How often do you crack your canister open?

[digital-monk]

I know it depends on how much filtration you have, water changes, stocking load, and what filter you have. I thought it would be interesting to see just how often people typically give the canister a cleaning.

[cale262]

You need "Once a week" on there :well:

[darkangel]

Twice a year, Unless the flow really slows down.

[patrick]

Once a year unless performance decreases. I never touch the biomedia, only the prefilter sponges and all movable parts, hoses etc.

[Vallisneria]

I usually do it every 2-3 months on my planted tank as it gets a lot dirtier. I clean the hoses, impeller and rinse out the container. I rinse out the sponge but leave the bio media alone.

On my other tank, I clean it out maybe twice a year. But its on a lower stocked tank with no plants, so there isn't too much gunk that gets into it.

I use a prefilter sponges on the intakes and clean that at every water change.

I have a xp2 and xp3

Edited March 13, 2009 by degrassi

[fleshgear]

you also need "all of the above" for filter type

[EowynJane]

I'm glad to read this post... I'm just using my first canister filter so the results are an interesting tidbit of info for me.

[jvision]

I cleaned out my FX5 twice in the 18months I owned it. I've had XP3s that only had biomedia in them that I didn't clean in the years that I owned them.. they just ran and ran. My Eheims aren't going to need anything for a long while, either.

[Boom]

My Rena xp3 is the secondary filter on my 55. I clean it out every 2 months or so, but that's only because I have filter floss in there to polish the water and it gunks up faster than regular foam pads and such.

On the Fluval 404 I only opened it once every 3 or 4 months.

Boom :boom:

[rayfong]

I've cleaned my eheim probably twice since I got it which was sometime last year. I haven't cleaned any of my fluvals yet and the rena when I had it I cleaned maybe twice a year.

[Dmaan.]

i clean mine every 2 weeks but i just put once a month lol.

i run my 80 on a xp4 and 404

[Sam Chicklets]

4 Rena xp3's, 1 Chinese Ehiem knock off, and a fluval 403. Once a month for the knock off on Rip's tank, otherwise every second month unless the flow dies out.

[popik]

When i first got my cannisters i opened every 6 weeks...now i havent looked at them in 3+ months. The FX5 is due i think soon but the eheim will be fine for a couple more!

[soliver]

I clean mine whenever i have free time. Which happens to be probably 3 times a yr. Every 4 months or so. I currently have 2 xp4's and 1 xp3 on my 210 gallon.