Just take out the media, rinse it in tank water, take the sponges, squeeze them out in tank water, and put them back and you're done.
Best way to clean canister filter
- Thread starter AnthonyFish20
- Start date
I realized I messed up and forgot to put the sponge in the filter it only had filter floss i wasnt paying attention now I restarted the filter with the right stuff and all is good how long should it take for the nitrates to go down. I have a sponge filter in the tank with a good colony of bacteria thats been running for awhile will give that a good squeeze soon also so cleaning the canister shouldnt result in a mini cycle.
It depends on the tank really. Years back when I didn't use pre-filters and used filter floss I remember the floss being so clogged the detritus and the floss was fused together acting like a brick wall. I don't use floss anymore for the same reason although now my filter media stays really clean with the pre-filters.
Sorry, I read that wrong. I thought you meant the filter media at first.
I've been on holidays for 3 to 4 weeks without cleaning them and it was perfectly fine. I use medium sponges. I normally clean them once a week otherwise. I shake them right under running water to dislodge any particles. I do not squeeze as that can damage the structure of the sponges, plus it is not as effective cleaning them that way compared to a good shake under running water.
I tried pre filters before... it clogged up in a couple of days with almost no flow.... lol
Without the pre filters, at least 1-2 months before flow get affected...
Normal filtration does not bring nitrates down.
The only reliable way to reduce them is by doing water changes.
Plants help a little, or if you have a designated anoxic area in the tank, or filter (which is highly unlikely) or an algae scrubber.
So if you want to bring them down, doing lots of partial water changes is how you do it.
It may not be bad at all, totally depends on the level and type of disinfectant coming out of ones tap. I know how often I need to clean my filters, and what the best method is, but other than making assumptions it's near impossible to gauge what or how others are performing their maintenance.
I do the same, but I run two canisters and alternate cleaning one canister a month. This way I have no worries about any mini cycles. I will say running the two, they don’t collect way to much junk, but still easier/faster to clean the sponges thoroughly under the tap.
