Stupid question- how to clean ac110 media

[hybridtheoryd16]

a little bit is normal,

your not getting the same problem with the emperor because it doesn't trap very much dirt compared to the AC, since the AC has subsantially more media capacity.

as I lift the AC basket out, I try and be as quick as I can, not to allow so much dirty water to fall back into the chamber.

but what little bit you get discharging back into the water is quickly filtered back out when you are done. its not a big deal.

Well I have to disagree about the emperor not catching the debris. From what i see with the filters running side by side. It looks like to me that the emperor is having to work double duty to catch all the dirt as the ac110 is just letting alot of it go right back to the tank. Unless i remove the filter at each cleaning and dump out all the dirt that pours into the casing.

Once I remove the sponge and squeeze it out in a bucket you can still see thru the water in the bucket. But when i swish the cartridges from the emperor around in a bucket the water is black.

But this maybe from all the dirt in the sponge getting dumped right back in the tank instead of staying with the media so that it can be rinsed out like other filters.

I've had ACs for a while and I've never experienced the dirt flowing back into the tank.
and cleaning the filter itself isn't hard at all.

I agree its not that it is hard to go thru the motions of cleaning the filter.
Thats simple
But its that the filter design appears to be very inaficient to me at the time of removeal and cleaning. Because the water that holds in the sponge during use also washes the dirt back into the caseing when you raise the sponge for removal.

And that is what I am trying to clear up. Whether its me or the filter.




I guess i have been spoiled using the emperor line of filters for so many years and have never seen this happen before. With those.

It was just very disturbing to me to spend a great deal of time doing a very thourough cleaning of the tank. Only to have the water blackened once I turned this filter back on. I would have been better of not touching the tank or atleast not touching the ac110.

Well since this looks to be the norm for this filter I am now brainstorming a way to modify the filter so that it is atleast as effcient as my emperors. Hopefully I can find a way to make it work. Because the ac110 is a flowing monster thats for sure. Its just the other 99% that gets me.


I am really sorry that this is starting to sound like a who's better thread. I really am not trying to start another one of those up. And please no one else make it that etheir.I just am a long time emperor user and i am trying very hard to like this filter. I just have nothing else to base its performance off of but a emperor or a aquatec.

 

[JakeH]

Just like the Emperor, speed is the key. Get the carrier into a bag or bucket before it drops gunk. Make sure you rinse the bottom of the carrier very well, since it acts as part of the filter media & catches the big stuff. There is plenty of settling room at the bottom, so just dump that crap every now and then. Also, I think this could be your problem... When you re-insert the carrier, make sure the sponges are pushed all the way down. Sometimes they get caught on the sides & create a gap that would allow all the big gunk to spew out. Path of least resistance & all...

 

[fwiffo]

your problem is not at all unusual. the reason why you ahve problems cleaning the filter is simply over thinking the problem. just pitch the filter. time for a new filter now!

 

[bitteraspects]

Damn, and here I am with only my blackberry and iphone to respond.
I'll add a subscription. To this thread, and be back with the answers when I get to my PC.

 

[gomezladdams]

as another that is used to the ease of cleaning an emp 400 the 110 is more of a hassle.If you just swish that sponge around youll only get a fraction of the dirt.I rinse it in the sink(no chlorine well water)and squeeze it out a few times to get it clear.Havent tried a disposable prefilter layer,that would probably help as well.

 

[knicks791]

To keep the BB, take the dirty sponge and squeeze it a couple of times under aquarium water/ declorinated water in a bucket and replace.

 

[tcarswell]

To keep the BB, take the dirty sponge and squeeze it a couple of times under aquarium water/ declorinated water in a bucket and replace.

Thanks....


Anyway. My new method Is I pull out the media toss the bio in a bucket of tank water with my purigen. Rinse the sponge and media basket in tap water heavily (It takes like 15 good squeezes to really clean the big ass sponges) then before putting the basket back I just use a 1/2" 5' piece of vinyl tubing and that easily sucks the gunk out of the bottom of the filter and since the water comes back in from the tank you have plenty of time to siphon out any nasties. Also this allows some water to flow through the water compartment helping to flush it a bit.

 

[knicks791]

Thanks....


I just use a 1/2" 5' piece of vinyl tubing and that easily sucks the gunk out of the bottom of the filter and since the water comes back in from the tank you have plenty of time to siphon out any nasties. Also this allows some water to flow through the water compartment helping to flush it a bit.

So you syphon the AC filter?

 

[tcarswell]

So you syphon the AC filter?

Yup the bottom of the basket housing. The water gets siphoned back in once you reach the motor depth giving you plenty of time to siphon out any nasties.

 

[Toby_H]

I keep a sponge on top...

If you need to clean dirty water out of the AC, just siphon it out while doing a water change... If you do this before you lower the water in the aquarium then tank water will be pulled intot he filter via siphon on the intake...

It's really quite simple...

If you keep the sponge on top, the dirty water in the bottom will have to pass through the sponge to get out... therefore very very little dirty water could spill into the tank...

I very rarely siphon out my AC... I get very little dirty water spilled back into my tank...

Sound to me like you are complicating a very simple easy to use filter