Bio wheel
- Thread starter Excile
- Start date
Basically never.
The biowheels get dark and grungy looking, but that is because of the beneficial bacteria that has colonized them.
Do not change them out or clean them unless they have stopped rotating completely or they are physically damaged or deteriorating. If they stop rotating, check the berings/axles where they attach. You may need to clean that area off with a tooth brush. Reduced filter flow may also cause the wheels to stop rotating; also try cleaning or replacing the filter cartridge inserts, or cleaning the filter itself. During a filter cleaning you can temporarily leave the bio wheels in a bucket of tank water while you clean the rest of it. This keeps the bio wheel from drying out.
If you ever need to clean the biowheel material itself (VERY RARE), swish them out thoroughly in a bucket of aquarium (NOT TAP) water. You don't want to harm the beneficial bacteria.
I like the bio wheels. I hope you do too. Good luck.
The biowheels get dark and grungy looking, but that is because of the beneficial bacteria that has colonized them.
Do not change them out or clean them unless they have stopped rotating completely or they are physically damaged or deteriorating. If they stop rotating, check the berings/axles where they attach. You may need to clean that area off with a tooth brush. Reduced filter flow may also cause the wheels to stop rotating; also try cleaning or replacing the filter cartridge inserts, or cleaning the filter itself. During a filter cleaning you can temporarily leave the bio wheels in a bucket of tank water while you clean the rest of it. This keeps the bio wheel from drying out.
If you ever need to clean the biowheel material itself (VERY RARE), swish them out thoroughly in a bucket of aquarium (NOT TAP) water. You don't want to harm the beneficial bacteria.
I like the bio wheels. I hope you do too. Good luck.
You can clean the sides and "axles" if they stop all together, but don't mess with the material itself.
As long as they rotate (even if very slowly) they are fine.
When I clean my Emps., I swap them end for end. Seems to keep them more balanced and rotating evenly.
BTW, From your pic., it looks as if they are only about halfway to where they will get.
My older 2 look like dirt.(well, actually mud, since they are wet).
As long as they rotate (even if very slowly) they are fine.
When I clean my Emps., I swap them end for end. Seems to keep them more balanced and rotating evenly.
BTW, From your pic., it looks as if they are only about halfway to where they will get.
My older 2 look like dirt.(well, actually mud, since they are wet).
I agree, they look new. If you can't resist cleaning them later on, clean only one. Then wait a month before thinking about the other one. A kitchen sprayer will do the best job and it is really fast too. Keep the contact time with tap water to under 30 seconds (have some tank water on hand to put it into after spraying it off).
u dont change em unless they break.... they r supposed ot be dirty looking thats good bacteria... also they should slow down and have an irregular spinning... thats fine too... see the purple places by the axels... just clean that once and a while