I clean mine out whenever the flow gets very slow, but I have three on one tank and never clean more than one at a time.
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How often do you guys wash filters?
- Thread starter weichen14
- Start date
Not if you're using the tank's water, or in my case, well water at about the same temp.
On the few tanks left that I do run canisters on, I keep mechanical as such and bio as such. I usually clean the mech every month or so.
For the rest of my setups I pull the socks at each water change or once a week on drip tanks. I can change all the socks in about 10 minutes.
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For the rest of my setups I pull the socks at each water change or once a week on drip tanks. I can change all the socks in about 10 minutes.
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Hey, John I'm going with socks for my 55gal sump I'll be building this summer. Trying to figure the best method to hang socks. Can you shoot a picture of your rigs or explain how you do yours?
Sure. I use a bunch of different ways. Most are the Bulk Reef Supply hangers though. For the 75 gallon tanks the trim is too wide to hang them so I used algae magnets for the ones on the 300 and a big ole 6" pvc wye for the 135......
The rest use the sane hangers which is cool because they are convertible (4" or 7")
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I know it's overkill but i just got into the habit and carried it on lol rite now I only have a small giraffe cat, TT eel, 10 small clown loaches, odoe pike and I just got a motoro pup today
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I tend to clean the mechanical media in my 125 every water change, if I'm lazy every other.
But If I'm changing the water due to high nitrates, it makes sense to clean out the mechanical and clear out those nitrates at the same time.
I of course never clean the bio media, but that's in a separate chamber of the sump anyways.
But If I'm changing the water due to high nitrates, it makes sense to clean out the mechanical and clear out those nitrates at the same time.
I of course never clean the bio media, but that's in a separate chamber of the sump anyways.
Just because water is clear doesn't mean it's healthy.
Allowing gunk to build up for months in a filter, turns many filters into nitrate and hydrogen sulfide factories.
Because they lulled me into a false sense of security, and were such a pain to clean, I stopped using canisters years ago.
I now use only filter socks for mechanical, and store biomedia in mesh bags in the sump, and try to clean filter socks, and rinse biomedia of excess gunk with every water change.
From my days as a microbiologist I found that gunk tends to smother biomedia, allowing hydogen sulfide bacteria to proliferate and build up, turning the media anaerobic, and defeating the intended purpose.
If when you clean your biomedia it smells like rotten eggs, this has already occurred. I find rinsing biomedia or shaking off debris in water from the tank, allows the most robust microbes to remain and have access to a more aerobic environment.
This is why a fluidized bed can use a small space to accomplish the same as large areas, the rinsing and constant sloughing off of spent bacteria lets the most robust and efficient to survive.
Allowing gunk to build up for months in a filter, turns many filters into nitrate and hydrogen sulfide factories.
Because they lulled me into a false sense of security, and were such a pain to clean, I stopped using canisters years ago.
I now use only filter socks for mechanical, and store biomedia in mesh bags in the sump, and try to clean filter socks, and rinse biomedia of excess gunk with every water change.
From my days as a microbiologist I found that gunk tends to smother biomedia, allowing hydogen sulfide bacteria to proliferate and build up, turning the media anaerobic, and defeating the intended purpose.
If when you clean your biomedia it smells like rotten eggs, this has already occurred. I find rinsing biomedia or shaking off debris in water from the tank, allows the most robust microbes to remain and have access to a more aerobic environment.
This is why a fluidized bed can use a small space to accomplish the same as large areas, the rinsing and constant sloughing off of spent bacteria lets the most robust and efficient to survive.
