How often do you guys wash filters?

[xraycer]

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.
QUOTE]

Duane, wouldn't a certain amount of this be beneficial for nitrate reduction? Such as keeping one canister cleaner than another?

 

[yogurt_21]

@ duanes, that's what a settling chamber is for. There's a pre-filter in my overflow, then it trickles over biomedia, then a settling chamber which I do clean with every water change, then the polishing mechanical media. Bio media itself is always clean.

 

[duanes]

I believe the concept of a nitrate reducing reactor is based in the principal you suggest, and why a very low flow is used in those reactors, most of the reactors barely drip.
But I found while using canisters, my nitrates would climb as the filters aged, giving me readings in the 20+ppm, and by regularly keeping them clean (and with frequent water changes), nitrate readings stayed in the 2-5ppm range.
20ppm and above is where the stress threshold starts for most fish I keep, and I like to keep it well below 20ppm.

 

[tiger15]

I provide only mechanical filtration for all my tanks, including my 125 gal, so I have no bio media in the filters to clean. I changed the filter pads of my Penquen HOBs on the average twice a week as soon as I see water begin to bypass the filter. I bought polyester batting from craft shop by yard to cut my cheap filter pads. I don't use canisters and don't think it is necessary to provide extra bio media to hide the gunk. My bio media is an inch of substrate in my tanks which I vacuum in every WC.

 

[Armand]

Ha! If you really have the need to clean that often, you are overfeeding your fish. With proper filtration and no over feeding, the BB can process all of the fish waste. Cleaning once or twice a year is to get rid of the sludge that is composed of minerals and other things the bactetia don't process. If you NEED to clean a cannister every 3 months you need to be cleaning every 2 weeks to get the uneaten food out. A cannister is primarily a biological filter, not mechanical.

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Dude a Canister full of debrits becomes a nitrate factory and in case of a black out it can dangeroulsy turn anaerobic and kiss your stocking good bye .

 

[Armand]

If you NEED to clean a cannister every 3 months you need to be cleaning every 2 weeks to get the uneaten food out. A cannister is primarily a biological filter, not mechanical.

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Dude, even if you pretend to use it as primarly bio, after 6+ months of being runnig, a canister does catch waste, if yours doesn't, damn!! what kinda fish are you keeping? a handfull of minnows in a 150 gal?

 

[DDK]

Dude a Canister full of debrits becomes a nitrate factory and in case of a black out it can dangeroulsy turn anaerobic and kiss your stocking good bye .

I think he was trying to say if your filters become to the point of becoming a "nitrate factory" within a month of two then over feeding or improper care was taken to lead to it. And I do agree with that, my canisters has very little gunk even after a +8 months long period with moderate stocking.

 

[DDK]

Dude, even if you pretend to use it as primarly bio, after 6+ months of being runnig, a canister does catch waste, if yours doesn't, damn!! what kinda fish are you keeping? a handfull of minnows in a 150 gal?

I agree with you here though, a canister is a balance of mechanical and bio. If the mechanical isn't a priority then the bio media WILL clog and WILL be basically useless over a period of time.

 

[Armand]

I think he was trying to say if your filters become to the point of becoming a "nitrate factory" within a month of two then over feeding or improper care was taken to lead to it. And I do agree with that, my canisters has very little gunk even after a +8 months long period with moderate stocking.

Bro, even if you fed your fish in an every other day basis, big cichlids poo a lot and the waste go to the filters, I dont get you guys what you mean?.....leaving a canister too much time without serviece would eventually lead to it becoming a nitrate factory, after one year I asure you it will, although Im sure it would happen much before.

 

[F1 VET]

Not only will filter efficiency be cut down but it will also leech nitrates. You will know when you do 50% wc and your nitrates aren't even cut 25%. That's why we test.

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Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763