![]() ![]() ![]() Should you replace its whole contents? Not unless you think it needs to be for XYZ reason. Is the filter acting up? Is water level raising in filter for seemingly no reason or even overflowing? Probably time to consider maintenance (obviously dont actually let your filter overflow as a sign to do maintenance, this will end with water on your floor lol). "Looks dirty" doesnt mean "unhealthy" when you're counting on bacteria in the tank to be part of the ecosystem your fish resides in (every tank should be viewed as it's own ecosystem unless you are running an overflow system with multiple tanks on 1 water circuit.) Is the filter flowing reasonably and normally? If yes, leave it alone and just maintain good tank practices. But for the most part, it's an "as needed" kind of thing. So obviously there will be circumstances to take those kinds of actions. The reality, should a filter never be replaced or cleaned? Any absolutist statement is doomed to failure. And that's setting aside the fact that the industry is advocating bad care practices TO make money. It happens enough though to irritate the hobbyists. Frequently theres enough bacteria in the tank and substrate and on any decor or plants in the tank to half assed counteract this, plus the carbon they throw in the replacement pads absorbe some of the early spike. ![]() Informed hobbyist try to fight against this narrative because new keepers get a tank, and replace filters weekly or monthly, this leads to an ammonia spike due to the removal of the bacterial colony, which kills their fish and gives them a bad experience. The fish hobby industry wants people in the habit of replacing filters because it's a consumable that generates revenue. The ACCURATE answer is, some of us literally never replace our crummy little cheap sponge filters and infrequently clean them (every 1-3 months maybe, alot just wait until the sponge gets too dirty to function, I fall in the latter category). ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |