First cannister filter: Some Questions?

[rhite]

A few days ago I bought the Eheim Ecco 2236. It has been running on my 46gal Bowfront and seems to be working great. I am amazed at how quiet it is. Anyway my questions:

How do I know when it is time to change the media and clean it?
Why does it seem to blow out a fine mist ever so often?
Was it a good choice for a 46g tank?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[jwalkerafc7]

the fine mist is just getting the air bubbles and stuff out of a new filter, my fluval did the same thing when i first got it. it will quit eventually. just keep it on a routine schedule to clean it. if your tank stays really clean like mine does i only clean mine like once a month or so. i never change my biomedia though to prevent another minicycle. i just rinse out the sponges and change the carbon if needed. one way you will know if it needs cleaning is the flow on the output slows down alot. after you clean it, it will go back to normal.

 

[Hot Slime]

Good choice on the filter, I love my Eheim classic filter. If the "mist" doesn't clear up on it's own after a while it will when you clean the filter out. As for how often to clean the filter depends on your stocking, if it's heavily stocked then you would need to clean it out more often. I clean my Eheim out about once every month or two. When cleaning rinse the bio in tank water so you don't kill any good bacteria. The pads can be blasted with tap.

 

[rhite]

Thanks for the help. I really do like this filter. Not just the fact that it is pretty much silent but also the cleaner look it gives my tank over the HOB I had before.