Change of Filter

[jrhein]

8) I have a Emperor 280 on a 30 gallon tank. How often should i change out the filter? Should I wash it out with water to clean it or buy a new?

[captexas]

I would recommend rinsing it out with RO/DI water (anything but tap water) every two weeks as it is a small tank. If you have a lot of stuff being collected in the filter pad, you can rinse more often. Be sure to gently rinse off what is on the filter material as you don't want to scrub it too hard and rinse out the helpful bacteria that is living inside. This bacteria is what is breaking down the waste and chemicals in the water. You only want to replace the filter every so many months when it looks like it is in bad shape. Realize that when you put in a new filter pad the bacteria has to build up again and your filtration capabilities are reduced during that time.

Hope that helps.