80 ppm nitrates in 125 gallon

[Jhay3513]

Sounds like you got the BS “I never clean my canisters out” advice I got when I first started in the hobby. I went 8 months without opening my filter and when I finally did it smelled so putrid I had to go clean it outside. When I was still using a canister I cleaned it out the first Sunday of every month after I knew better.

 

[duanes]

One of the reasons I stopped using canisters is they are so user "un"-friendly to clean.
I believe mechanical filter media should be cleaned often.
For me, it means I squeeze out that media every time I do a water change, and I usually do a 30%-40% water change every other day, to maintain a nitrate level of 5ppm.

 

[skjl47]

How often should I replace the impeller blades?

Hello; The impeller assembly can go for years. They can continue to push water even when they start to rattle. The rattle (noise) is sometimes a reason to replace the assembly, especially if the tank in n the living area of a home. If it is still pushing water and you can stand the noise then it is still useable.

I'll go back to feeding once a day.

Hello; With fish other than fry it is OK to have "fasting" days each week. By that I mean no food at all for a day or two each week.
I get the desire to "grow out" fish to a maximum size. That may be somewhat defeated when the nitrates get as high as you have reported.
May I also suggest some snails in the tank. If you are overfeeding or, as is often the case the fish are messy eaters, the snails can find the excess food.

2 water changes per week to get the nitrates down or will it go down on it's own since I just cleaned the canister and will cut back on feedings?

Hello; More likely you will need to keep up with the WC (water changes) and may have to do more volume and/or frequency as well as keeping the filters cleaned out.

 

[tiger15]

I am pretty sure the high nitrate came from the canister that has not been cleaned for 11 months. Uncleaned canister is nothing more than a reservoir for organic waste and left over food that make nitrate. If its a pain to clean, it’s unlikely it will be cleaned often. For heavily stocked tanks, multiple hobs or a sump system is the way to go. I cannot find one advantage for canister in fish only tank but many cons, such as pain to clean, organic trap, nitrate generator, vulnerability of anaerobic fouling and leak accident.

 

[nzafi]

To help reduce the impact of less frequent cleaning you can use probiotics, same stuff used in septic tanks. Lots of members use that. You still need to do filter maintenance but it is suppose to help significantly with build up.

 

[skjl47]

probiotics,

Hello; There are a few threads on this on the forum. I have tried Rid-X myself

 

[pescado209]

im using ridx myself . 3 weeks in and I'm so happy I tried it out, water is much clearer in between WC in both my Oscar and goldfish tanks.

 

[skjl47]

using ridx myself

Hello; I mix the RID-X in a small jar of tank water. Let it sit a few hours. Then pour it thru a coffee filter to catch the solids. I add only the liquid to a tank.

Some have reported letting the solids settle in the jar and pouring the liquid off the top. The solids can be put into the toilet.

 

[Irecruitfish]

I assume you mean the whole impeller and shaft because they're usually sold as a unit...Every 3-4 years, when it gets too rattly. How much are you changing? It doesn't sound like you're changing much.

Usually 30 to 40 percent water during changes. I have other tanks and the nitrates are 20 ppm so it as others have mentioned I need to cut down on feedings and do 50% water changes weekly.

 

[Irecruitfish]

After cleaning the fx6 it wasn't terribly awful in terms of gunk but it's looking good now. I'll do a 50% water change tonight too. Thanks for the advice everyone. It truly is annoying to clean canister filters. I get it now.

I just have to remind myself to clean it every 3 months at least.