cleaning filters

[amv123]

this is kind of a noob question but i need to make sure, anyways, when cleaning filters should the media be completely cleaned along with changing the filter or foam pad, what is the best method to cleaning a filter? canister or hob

 

[Cholly]

DON'T change the filter or foam pad unless it's clogged or disintegrating. If it's clogged gently rinse it out in old tank water(warm and dechlorinated). The brown pudding like substance is the good nitrifying bacteria you want. If it's disintegrating, put the new one in and the old one behind it for a couple of weeks to populate a colony on the new filter/pad. That way you don't disrupt your cycle and have to start over.

 

[amv123]

ok and what about the media in a canister, should i leave that alone also because the instructions always say to clean or replace media and foam every months or two...is that a marketing tool or should i be doing this

 

[Cholly]

I'm not a canister user(yet) so I can't say for certain, but I'd go with the same principle, if it appears clogged, rinse it out in old tank water so you don't kill the bacteria and continue to use it until it appears to be disintegrating.
If it appears to be disintegrating, there's likely no room to put it behind, so what I would do is squeeze the old one out onto the water supply side of the new foam/filter, and seed it that way.
Canister users, feel free to step in, I'm only theoretical when it comes to canisters, and I know it.

 

[RDTigger]

I have talked to canister users and from the theory of BB Foam should be sectioned to allow the clogged pieces to be cleaned but things like Bio-balls and Cermic rings should be left alone....

As for Carbon and other non-renewable resources they should be replaced....

Any more experienced canister keepers please correct me.. I am here to learn as well

 

[ProblEmZ]

I've been using 2 canisters; an eheim 2213 for about 8 months and have only rinsed media and changed a soft filter pad to a more coarse one, i have no carbon in it just 1 coarse and 1 fine filter pads. My eheim is also filled with a few kinds of media in it including Substrat Pro, Bio Max, Matrix, and a cup full of gravel.

My second canister is a fluval 404, it's only been in use for 6 months and i've only just rinsed the media. Haven't changed or taken out anything, also No carbon. I use several different types of media in this filter as well a combination of BioMax, SubstratPro, Matrix, and some gravel/substrate.


I've heard of some users only doing yearly maintenance on their canisters. I'm going with every 4-6 months or when i feel that flow has dropped dramatically.

Do a search you'll find a wide range of what people do to clean and service their canisters.

 

[velanarris]

With my canisters when servicing what I do is drain off some tank water (or the water from the empty canister works just as well), then take my media baskets and dunk them in the old tank water to remove any large pieces of debris that may be there. This doesn't disturb the bacteria colonies and removes the gunk.

If you have a filter, like some of the eheim classics, that you can back flush, that'd be one of the better ways to clean it out. As the other posters have said, typically there's no need to change biomedia or filtering pads unless they're disintegrating.