Do you guys do this? Is it ok if you don't. My tank is 21" deep, so to get a good water change I got at least 8in. But the problem is that my two hob filters ( marineland penguin 200 and 100) tend to cut off once I go past 3-3.5" so I turn them off and then turn the back on when the tank fills back up. Only thing is when I do this all the stuff in the filter come flooding out and it's like my water change was for nothing, so I wanted to know what others here do.
Running filter during water changes
- Thread starter fishkeeper01
- Start date
Not much you can do about having to shut off your hob (extend the pick up down further?), maybe try running a prefilter on your hob to cut down on the muck inside the filters. You'll have to rinse the prefilters out under a faucet, but it'll help.
I try to fill the tank up as much as possible. It cuts down on the junk coming out of the filters
First of all, you don't have to turn off the hob. Athough it sounds terrible, there's no harm to the impeller. Once the tank is filled back up, the hob will just start running normally again.
Now, the main purpose of wc is to remove the bad stuff that you can't see, primarily nitrate. Stuff that's coming out of your hob are stuff that's going to be in your tank unless you clean out your hob during wc. So, although your water may be temporarily cloudy, the water change is still necessary. The hob will do its job and get most of these matter back into the filter in an hour or so. So, what I'm saying is that, wc are more important than for just clear water. If you want clear water clean out your hob.
Now, the main purpose of wc is to remove the bad stuff that you can't see, primarily nitrate. Stuff that's coming out of your hob are stuff that's going to be in your tank unless you clean out your hob during wc. So, although your water may be temporarily cloudy, the water change is still necessary. The hob will do its job and get most of these matter back into the filter in an hour or so. So, what I'm saying is that, wc are more important than for just clear water. If you want clear water clean out your hob.
I agree with xraycer, because all the old stuff in filters contribute to nitrate production I always used the water change as an opportunity to rinse out media. And to ream out siphons and tubes with a brush, and clean out volutes and impellers, and exercise valves.
I also like to shake out bio-media bags, or handfuls of bio-media in a bucket of the old water change water to get rid of the build up of gunk, and rinse mechanical media in new water.
I also like to shake out bio-media bags, or handfuls of bio-media in a bucket of the old water change water to get rid of the build up of gunk, and rinse mechanical media in new water.
I always turn off my filters during water changes. There's no harm to it being off for the 20-30 minutes it takes for a water change.
As for the gunk that comes out when you restart the filters, I just use a net at the outtake to catch any gunk.
As for the gunk that comes out when you restart the filters, I just use a net at the outtake to catch any gunk.
I clean my hobs filter media at each water change but they do still spit out stuff. Canisters get cleaned about once every 4-6 weeks.
My fish love the stuff that comes out of the pipework when my pump starts back up...
There is no practical way to eliminate all the bio-build-up without completly cleaning every nook and cranny in the ENTIRE system. One must be willing to live with some floaters, especially right after a water change. Believe me when I say this because I have had to accept it for myself....fishkeeping is not for the OCD people out there! I have had to change the way I see the fish and tank.
The clear box you have put these fish in is THEIR home and they don't care if the water has a few specks floating around..sometimes the house gets cluttered. They do care (I'm sure they would say it if you spoke fish) to not live in their own feces...
You guys who clean filters every water change, or even monthly are fighting yourselves. There is so much good stuff growing in there you don't want to do it till flow decreases a lot or the HOB overflows. You can test What i say with water tests. I'm not saying cut back on water changes. I'm one of the guys that only cleans cannisters once or twice a year. If you need to do more frequently, you are overstocked. I hope you never have a power outage.
Add extensions to your intake tubes, problem solved. I let my HOB's run during water changes and my water changes are typically 75-85%.
Not sure about other motors, but Hagen states not to run AC motors dry. Thinking about it, I'm not sure why? Possibly due to the water being used as a lubricant between the impeller shaft, and impeller, sparing potential wear to either.
I do not clean my filters with each water change, nor do I allow them to get plugged until they overflow. There should be a happy medium between the two.
Not sure about other motors, but Hagen states not to run AC motors dry. Thinking about it, I'm not sure why? Possibly due to the water being used as a lubricant between the impeller shaft, and impeller, sparing potential wear to either.
I do not clean my filters with each water change, nor do I allow them to get plugged until they overflow. There should be a happy medium between the two.