General Care Discussion :: New large aquarium questions

[Ryano]

So, I've got my new 125 gallon aquarium set up and have some questions that I know you all can help me with. First, on my FX6 filter (set up like the FX5 in the media thread in the equipment section) how often do I need to clean it? It has the blue sponge, carbon and lots of bio media as shown in the thread.

2nd question, how often do I need to do a partial water change? How much water is recommended? I was doing a weekly partial change in my 40 gallon, but I figure with the FX6 and larger aquarium it will be much less often.

3rd question, does anyone use moss balls (real or artificial) are they worth having in the aquarium?

[steve]

1 & 2 - How often you need to clean it depends on the media and the waste it collects. I think 1-2 months is normal for adequate canisters, I think there is one person who has gone a year without cracking it open. Partial changes could be done 2-4 weeks, it depends on how much water you're changing. A few of us test water parameters to determine when to change the water.

3 - I don't but some here do. If I recall, some are left alone and most are just destroyed.