How often do you clean your canister filters

[crmarti]

i have a fluval 404 on a 46 gallon bow front, how often fo you thinnk i should clean it?

 

[wexphin88]

once a year when you clean your tank out but even that is too much

 

[dpk2313]

every 4-6 months as long as you keep up with water changes
or at least that's what I do
I know quite a few people who think that's way too little tho

 

[foldem]

I rinse out my canister every 4-5 months depending on how much stock you have in your tank during that period.

I use a bucket of tank water to rinse out the wool filters and give the media a light wash then i let the water sit so all the debris sinks to the bottom of the bucket then i pour the water back into the canister. This way not too much good bacteria is killed off.

 

[Ullopincrate]

I have the same filter and I clean it out with tank water also except I do it every 2-3 mo leaning more to the 2 month mark. But that's just what I do. It's on a discus tank, so I'm a little finicky.

 

[crmarti]

ok cool, this is on a SA cichlid tank so ive been cleaning it bout every 4 or 5 months so that sounds like im doing alright. however i have never thought to wash it in the tank water, wat a novel idea lol and im sure to steal it. preciate all of the help

 

[MPLSdunk]

i have a magnum 350, i know it's not a true canister but i haven't cleaned it in over 2 years. it flows good so i don't see a point.

 

[leopio]

i clean my xp3 as soon as the water flow get really slow. once a month

 

[famous323]

every 3-4.5 months

 

[rED O]

I change my filter floss every month