"Bio-Bag" filter cartridge for aquarium?

Question

I've had a 5 gallon aquarium for one month now. I have about 3 too many fish that I am going to give away within a few days because I'm learning the hard way about overloading a tank.

The problem is that the filter cartridge (with the filter bag and carbon pebbles) was clogged and the water was not flowing through it. The water actually pushed up through the cartridge compartment and over the tank glass onto the table. I tried rinsing the original filter but that did not help at all.

I bought a new box of replacement filters and changed the entire filter (frame, bag, and carbon). I am doing some research now and found that it's not good to change the entire filter media.

How should I have done this so as to not disturb bacteria or stress the fish?

Answer 1

The Tetra filters with Bio-Bag that I know of have a foam cartridge too. This is where most of the biological filtration takes place. Is this an in tank version of the Whisper?
In all honesty, you will need to move away from that 5 gallon tank to get things right with the aquarium. 10 gallons is a challenge. Things don't get easy until you hit about 20 gallons.

Answer 2

If a filter does not let you replace the mechanical seperately from the biological and/or chemical media, than it is not a well designed filter by any means and I could only recommend making the purchase of a better quality one.

There are two main decent styles of power filter on the market now.

The Emperor or Penguin style filter uses a combination of filter cartridge with a bio-wheel. The bio-wheel holds most of the bacteria, making it safe to change the cartridge without issues.

The second is the Aquaclear or Canister style. These are a simple design containing a large reservoir in which you can put whatever filter media you wish and change or clean as little or as much as you want to. Canisters in particular will go much longer periods of time without clogging.

Answer 3

Are you speaking approximately carbon filter out cartridges? i would not even difficulty with those. i don't think of they do something good for the aquarium, except you're taking drugs out of the water. Plus, they seem to be a waste of funds considering which you're able to substitute them each month or 2 weeks. the only element you certainly should be afflicted approximately is the organic and organic cartridge, a cartridge made to hold the constructive micro organism on your filter out. you're able to rinse the cartridge with previous tank water as quickly because it gets packed with waste. you could rinse it gently with faucet water, yet you run the threat of killing off your constructive micro organism. in basic terms rinse it in the bucket of tank water which you have taken from the tank after your water ameliorations. Squeeze it out and variety of rub it around on your hands so the waste and debris comes off. you need to use a sponge (categorized aquarium risk-free) as a bio-filter out cartridge, or you need to use a sponge made for an aquarium filter out ( undecided the place to get those, nevertheless..) once you're making use of a sponge, be sure you have not used it for something like cleansing or washing dishes, etc. you will not opt to get detergents into the tank!