3 months, 1 year, 1 week. all depends on bio load and how dedicated and responsible u are. i think u should let us know what ur keeping in ur tank. and how big it is. then it well be easier to tell u when and how to do things. also u may want to look at getting another filter if ur keeping a lot of fish.
Cleaning you Eheim Canister
- Thread starter bmthomps84
- Start date
HarleyK;2826231; said:
It has nothing to do with dedication or responsibility. The only thing that matters is to get the right filter for the job.
responsibility and maintenance come hand in hand.
im not gonna argue about this.
My stock list and specs for my tank are underneath my avatar.
I did read another post that voiced a concern for a build up of nitrates in your water if you leave your canisters sit for too long. The idea is that the build up of waste in the mech filter will cause a spike in nitrates. It seems to me though that if your bio filter (meaning the canister, and the tank itself) is adequate for your bio load the nitrates wouldn't build up. I'm thinking that any given piece of waste will only produce a finite amount of ammonia.
What do you guys think?
I also use a DIY python for my water changes, so in order to rinse the canister with the tank water I would have to disconnect from the faucet after the siphon is started and put the water into a bucket, then rinse the canisters. Does that sound like the best way to do it?
I did read another post that voiced a concern for a build up of nitrates in your water if you leave your canisters sit for too long. The idea is that the build up of waste in the mech filter will cause a spike in nitrates. It seems to me though that if your bio filter (meaning the canister, and the tank itself) is adequate for your bio load the nitrates wouldn't build up. I'm thinking that any given piece of waste will only produce a finite amount of ammonia.
What do you guys think?
I also use a DIY python for my water changes, so in order to rinse the canister with the tank water I would have to disconnect from the faucet after the siphon is started and put the water into a bucket, then rinse the canisters. Does that sound like the best way to do it?
messerchmidt;2822996; said:
you don't have to use carbon. but if you do, you have to change it every 2 months or else it can become harmful to your fish.
Howdy,
1) "responsibility and maintenance come hand in hand", but extreme filter hygiene will ruin BB colonies. Why would I clean a filter if it's still perfectly fine? You only flush your toilet when it contains waste, or do you flush it every hour just because it makes you feel responsible?
2) Biofilters should cause complete mineralization, i.e. only minimally degradable material (e.g. lignin, cellulose) will accumulate in a well-selected filter over time. That's what I remove annually.
3) Nitrates are inevitably formed one way or another. There is no difference between long or short cleaning intervals unless we are talking about a mech filter or sudden massive input of biomass which causes irregular accumulation of waste, which turns your biofilter into a mech filter.
4) Carbon should only be used to remove meds.
HarleyK
1) "responsibility and maintenance come hand in hand", but extreme filter hygiene will ruin BB colonies. Why would I clean a filter if it's still perfectly fine? You only flush your toilet when it contains waste, or do you flush it every hour just because it makes you feel responsible?
2) Biofilters should cause complete mineralization, i.e. only minimally degradable material (e.g. lignin, cellulose) will accumulate in a well-selected filter over time. That's what I remove annually.
3) Nitrates are inevitably formed one way or another. There is no difference between long or short cleaning intervals unless we are talking about a mech filter or sudden massive input of biomass which causes irregular accumulation of waste, which turns your biofilter into a mech filter.
4) Carbon should only be used to remove meds.
HarleyK
bmthomps84;2829895; said:
That is what I would suggest. I just keep two Home Depot orange 5 gallon pails for fish use only. I use one to rinse my bio media and the other to clean the mechanical media.
I guess I've always been lucky to have no/low chlorine in my water. I blast tap water over whatever needs it and haven't ever had a problem. Guess I'd better find a way to cram a HOB filter onto my acrylic tank.
I just did my first Eheim cleanout in a very long time - I had been scared to because it had leaking issues and I found a balance and didn't want to disturb a good thing. The flow was terrible though and for good reason - TONS of plant material and waste clogging up the inside. I'm amazed it could flow at all. I poured so much crap out of that tank that my sink clogged. It was disgusting.
Probably tripled my flow rate though. But I guess I'll be keeping an eye on my ammonia and nitrite levels.
Nitrate is the end product of the bacteria acting on the ammonia that food and waste produces. You could have ten times more biofiltration than you need and you'll still end up with some nitrates. Excepting the odd situation that caused the delay on the one tank, I will clean out the canisters every 2-3 months or when I notice nitrates not dropping to near 0 even after a water change.
One thing I've never understood is how/why whenever I put the clean filter back under the tank and turn it on, a bunch of crap spits out the returns at first. As if there was a ton of gunk right on top that I missed. Happens every time. Was especially bad today with the Eheim. Had to do another water change to suck all the garbage out.
I just did my first Eheim cleanout in a very long time - I had been scared to because it had leaking issues and I found a balance and didn't want to disturb a good thing. The flow was terrible though and for good reason - TONS of plant material and waste clogging up the inside. I'm amazed it could flow at all. I poured so much crap out of that tank that my sink clogged. It was disgusting.
Probably tripled my flow rate though. But I guess I'll be keeping an eye on my ammonia and nitrite levels.
Nitrate is the end product of the bacteria acting on the ammonia that food and waste produces. You could have ten times more biofiltration than you need and you'll still end up with some nitrates. Excepting the odd situation that caused the delay on the one tank, I will clean out the canisters every 2-3 months or when I notice nitrates not dropping to near 0 even after a water change.
One thing I've never understood is how/why whenever I put the clean filter back under the tank and turn it on, a bunch of crap spits out the returns at first. As if there was a ton of gunk right on top that I missed. Happens every time. Was especially bad today with the Eheim. Had to do another water change to suck all the garbage out.
DaveB;2830785; said:
Going back to what Harley mentioned, just clean when you notice a drop in flow rate
DaveB;2830785; said:
I'm thinking it must be in the top assembly where the powerhead and impeller are. Have you had to replace or clean the impeller at all?
