Stupid question- how to clean ac110 media

[tcarswell]

i am sure that was a joke. But i have to ask.

Do you seriuosly think it is alright to have to syphon out all the dirt that the filter sponge drops as you lift it out?

I mean no one is running these things to operate like a plumbing trap. There supposed to be filters.

Joke ?! I wasn't trying to be funny.

It takes 10 minutes total to service the filter. It holds more media than the emperors and the media almost never needs replacing just a squeeze and a siphon of maybe a half gallon. Sometimes I dont even do the siphon because any garbage is already in the sponge ready to be washed off.

I think you just had trouble because you were running the filter while you were trying to service it and it was rather dirty. It operates more like a canister pushing the water up the tray through the media Which is different than the emperors method.

So yes when the motor stops pushing up and actually siphons mildly backwards during shutoff there may be a bit of detritus that can settle in the bottom of the filter. Not a big deal either way.
Bottom line I can shut off the filter rinse the sponge and run a 1/2 vinyl tubing siphon for any leftovers and turn the filter on in less than 10 minutes.

 

[Bderick67]

This could be one of the most moronic debates I've seen here on MFK, but I guess I'll chime in. Personally I rinse my AC110s once a week. When I pull the sponge very little "dirt" leaves the sponge and enters the tank(BTW I do this with the filter running).

Now if someone were to go along period of time and try this I could see alot "dirt" leaving the sponge or being stirred up from the bottom of the filter. This "dirt" would end up in the tank if the filter is running. Likewise if you go an extended amount of time on either an EMP or Penguin(yes I own both) you still have the same result. With all 3 filters you could have "dirt" flowing into the tank. All three filters will have a build up of "dirt" left in the bottom of the filter over time.

For me the AC110s work better, I remove much more "dirt" on a weekly basis for what I see when I rinse the sponges. Far more then what I can see removed with either my penguins or emporer.

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

I agree that this thread is stupid. completely.

All that matters is if you are happy from what ever it is that you are getting from your AC filters.

Everyone has there brand and design they like.

I think we can all agree that all HOB's are childs play in the scheme of things. And they do not warrant anyone getting bent out of shape about.

 

[Toby_H]

I guess I've just thought things through enough to develop many little 'tricks' to make things really really simple... and I just don't struggle with things the way you do...

I have all of my heaters/filters (but not lights) plugged into a common power strip. This way when it's time to service a tank I can push one little button and I dont have to worry about filters messing up, filters pushing dirty water in the tank, heaters burning up, etc... and when everything is finished it all comes back on with the push of a single button...

Since my filters are turned off during servicing, no waste is blown into the tank. Then when I replace the sponge it's on top of the waste so very little if any gets pushed into the tank when I turn it on. I do not siphon out the AC during every cleaning. For me it's a once or twice a year 'as needed' thing...

As for them spilling on the floor... well if you chose not to use the parts that are included with the filter, it might spill. But that is user error. It's not like I can just state I don't like using oil in my car... then blame the manufacturer when my engine ceases...


I completely agree with the stupidity of this thread... but it seems to me like you are sabotaging your own filter just to come complain about it. The things you are complaining about are common sense fixes...


They aer expensive for HOBs... the plastic housing is very rigid and therefore cracks easier than competitors (Pen & Emp)... there are some valid complaints

 

[tcarswell]

I agree that this thread is stupid. completely.

All that matters is if you are happy from what ever it is that you are getting from your AC filters.

Everyone has there brand and design they like.

I think we can all agree that all HOB's are childs play in the scheme of things. And they do not warrant anyone getting bent out of shape about.

Yup , im happy. And I agree. Stupid thread im moving on

And as a last comment. Great post NC_nutcase.

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

I guess I've just thought things through enough to develop many little 'tricks' to make things really really simple... and I just don't struggle with things the way you do...

I have all of my heaters/filters (but not lights) plugged into a common power strip. This way when it's time to service a tank I can push one little button and I dont have to worry about filters messing up, filters pushing dirty water in the tank, heaters burning up, etc... and when everything is finished it all comes back on with the push of a single button...

Since my filters are turned off during servicing, no waste is blown into the tank. Then when I replace the sponge it's on top of the waste so very little if any gets pushed into the tank when I turn it on. I do not siphon out the AC during every cleaning. For me it's a once or twice a year 'as needed' thing...

As for them spilling on the floor... well if you chose not to use the parts that are included with the filter, it might spill. But that is user error. It's not like I can just state I don't like using oil in my car... then blame the manufacturer when my engine ceases...


I completely agree with the stupidity of this thread... but it seems to me like you are sabotaging your own filter just to come complain about it. The things you are complaining about are common sense fixes...


They aer expensive for HOBs... the plastic housing is very rigid and therefore cracks easier than competitors (Pen & Emp)... there are some valid complaints

Thats just it though I am not able to call a filter (good) when it takes little tricks to make it as easy to use as other manufactures units.

And i don't think it is sabatoge to try and use one certian filter just like you do all the others. I own and use right now many many differnet manufacturers filters on my 11 tanks and 550+ gallons of aquariums. And the AC line is the only one that has the problems. I run all my filters the same way whether it be sump ,canister, or HOB. And that is prefilters, micron filter media and bio media.

I have my water change system automated were all I have to do is move the syphon line to each tank and turn a valve. And then turn the valve to stp the syphon and turn the water on. So as one tank is having a water change the next tank gets a media cleaning. So the tank that is getting filter maintenance is running full blast. And with all other filters there is no need to stop them to clean. Except this one. So it gets to set in the closet.

 

[tcarswell]

Thats just it though I am not able to call a filter (good) when it takes little tricks to make it as easy to use as other manufactures units.

And i don't think it is sabatoge to try and use one certian filter just like you do all the others. I own and use right now many many differnet manufacturers filters on my 11 tanks and 550+ gallons of aquariums. And the AC line is the only one that has the problems. I run all my filters the same way whether it be sump ,canister, or HOB. And that is prefilters, micron filter media and bio media.

I have my water change system automated were all I have to do is move the syphon line to each tank and turn a valve. And then turn the valve to stp the syphon and turn the water on. So as one tank is having a water change the next tank gets a media cleaning. So the tank that is getting filter maintenance is running full blast. And with all other filters there is no need to stop them to clean. Except this one. So it gets to set in the closet.

What tests did you run to deem this necessary ?

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

What tests did you run to deem this necessary ?

Are you talking about the media that i tried to run in the AC that caused it to spill over the back?

If so i have 2 125g in a corner of my basement that set side by side. One tank has 2 emperor 400's and the other had 2 ac110's. They both have the same substrate and drift wood and fake plastic plants. The ac tank has a 6" ray and 2 8" yellow tail cuda's and 3 discus tetra's about 2-3" in dia. The emperor tank has 1 10" hydrolycus Tatauaia, 3 9" hujeta's, 2 6" scomb payara, 1 12" SA needle (rip), 1 10" sengal bichir and 1 4" charax gibbus.

Both tanks were set up with in a couple of months from each other and received weekly 60-75% water changes. Both tanks were fed feeders and worms. Weekly parameter test showed no ammonia, no nitrite, and about 30-40ppm nitrate on WC day. (I get 10-20ppm nitrate at the tap)

And the AC tank was constantly murky/cloudy looking. With lots of fine particulate matter in the water column.

The emperor tanks filters were run with one side the normal catridge(minus carbon) and then a full sleeve of AC110 size bio max in the media container. And the other side of the filters were run with a micron pad over the cartidge and another full sleeve of ac110 size bio max. So 2 filters got 4 sleeves of 110 size bio max, 2 micron pads and 2 catridges, and 4 bio wheels.

The ac tank had the 20ppi sponges and then 1 ac110 sleeve of bio max for each. So I figured that the cloudiness could be remedied by the addittion of the micron pad under the biomax.

And i learned the hard way that the micron pad causes water to build up above the impellar and spill over onto the floor and ruin your carpet. lol

So with the filter not being able to do the job i wanted done and spilling out and filling my tank full of debris at every cleaning. I just built a sump for the tank and placed the ac's in the closet.

If the emperor tank ever gets on my nerves it will get a sump as well.

There's no doubt in my mind that if the AC tank were setting by itself that i would have never noticed the cloudiness. But since it was placed right next to another tank there was a amazing visual difference that I was not happy with. And I had a few guest to the man cave ask why that tank was so clear and this one was not. lol so I had to change it up.