How often do you clean your canister filters

[aquatic_wonders]

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.

wow...how big is your tank and what is your stock?

 

[srd]

Once a year, if I feel like it...

 

[FSM]

My 404s get incredibly disgusting inside after a few months.

 

[siebertn]

i clean my fluval 404 about every two months but reading what you guys are saying i think im making to much work for myself.i do 20% water changes a week and i clean
the floss in my diy sump once a week(on thursdays.

 

[Pharaoh]

When I was running to XPs on my 70G, I alternated cleanings on them each month. So, it was about every two months, and they needed it by then too.

 

[MPLSdunk]

wow...how big is your tank and what is your stock?

72 bowfront. i have 2 emp 400's running also with a syno decorus and thats it. next week i am stocking it with africans.

before that i have had an oscar, red devil and orange pike all with the syno. not at the same time of course.

 

[shelbyzman]

I have a 404 for my 125 gallon....I know some are going to say that it is too small for my size tank...but it works for me.

I clean the 404 around every 3 months. It is important to use tank water to clean out any biological filtration. If you clean it with new water you have to start over in regards to the biological filtration.

 

[polish]

Usually every couple months, by then the flow starts to get lowered a bit.

 

[Blue Butcher]

I must be the oddball in this group. I clean my filters every three weeks. I have a rena XP3 on both my pond and 100g tank. It is a clear canister so you can see how dirty it may be. I use tank water to clean all but the sponge media. You need a strong water spray to clean them out. I find the sponges get clogged, but I solved that problem. I have an extra set of sponges. I let the clogged ones dry out, then ring them out, to break up the guck and shake to get rid of the dry debris. I also add that bacterial liquid, Cycle, to restock the filter, on every clean out. You can never add to much. I guess it all depends on how your tanks are stocked. Or how much of a pig some of your fish can be. If I leave it longer than three weeks, I can see that the fish are not happy.

 

[BarroomHero]

I clean my xp3s every other week lol.