how often do i change my filter

i have one of those hob filters from wally world it has a blue pad with carbon all in one (soposed to change it) and a black sponge type (the box said dont change ) i've run these snce i started my tank i was just told i should'nt of had run carbon

so my quetions are how often do i change the blue pads with carbon?

and my tank is 2 months old (all most 3 ) and levels still high is carbon doing this?

should i remove the blue pad an only run the black?

 

My son has one of them on his tank and we clean the pad once a month of if the flow is restriced. as far as the carbon I change it every 6 to 8 weeks

NOTE his is a fresh water tank I have no exp. running that style filter on a SWtank

 

Depends on what all you have in your tank and how much you feed. Are you finished cycling it? My tank is minimally stocked, but I feed everyday. I change my filters once a week. Sometimes less, sometimes more....

2-3 months? Yes I'd change them when you say all your levels are still high, explain....tell us what your levels are

 

I like to change mine every 3-4 weeks. Change both the sponge and the carbon. But if your having trouble with params the HOB elements probably wont fix it. You need to look more at the biological filtration for that.

 

At this point Carbon is fine so dont worry.
I changed my HOB pads every two weeks depending on what tank it was. If you have a smaller load, maybe you could get away with 1 month but no more than that.

If you have multiple bays for pads, you should rotate. Change one on week two then the other on week 3.

I even rinsed the black pad every 4 months and rotated the cleaning as well.


Cheers

 

some run carbon in sw and some don't.i use it if my tank smells.a good rule would be 1 cup of quality carbon per 55 gallons water and change monthly.

 

Hmmm...Interesting. I noticed the other day when I opened the cabinet below with my refugium that it had a smell. Would this be what you mean?

 

I have a similar tank setup for my son also from wally world that has this HOB filter. The black sponge pad should not be changed, this is the Bio-Foam which is supposed to harvest your beneficial bacteria. Never use it alone without the blue filter pad. The blue pad with a white media filter in front and carbon inside should be changed once a month or when it starts to overflow depending on your Fish Load. The black Bio-Foam should be cleaned rarely to get rid of crud with your tank water only to save the Biological bacteria in it, never with tap water. You should use some Hagen Cycle Biological Aquarium Supplement to jump start your filter and help reduce your nitrite and ammonia levels as well as nitrate. Make sure the blue side of the filter is towards the back of the HOB and the white side toward the tank. Good luck with your tank let me know if this helps out.
-BTW what is your water parm.. take a reading and post them please.