Cannister Filter cleaning?

[Moutain Dew]

I have been told numerous times and have read that it is not neccessary to clean your filter till water flow is affected.

I am not sure about this as would not waste build up in the cannister? Would this not cause your nitrates to spike?

My water changes the water comes out clean and the sand has no noticeable refuge on it. I was checking the water parameters and the nitrate was quite high.

So I ripped apart the filter and it was extremely dirty yet the water flow remained.

Some one even told me that as long as water was coming out it was fine?

Would this just be the case in cannisters where people run no sponges in it?

Just curious as how others gauge when to do filter maintenance?

Edited August 16, 2008 by Moutain Dew

[Noodles]

I have the same thoughts as you..... the tank is only as clean as the filter is. I clean mine out every 2-3 weeks.

[randy]

I have 2 canisters running on my tank and rinse the spone in the tank water once a month so about every 2 weeks a filter gets a rise. Kind of hard to tell if the water flow reduces as the spouts are under water. IMO you should clean the filter once a month just rinse in tank water at a water change you dont want the sponge or other media to look like you just purchased it. Dirty is ok cloged is not.

[gobies et al]

I clean my cannister filters once a month, or more often. For example, my 20 gallon hospital tank (has a sand substrate) has a Fluval 104 plus a HOB filter. I housed an injured 11" pleco in there for treatment. When he was feeling better and moving more he could really stir the sand and debris. Two weeks was about as long as the filter was effective.

Nitrates should be managed with water changes, usually, or if possible,also with the addition of plants.

One doesn't usually think of nitrates spiking. Nitrates usually just accumulate if not removed with water changes. Nitrites spike and are very toxic for fish.

This is a good article on managing nitrates:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/water_changes.php

I hope this helps.

[darkangel]

I run 2 filters per tank. 1 canister and 1 hang on. The hang on filters I rinse them out once a month and the canisters get rinsed out every six months. My fish get fed once a day and only what can be eaten in 3 min. or less and all tanks are planted except 2 small ones. I do water tests twice a week 20-25% w/c every week and my nitrates almost never exceed 10ppm.

[jvision]

My FX5 has been cleaned once in the year I've owned it. I do have a pre-filter sponge on it to keep it from sucking up little fish, which gets a thurough rinsing every week.

[Moutain Dew]

I clean my cannister filters once a month, or more often. For example, my 20 gallon hospital tank (has a sand substrate) has a Fluval 104 plus a HOB filter. I housed an injured 11" pleco in there for treatment. When he was feeling better and moving more he could really stir the sand and debris. Two weeks was about as long as the filter was effective.

Nitrates should be managed with water changes, usually, or if possible,also with the addition of plants.

One doesn't usually think of nitrates spiking. Nitrates usually just accumulate if not removed with water changes. Nitrites spike and are very toxic for fish.

This is a good article on managing nitrates:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/water_changes.php

I hope this helps.

I think the prefilter helps alot....

"One doesn't usually think of nitrates spiking. Nitrates usually just accumulate if not removed with water changes."

I agree but think a DIRTY filter is a timebomb...Especially with alot of sponges in it...I have heard talk of no sponges and just biomax and thorough water changes .

The problem I think is correcting the problem to quickly, sounds like if they 're use to toxic water... Getting clean water to quickly is more toxic to them then when they were in the high nitrate situation.

[Qattarra]

I don't think your filter would cause nitrates to go up. I agree with minimal canister cleanings . With a porous sponge on the intake, the canister can go for many months. So for me , a canister cleaning is only to remove enough gunk to get good flow. The only time I had a nitrate level that got too high and water changes didn't do enough, I drained 90% of the tank twice, one week apart. This was when I was also educated as to deep tanks not getting enough circulation and low 02. I have not since ever had a high level of N3.

[seajays]

I use a 3x3 piece of filter floss on my intakes as a throw away pre- filter . Just insert your finger into the side of the floss to create a hole and slip it on the pickup tube. Works great and no more cleaning pre-filter's .

[Moutain Dew]

I don't think your filter would cause nitrates to go up. I agree with minimal canister cleanings . With a porous sponge on the intake, the canister can go for many months. So for me , a canister cleaning is only to remove enough gunk to get good flow. The only time I had a nitrate level that got too high and water changes didn't do enough, I drained 90% of the tank twice, one week apart. This was when I was also educated as to deep tanks not getting enough circulation and low 02. I have not since ever had a high level of N3.

I think that is general and maybe more dependent on the type of fish , tanksetup and bioload. On a mbuna tank heavily stocked I dont think this minimal canister cleanings applies.

If someone can prove that canister cleanings are only to get good flow... and not something that can make nitrate spike clue me in.

[Qattarra]

On my african tank(most mbunas), greatly over stocked, the most important upkeep is the 50% weekly water changes. The canisters get a rough flush every 3 to 5 months on alternating times. I have a magnum plus canister at one end and a small eheim on the other. I would go to a larger filter if/when I can afford one. Meanwhile with as many critters in there , feeding time AM and then PM, the food almost never gets to the bottom. I easily have 50+ in this 90 gal. Raised them all (except for 5 given to me as adults)from fry. I am now starting to take out the ones I wont want to keep. This tank has 1/3 full of large lava rocks so hidy holes are plentiful. There was a day that I wore a blouse with sequins. This freaked them out. I would not have believed it but I saw it. Every last fish was hidden , the tank looked devoid of any LOL. My nitrates are always very low, and these filters get so clogged with gunk and good bacs you can scoop it out with your hand and fill a margarine bowl. This gold goes around my rose bushes. They are starting their third flush of bloom this season.

[Malawi Maniac]

I may be asking for trouble but for the 2 years I've been in Alberta now I have only rinsed out 1 of the sponges in my FX5 to jump start the cycle for nother tank. When I change the water I leave the filter on until the water line drops below the filter so I can see how much outflow there is. I have no issues with any fish but am thinking of a good cleaning real soon

Stacey

[uwish]

I may be asking for trouble but for the 2 years I've been in Alberta now I have only rinsed out 1 of the sponges in my FX5 to jump start the cycle for nother tank. When I change the water I leave the filter on until the water line drops below the filter so I can see how much outflow there is. I have no issues with any fish but am thinking of a good cleaning real soon

Stacey

I clean my filters once a quarter and a quick rinse whenever I notice low flow rate. For me however, I can easily tell when one of my XP's is not up to par as I have the second one for comparison.

As long as your contaminant levels (nit. ammo. etc) are in check, there is no need to clean the filter often in my opinion.

Edited August 18, 2008 by uwish

[byte]

I find it really depends on the type of filter media. If you are just using foam and ceramic rings, it will take a long time before the filter get dirty and the flow slows down. If you run a polish pad (filter floss), then you will have to clean or replace the polish pad quite often (for me 2 months). Having a pre-filter over the intake pipe can also reduce the amount of junk getting into the filter.

[Drydock]

I still clean my Fluval 403 every 6 weeks. Not sure if it is because it needs it, or if it is out of habit. Decreased flow does not mean no flow. How many of us can eyeball the flow coming out of a hose and know that our tank is being properly filtered or not. (calculate the bio load, carry the 2...)

If you are running only biomedia and foam, you might be able to get away with longer intervals of time in between cleanings, however, if you are relying on carbon or zeolite for ammonia and other toxin removal, you are setting your tank on a roller coaster ride. Once the carbon reaches its capacity, it will stop absorbing toxins and your tank may not be ready to compensate.

I would advocate for a regular, but not complete cleaning of the filter. Clean 1 or two sections every month or 6 weeks to keep a consistent level of flow and buggies in your filter.

Just my 2 cents. (Going up to 3 next month due to inflation...)