How often do you guys wash filters?

[Armand]

There's an ongoing debate about whether infrequently cleaned canisters (or other filters for that matter) produce excess nitrates or not.

I've still got one canister (and FX5) running in my 50+ tank fishroom (and a couple of pumps running dumps on my large tanks) but the rest are run by air. Canisters are a PITA to clean...which means that I don't clean them frequently...which means that they accumulate detritus in them.

Some would argue that the detritus is "inert" and doesn't contribute to nitrates. I'd argue just the opposite... If the stuff that accumulates in a canister filter over a couple of months was spread across the bottom of a tank, I think more folks would feel this way. But out of sight (in a plastic canister) is often out of mind.

I have a box filter (with fluff and some gravel to weigh it down) and a sponge on most tanks. I run the boxes with lots of air so that they achieve lots of flow through the fluff. I clean them at least weekly (replace the fluff...although I guess I could rinse and re-use it) to remove the poop, uneaten food and other gunk that accumulates in them. If that stuff doesn't break down into nitrates, there is less waste in my tanks and healthier fish. I also, of course, do regular (usually weekly) water changes.

I keep the air relatively low on most sponge filters to reduce their use as mechanical filters. They'll accumulate a bunch of stuff in them over time if you create a lot of flow over them. But I'd rather clean a box filter than a sponge (although I clean boxes about once a month as well).

Pre-filters can cut down on the amount of gunk / frequency of cleaning needed for canisters and HOBs but they can cut down on flow and also need to be cleaned.

Bottom line: Clean your filters early and often!

Matt

this topic can be debate on, no matter what everyone's says there is always one way better than the other... one would like it this way and the other says it differently... i personally have 6 canister filters and i have painters tape on each filter labeled the date when i clean them.. i also have a log book which listed what was performed during each filter cleaning and what was put into so No Confusion during media cleaning or replacing.. @ the End ENJOY Monster Keeping...

........and to the ones who clean their canisters every year or more..........

 

[DDK]

For my 16 inch jag in a 75 gallon nitrates are 20 ppm. 20 ppm is 20 ppm. There's no need for me to clean my filter, its been over a year and stable at 20 ppm with 60% weekly water changes. How are you going to tell me I need to clean my filter when its fine?

 

[Armand]

For my 16 inch jag in a 75 gallon nitrates are 20 ppm. 20 ppm is 20 ppm. There's no need for me to clean my filter, its been over a year and stable at 20 ppm with 60% weekly water changes. How are you going to tell me I need to clean my filter when its fine?

Youre pushing your luck buddy.

 

[Jc1119]

For my 16 inch jag in a 75 gallon nitrates are 20 ppm. 20 ppm is 20 ppm. There's no need for me to clean my filter, its been over a year and stable at 20 ppm with 60% weekly water changes. How are you going to tell me I need to clean my filter when its fine?

Nitrates are not the only thing you remove with wc's and maintenance. Doc's accumulate on the filter pad.

http://www.aquascapingworld.com/magazine/May08/Dissolved-Organic-Compounds-Explained.html


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[DDK]

Nitrates are not the only thing you remove with wc's and maintenance. Doc's accumulate on the filter pad.

http://www.aquascapingworld.com/magazine/May08/Dissolved-Organic-Compounds-Explained.html


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Well the organic compounds this article topic talks about states it builds up in two key places, the filter media or the substrate. My 60% water changes encase gravel vacing of the whole tank weekly removing just about all the organic matter. My intake is far from the bottom for this exact reason, about 3-4 inches below the water line. The only way the filter sucks up any matter is if my jag kicks up matter from the bottom or it spits up broken pieces of food when eating.

All the matter is at the bottom of the tank and every week I go through taking 5 mins to vac up all the poop and uneaten food and then leave a hose to drain as much as i can without having my jag go side ways. I rarely have food that isnt eaten because I feed every other day and after 5 years of being with her its second nature to know how much she eats.

 

[DDK]

Youre pushing your luck buddy.

Please tell me how I'm pushing my luck "buddy". Its been like this for 5 years.

 

[F1 VET]

Please tell me how I'm pushing my luck "buddy". Its been like this for 5 years.

Your decreasing your water flow/turnover rate/gph and putting strain on your filter motor.

Above you said it was a year and now its 5? If you had a pics of your nitrate tests that would confirm things but IMO your suggesting bad FK husbandry to members, some of which may be new to the hobby.

But I guess if you have gravel and your intake is well off the bottom then your running mostly a Bio filter. Basically your replacing necessary filter cleanings with frequent gravel vacing..... I'd rather clean a filter 2-3x/year (dependent on Bio load) then gravel vac all the time!

Try PFS or barebottom and do a couple filter clean outs a year and you might just save time and effort!




×Go S. Vettel #1 Infiniti Redbull! 4x WDC!!! Congrats on another flawless title× <GET BETTER SCHUMI>
__________________________________________________________________
Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763

 

[calichai]

I have a ac110,fx3, and sponge filter in a 60. I do 10gal water change every week and clean ac110 and sponge then in tank water. Xp3 I do monthly cleanings..


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[DDK]

Your decreasing your water flow/turnover rate/gph and putting strain on your filter motor.

Above you said it was a year and now its 5? If you had a pics of your nitrate tests that would confirm things but IMO your suggesting bad FK husbandry to members, some of which may be new to the hobby.

But I guess if you have gravel and your intake is well off the bottom then your running mostly a Bio filter. Basically your replacing necessary filter cleanings with frequent gravel vacing..... I'd rather clean a filter 2-3x/year (dependent on Bio load) then gravel vac all the time!

Try PFS or barebottom and do a couple filter clean outs a year and you might just save time and effort!




×Go S. Vettel #1 Infiniti Redbull! 4x WDC!!! Congrats on another flawless title× <GET BETTER SCHUMI>
__________________________________________________________________
Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: [url]http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763 [/URL]

If you go to the first page this is what I have been doing for 5 years on particular tank, maybe better word choice could have been used as "I have been doing this for 5 years", as in the once a year cleaning.

hobs every two three months, canisters about once a year or when the flow is low

My flow is never any lower and there's never any uneaten food left in my jags tank only because shes not over fed or in other words eats everything I give her leaving no build up on the bottom so maintenance as in gravel vac is more of a habit than a necessity for her. The gravel should be stirred up every week to detoxify the build up of nitrate trapped inside of the gravel itself so its more good habit than pain staking maintenance and takes very minimal time for me.

Here's a picture of her water and tomorrow is my water change day for all my tanks so i'll be busy.



And yes I did shake solution 2 to death lol.. and of course shook for a minute and let it sit for 5.

But as you mentioned bare tanks I have had more maintenance on them than tanks with gravel. Mainly because I have very messy eaters as in my jardini that eats only around 70% of a single pellet it self leaving 30% to fly around the tank. Just likes to rip things up I guess but I have build up on the bottom of the tank that rid-X can barely compensate for. In this tank I rinse the drip tray micro sponges every week when I do a water change. But the canister is left untouched. I'm curious to see whats in this tanks fluval 405. Ill take a look tomorrow as I havent cleaned it as this tank has only been set up for around 7-8 months.

 

[Jc1119]

Well the organic compounds this article topic talks about states it builds up in two key places, the filter media or the substrate. My 60% water changes encase gravel vacing of the whole tank weekly removing just about all the organic matter. My intake is far from the bottom for this exact reason, about 3-4 inches below the water line. The only way the filter sucks up any matter is if my jag kicks up matter from the bottom or it spits up broken pieces of food when eating.

All the matter is at the bottom of the tank and every week I go through taking 5 mins to vac up all the poop and uneaten food and then leave a hose to drain as much as i can without having my jag go side ways. I rarely have food that isnt eaten because I feed every other day and after 5 years of being with her its second nature to know how much she eats.

Which is all great, but your filter sucks up waste 24/7 and proteins mostly skim from the waters surface. 30 years as a reefer has taught me that. It's often not what you can "see".......Uneaten food being the worst offender.

If you think that the 5minutes you spend sucking up what you can "see" equates to being healthy, then happy fishkeeping ......


I've been keeping cichlids 5 years. Been fishkeeping almost 40. I still consider myself a newbie with cichlids.....

Canisters sweep everything under the rug so to speak. Run a side by side with a sump and it will start making more sense.


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