Changing And Rinsing Filter Media

The white pad will need changing regularly. Before I removed the built in filter from my Juwel rio I discovered that after 2 washes at most it went all shapeless. The white pad is first in the water flow with the Juwel filters and its sole purpose is to catch any bits to stop them getting to the sponges. If it doesn't fit propely because it's gone shapeless, it won't catch all the bits. But don't buy more Juwel ones. Get a roll of filter wool and use a Juwel pad as a template for cutting more. You'll save a huge amount of money doing that. Pond filter wool is even cheaper.

The nitrax - is that a geen sponge? - if it is, the general consensus is that they don't remove nitrate. But the sponge is a perfectly good home for the filter bacteria so treat it like a blue sponge.

Blue sponges - just wash them in water that you take out during a water change. They will only need replacing when they literally fall apart or won't go back to shape. They'll last for years. Never change them all at once when this happens. Leave at least a month between changing them. Treat the green sponge like this too.

Carbon sponge - you don't actually need to use this. Carbon gets full quickly, in a matter of days or a couple of weeks at most. If you choose to use it, you should replace it every couple of weeks.
Or you could just replace it with another blue sponge.


As for cleaning frequency, the sponges shouldn't need cleaning too often because the white pad catches most of the dirt (uneaten food, fish poo, bits of dead plant etc). If you notice the outflow speed dropping off, that's the time to clean the sponges. Just squeeze gently enough to remove any deposits on the sponges, not so hard that you dislodge all the biofilm and bacteria. The sponges with never look like new again.
Have a look at the sponges once a month for now. If they look dirty, clean them. If they don't, leave them another month. You'll soon get to know how often to do it.