# Aqueon Filter Mod



## Alex09 (Aug 9, 2010)

I have an Aqueon "Quiet Flow 10" as a HOB filter on my 10 gallon tank. I have had it running for several months now. When I opened it up today, I was not very satisfied with the filter's standard "bio-Holster". It hardly had any bacterial growth on it! I wanted to get the most out of the biological filtration so i decided to to something about it. I basically replaced the plastic "bio-holster" with a piece of sponge. Here is how I did it if anyone is interested.
What you will need:
-Sponge
-Scissors

Here is the filter's "bio-filter" as you can see it hardly has anything in it, I was not impressed.









Here is the kind of sponge I used. I got it at petco for $2. I wanted to use someting I was certain is aquarium safe. 









I then cut the sponge in half lengthwise. So I ended up with 2 strips of sponge each of them (pprox 3.5 inches long and 1.5 inches high). Here is one of them:









I then cut off one of the corners, that way the sponge will let the filter lid fit tightly.









I then squeezed the sponge and stuck it in the filter as shown. In the pic you can see that I already have another sponge installed. The reason I squeezed it in there (and not cut off the excess) is that I wanted to get the most surface area for the bacteria to live in. And also because it will prevent it from falling out.

















Finished result:

















The sponge I have is yellowish-brown because I used the sponge I baffled my filter with and it was already loaded with the beneficial bacteria. This method also cut down the current in the tank to the point that I feel that I no longer need to baffle my filter.


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## sayurasem (Nov 20, 2010)

so cool!! finally someone have the same filter that i have. btw... im dont get why would you _want_ bacteria on the blue thing??? thx so much!.

-i tried to put sponge behind the biological filter but the water over flow from the side anyway lol... hard to baffle. (trick on this filter is you have to ballance the water level)


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## celine18 (Sep 25, 2010)

random question, is that filter noisy?


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## sayurasem (Nov 20, 2010)

celine18 said:


> random question, is that filter noisy?


its very quite. i got the filter with the incansedent hood, and 10 gal glass aquarium for 20 bucks!.
its really quite that all you hear is the trickling sound of the water. too bad you cant adjust the pump power because its too strong of a current for my bettas.


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## Apocalypse (Nov 3, 2010)

I did the same thing on mine, but cut a piece small enough to go underneath the blue piece.


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## Apocalypse (Nov 3, 2010)

sayurasem said:


> im dont get why would you _want_ bacteria on the blue thing???


That's how cycling a tank works.


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

I've had that filter on Kilo's tank since I set it up. I've never even swished out the filter pad. In fact, I've never opened the filter at all due to putting it under a cabinet (stupid). It's the most stable tank in my house, so that blue thing must hold some bacteria. Lol. I don't have to baffle it cause his tail is short but that looks like a good setup, Alex. 

@sayurasem - You want bacteria in your filter. It's what changes the harmful ammonia that your fish puts out, into less harmful nitrate.


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## sayurasem (Nov 20, 2010)

vaygirl said:


> I've had that filter on Kilo's tank since I set it up. I've never even swished out the filter pad. In fact, I've never opened the filter at all due to putting it under a cabinet (stupid). It's the most stable tank in my house, so that blue thing must hold some bacteria. Lol. I don't have to baffle it cause his tail is short but that looks like a good setup, Alex.
> 
> @sayurasem - You want bacteria in your filter. It's what changes the harmful ammonia that your fish puts out, into less harmful nitrate.


oooooo thank you!


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## Alex09 (Aug 9, 2010)

Wow vaygirl really? I have to swish out the pad every week or else it starts overflowing. Grrr! Thats why I came up with this idea. otherwise my cycle would have crashed if I replaced the pad. That blue thing was in there for MONTHS and hardly had anything in it. 

And yeah, you want bacteria. Its a GOOD bacteria. See, when your fish poops, the poop releases a toxin called ammonia into the water. High doses of ammonia can kill your fish. The bacteria in your filter turns the ammonia into another form called nitrate which is less toxic. Thats the main purpose of a filter and why its important to have it running 24/7.


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

Honestly. It's held a cycle all this time and I've never even opened the thing. All the bacteria is probably in the pad though, really. I keep waiting to have to do something with it but gosh, I guess it's been almost a year without me touching it. That filter pad is probably ready to fall apart. I shouldn't have said anything. Now it'll crash. 

I wonder why yours gets stopped up? Maybe the motor is bad. Do you ever clean the impeller? Sometimes they slow up if there's gunk in them.


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## sayurasem (Nov 20, 2010)

vaygirl said:


> Honestly. It's held a cycle all this time and I've never even opened the thing. All the bacteria is probably in the pad though, really. I keep waiting to have to do something with it but gosh, I guess it's been almost a year without me touching it. That filter pad is probably ready to fall apart. I shouldn't have said anything. Now it'll crash.
> 
> I wonder why yours gets stopped up? Maybe the motor is bad. Do you ever clean the impeller? Sometimes they slow up if there's gunk in them.


this is what i need!
i need to put some gunk on my motor!!!
cuz this filter's pump is too strong for my bettas.
btw... for this filter, do you _have_ to _buy_ new filter cartridge every _month_ OR take it out, and just simply rinse it with tap water?


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

Don't rinse with tap, it will kill your bacteria! Rinse with dechlorinated tank water.


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## sayurasem (Nov 20, 2010)

TaylorW said:


> Don't rinse with tap, it will kill your bacteria! Rinse with dechlorinated tank water.


yup, it says that on the filter manual " wash the blue thing under aquarium water.


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## CrankyFish84 (Nov 5, 2010)

I have this filter on 3 of my 10G's! It's great & I stick a bunch of aquarium sponges
in it until I"m happy with the way it's reducing the outflow. I never removed any orginal parts though. I just added to it. I don't think it's overly loud.  

The beneficial bacteria goes NUTS on the extra sponging & you can just rinse it in tank water if it gets too dirty looking for your taste. Haven't had to replace it in 3 months.


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## sayurasem (Nov 20, 2010)

CrankyFish84 said:


> I have this filter on 3 of my 10G's! It's great & I stick a bunch of aquarium sponges
> in it until I"m happy with the way it's reducing the outflow. I never removed any orginal parts though. I just added to it. I don't think it's overly loud.
> 
> The beneficial bacteria goes NUTS on the extra sponging & you can just rinse it in tank water if it gets too dirty looking for your taste. Haven't had to replace it in 3 months.



yeah... i put thin table cloth right behind/under the blue thing... it turns brown over night...
btw, if theres too much "good" bacteria... whats guna happen? should i rinse it or just leave it there since its good.. bacteria?


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## CrankyFish84 (Nov 5, 2010)

It's a "looks" thing really...I rinse mine because it starts to actually weigh it down so much,
and makes the outflow more strong. The actually sponge fiber isn't weakened though, and I don't see the point in throwing it out. Some of my sponge hangs down so it's visible when looking into the tank straight on. You can rinse the browned sponge IN the NEW tank water in the tank and it will go down to the gravel/plants/ect.


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## sayurasem (Nov 20, 2010)

oooo oke... so just swirl it around on the new water tank if you do a replacement..

btw... do i really have to buy a new bio cartridge every month??? or just rinse it under tap water??


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## CrankyFish84 (Nov 5, 2010)

Oh heck no....Don't wash anything in tap water ever unless you get some crazy disease outbreak...some don't replace filters or media until it's totally falling apart in your hands...they say to replace it more often to make $$$ .... even when it is falling apart, save some so you don't loose all that good bacteria & add it to the new cartridge..dont wanna have to start the nitrogen cycle all over again !


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## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

Thank you so much 

I had to put a new filter in my Betta's new tank, and it is the exact same one. I only have the sponge where the "Bio-Holster" would be, AKA where you showed us how to put it, but I may or may not add another one in back depending on water flow.


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## sayurasem (Nov 20, 2010)

dear admin, sticky this will you please


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