How often do you clean your canister?

[krytan]

Just curious how often you clean your canister filters.

[Riiz]

I try to do it on a monthly, but if the flow still looks good or I'm busy do some other maintenance, it can be 1-3months.

[Rbishop]

It can be longer that every other week, but not normally.

[pre98zetec]

I usually take it apart and wash floss and sponge every other week.

[msjinkzd]

it seems to end up being about every other week, but its whenever i notice any reduced flow.

[Polish]

Thus far it's been every couple weeks, because I'll notice it's not flowing as much as it should.

[excuzzzeme]

Since I can see the filter cartridge, I clean it when it looks dirty to me. Sometimes monthly sometimes more/less often.

[The Zigman]

When it gets plugged, I clean it..

Not plugged, not cleaning it...

[Sploke]

I use mine for purely bio filtration, so they don't lose flow very quickly...I've let mine go 4-6 months on occasion.

[Cory Keeper]

I'll cleen it when it clogs, on my DIY filter it was a week to 4, now with my magnum, I dunno, clean it when it clogs really.

[H3D]

Every 3 months or so.

[NeonFlux]

Sometimes it's bad to go too long because you get all the dissolved organic wastes and all. You might get what you all blue-green algae. Unless you are plantman

[Squawkbert]

Flow on my 2215 starts to drop off after 3 months, so I clean it out quarterly.

[BoredAgain]

I have Rena XP3 scheduled for monthly maintenance, but I usually let it go longer.

[Que]

My canisters are for bio filtration with a sponge on the intake for mechanical filtration and to keep the shrimp out. The sponge gets squeezed out once a week but the canister goes for months.

My tanks are well planted.

Q

[ibr3ak]

I've got 2 canisters on my tank that I alternate in cleaning about every 2 weeks, so roughly a month for each.

[Hooked Newbie]

Every 4 months (or so), one each month of the 4 gets cleaned.

[krytan]

Thanks everyone.
I do one filter a month and i have three canisters so each filter gets cleaned once every three months. I was starting to think i wasn't cleaning my filters enough because i've read some people clean theirs a lot more frequantly.

[ansbfish]

Got 2 XP3s and try clean one every month

[AnDr3w]

Longer then I should, about once every 6 months.

[mott]

My 2026 gets cleaned two times a year:)

[BoJangles]

like alot of people have said when i notice a flow reduciton..so every couple of weeks usually

[tonytheboss1]

:) Rena XP3 & XP4. Alternately every 6 weeks. "T"

[PoBoy]

I have a Rena XP3 on my 55. It gets cleaned once per month.

[Mgamer20o0]

i am lazy i try to get to it once a month.

[WaywardSon]

2 Fluval 305's - planning to set a cycle (tank has been up only about 8 weeks) of cleaning one a month - alternating and cleaning each every 2 months.

[Fordtrannyman]

My canisters are for bio filtration with a sponge on the intake for mechanical filtration and to keep the plant matter. The sponge gets squeezed out once a month but the canister goes for 6 months.

My tanks are very densely planted.