Is it true?

[dogofwar]

Couldn't agree more... and the reason why I've all but eliminated the use of canister filters in my fishroom (I still have an FX5).

I'm a big proponent of frequently changing mechanical filtration media...whether it be the fluff in box filters, the filter foam on sumps/dumps, the filter pads on HOBs, or the filter pads on canisters.

The difficulty is that changing the mechanical filter media in a canister - rinsing FX5 foam...replacing or rinsing filter pads - is a PITA. So people don't do it for months at a time. Out of site; out of mind. Meanwhile, the filter is full of the uneaten food, poop, etc. that most people wouldn't tolerate for a minute on their substrate.

Activated carbon doesn't have anything to do with it.

Matt

Is your canister filter clean?

HITH comes from bad water quality. If you have extremely dirty filters that don't get regular maintenance, they could be contributing to poor water quality. All filters need regular maintenance.

I'd say it's a half-truth, but not because of the type of filter. It's more likely that some people only break their canisters down a few times a year and so they're probably full of sludge and uneaten food.

 

[Miguel]

Why i hate cannisters.....

Long live sumps!

 

[ryansmith83]

I bought a giant bag of polyfill at Walmart and use that in the first tray of my wet-dry. Every week with my water change I take it out, throw it in the washing machine on hot water/extra rinse cycle, and replace it with more. Then I just air dry the one I washed and use it the next week. I've been using the same $14 bag of polyfill for almost a year.

I do have an FX5 on both of my big tanks and I break them down once a month, clean all the sponges, rinse the ceramic media, etc. It takes about an hour but it keeps me busy while the tank is draining.

HOBs like AquaClears need to be cleaned often, too. I have sponge prefilters on mine that get squeezed/rinsed with every water change but the sponges inside go about a month before I squeeze them. (If the tank is heavily stocked, like a fry tank, you may need to do it weekly or every other week.)

I think filter maintenance is often overlooked. People always encourage water changes, but clean water doesn't stay clean for long if your filter is spilling out sewage into your aquarium.

 

[dogofwar]

This thread inspired me to go clean the FX5 on my 180g community... it's been about 6 weeks and WAY overdue.

As an aside, the FX5 really serves as a pre-filter for a dump filter on top of the tank (i.e. a 18g plastic rubbermaid full of bio balls and Poret foam fed by the outflow from the FX5 and drains via gravity back to the tank). I actually use some Polyfill on the top layer of the dump for extra mechanical filtration, which I change every couple of weeks.

Most of my tanks have air-driven boxes, which I change weekly (and discard the fluff). I might go the road of recycling it, though. Ryan - I'm assuming you're using the stuff that's in sheets vs. the pillow stuffing, correct?

Matt

 

[Aquanero]

^ That's funny me too!

 

[darth pike]

And I thought I was the only one that hated canister filters.

 

[Mythic Figment]

HOBs like AquaClears need to be cleaned often, too. I have sponge prefilters on mine that get squeezed/rinsed with every water change but the sponges inside go about a month before I squeeze them. (If the tank is heavily stocked, like a fry tank, you may need to do it weekly or every other week.

This is exactly what I do. My AC70 and AC110 both have prefilter sponges on them and I have the exact same cleaning method. Weird. LOL

To OP:
Canister filters often advertise that their products require less maintenance than other filters, which is only slightly true in some canisters. Other canisters need cleaning just as often as HOBs (generally once a month). So unfortunately people think having a canister filter means that they can leave it dirty for 3-6 months without breaking it down. As someone else said, the convenience of it being under a stand is the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality. If you don't see it or, with some much emphasis being placed on its noise level, hear it, you might very well forget to keep it clean.

I personally would still recommend a monthly cleaning of canister filters even if the box says you only have to clean it once every three.

But on the whole, both canisters and HOBs work great.....just in different ways.


Sent from my iPad using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[dogofwar]

Pre-filters are a great way to keep canisters (and HOBs) from needing to be cleaned as often (if they're also cleaned regularly).

I've just not found one that works well with an FX5...

Matt

 

[duanes]

And I thought I was the only one that hated canister filters.

I gave up canisters a number of years ago. The out of sight, out of mind, thing made me lazy, and when I would test, nitrates were always high. The canisters also could not take the routine maintenance I needed without some how breaking down, and needing repair. Ever since I started using filter socks, squeeze and rinse them every other day or so, my nitrates test @2-5ppm.

 

[darth pike]

I gave up canisters a number of years ago. The out of sight, out of mind, thing made me lazy

See, I was already lazy. Canisters were always the biggest PITA to clean, I even used to thank my manager profusely when he'd upgrade a customers tank from glass and canisters to acrylic and sumps when I worked at a maintenance company. Last thing I wanted to do was come home and waste unneeded time on canisters at home.