FX5 query

[speedo]

Hi, I have been running a fx5 on my ray tank for approx 6 weeks now and i have had a look inside the filter a couple of times to check if its dirty and the sponges are more or less still spotless? I only have 2 motoro's which are around 6 to 7 inches and im doing 25% water changes twice a week. So my question is why is my filter still spotless? Oh i have been dosing seachem stability for the past week.

 

[robroy]

I replaced the FX5 foam with 30 ppi foam and clean the filter every 3-4 months- they are dirty when I clean them out then. I do think in general theres a fair bit of bypass with the design of the FX5. The baskets do trap a lot of waste however

 

[NSKIRK559]

The past couple of times that I had to clean mine I wrote on some masking tape the data that I clean them and I was really surprised on how long they went for. The last one I clean ran for 6months and wasn't heavy stock tank but the ones that are heavy stock and run 2 FX5'S I clean those every 3-4 months. I love the pump!!!!

 

[speedo]

Cheers for the replies folks, I will leave it for a few weeks and check it again?

 

[calioutlaw1a]

I've been running mine for 9 months, and I use the blue fine filter pads that most people don't like because they clog easily. I haven't noticed any decrease in flow, and I'm expecting it to be pretty clean when i eventually do open it up (probably at a year). The tank is relatively heavily stocked, but I run several other filters on the tank as well.

I'll see how dirty it is when I open it up, but if it hasn't slowed down after 9 months then as I said, I don't expect to find much there. My thought is that the other filters relieve it enough so that there is time to breakdown the debris it filters out (which I then remove in the form of nitrates and other soluble organics during water changes) preventing it from ever becoming clogged.

 

[Eupterus]

I 've been cleaning my FX5 every couple of weeks, I was very surprised at how dirty mine was during a recent cleaning. I can't imagine waiting for a year to clean it.