use it occasionally to keep the water sparkling (but there are better products to do just that).

The sponge does not have to be replaced, it actually is, IMHO, not a good idea to do so. A new sponge contains 0 beneficial bacteria and a mini cycle could be the result of the replacement. Instead, rinse your sponge in tank water (in a bucket of course, not in the tank) and squeeze the debris out. I always run 2 sponges in my AquaClear filters, I squeeze the bottom one tightly and place it at the top, the top one I squeeze only a little and place it at the bottom.

Come to think of it, does the Penguin have these media compartments where you have to slide in a premade element?

Ingo

EDIT: didn't see sirbooks's entry until I finished mine

Last edited by LITTLE_FISH at 29-Dec-2005 09:02

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Thanks Sirbooks! The carbon is inside the kind of "floss stuff" that would be the only thing that traps large bits of crud/food/whatever, if there is any. So, what you're saying, possibly, is that the carbon really serves no purpose except to remove meds, etc., and I really only need to change the carbon insert if it becomes dirty from collecting crud? It probably has bacteria on it, along with the bio-wheel, so maybe keeping it longer is better or really makes no difference since I have the bio-wheel (and, yes, I know that I shouldn't replace that)?

Ingo-sorry didn't see YOUR post until after I posted this!. Yes, the Penguin has a premade insert with the floss material and activated carbon. The bio-wheel is separate and doesn't get changed. What are the better products to keep the water sparkling as opposed to carbon?

Last edited by newatthis at 29-Dec-2005 09:10

Last edited by newatthis at 29-Dec-2005 09:11

"So, what you're saying, possibly, is that the carbon really serves no purpose except to remove meds, etc., and I really only need to change the carbon insert if it becomes dirty from collecting crud?"

Well, if you don't want to change out any carbon then it's best to just take it out of the filter altogether. The batch that came with the filter will get used up soon, and will just become a useless hunk of stuff. Even worse, some people have said that it may actually release anything it did absorb back into the tank. You don't want this, because it means that any chemicals or excess nutrients the carbon did absorb will go right back where they can cause trouble. There is not much beneficial bacteria on the carbon insert, as it doesn't provide as good a growing area as the sponge. There's no problem with removing the cartridge.

Ingo's products likely include stuff like Seachem's [link=Purigen]http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/Purigen.html" style="COLOR: #808080[/link], which can be placed in a filter bag for use.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Ingo's products likely include stuff like Seachem's Purigen, which can be placed in a filter bag for use.

You got it, sirbooks

Ingo

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You can remove the Carbon & you can clean the Sponge in used Tank water. In that way, you will keep some of the Bacteria in it.


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hrm, so what about a setup like my over the back filter that has faom,carbon,and amonia absorbing resin in it?

i change everything but the sponge every few weeks, and the sponge rarely gets changed.

does that ammonia absorbing resin rock stuff and the carbon still help if changed frequently? it seems to work well for me in keeping the water clean and balanced.

also, is there a filter media or addative of sorts that can help leech tannins out of the water? my new piece of driftwood has been discoloring the tank since i put it in a month ago. i change 20% of the water a week, and i have a 50 gallon over the back filter on a 29 gallon tall with the filter media i mentioned.

anyway, thanks for the help

reun,

From the description of your filter I assume you have an AquaClear 70, right? I have that one on my 29G. About the media:

Ammonia absorbing resin: Even the guy in the fish store said that it might have a tiny impact on a tank that is cycling, but that’s about it. I don’t use it at all, never did.
Activated Carbon: As stated in the posts above.
Sponge: I haven’t replaced mine ever, all I do is rinse them as described above (I use 2 on top of each other)

Tannin removal: If you have your wood in for a month you should be at least half way through the tanning phase, if it is not some special wood. The cheap way to make your tank look less tinted is to increase the water change to 30 to 50 % weekly, if that is feasible for you. I am not sure if Purigen would help (the product linked by sirbooks), but a phone call to SeaChem is all it would take you to find out.


Ingo

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What effect, if any, does the activated carbon have on ammonia levels? I have a new aquarium (3 weeks old) and I noticed that my ammonia levels spiked at about the same time that the manufacturer recommended changing the filter and the carbon. I changed the carbon last night and was going to allow about 24 hours to re-test and see if the ammonia came down any measureable amount.

Last edited by Aqua Newbie n MS at 13-Jan-2006 11:05

I think I answered my own question by doing a little additional research online but I'd still appreciate any practical, personal input as well. Activated carbon does aid in reducing ammonia levels as do some synthetic media products such as zenolite or clinoptililite. As best I can tell, these synthetic compunds are kin to some of the ingredients in Seachem products.

Last edited by Aqua Newbie n MS at 13-Jan-2006 11:23

Last edited by Aqua Newbie n MS at 13-Jan-2006 11:24

Activated carbon and zeolite are forms of chemical filtration, and are supposed to remove harmful compounds from the tank water. They do have some effect on the concentration of ammonia and other pollutants, but are nowhere near as helpful as an established biological filter and its bacteria.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."