Filter Maintenance and Cleaning Tips

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Reddog80p

Permanently Dechlor'd
Nov 18, 2006
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NOTICE - This article is very important to new fish-keepers and for tanks that are less than six months old. It is during these early stages that proper filter maintenance is most critical since you are still growing a proper sized Nitrifying Bacteria (N-Bacteria) colony in your filter media and substrate. It is also very important and applicable for tanks over six months old that have limited filtration or overstocking issues


WHY ARE MY FISH GASPING, ACTING LETHARGIC OR DYING???

If you were told to buy and replace your filter once a month... or every other week, then that is what may be causing you so many problems. You are potentially putting your tank into a new mini-cycle everytime you "clean" the filters or change them out for a new one. NEVER clean the filters in the normal sense of the word "clean". If you cleaned the filter media by running the filter under tap water, the chlorine in the water killed your GOOD nitrifying bacteria in the filter and you will have to "cycle" your filter media again. This will probably put your tank into a new mini-cycle which means testing for ammonia and nitrites and doing PWC's to keep them at safe levels. This could take around two weeks but there is usually enough N-bacteria on other surface areas and in the gravel to keep major spikes in the ammonia or nitrites but most of the N-Bacteria live in the filter sponges, pads, etc. so cleaning/maintaining them should be done carefully.

All you should do is once a week or every other week, when you do your 25% PWC (partial water change), take some of the tank water in a bucket and then you can take your filter cartridge or media out of the holder and swoosh it around in the tank water to remove the big stuff off of it. Then put it back in the holder and back in your filter system. If it's really clogged up with detritus, you could go as far as squeezing it in the tank water bucket. This will possibly squeeze out some of the good N-Bacteria but will usually leave enough to keep your tank safe. The N-Bacteria is capable of doubling it's colony size in 24 hours so as long as you leave enough, the colony will grow back in a day or two. This swooshing or squeezing in removed tank water keeps the GOOD bacteria alive on the filter so you do not cause your tank to "cycle" again.

I know the filter people tell you to replace it once a month but they are just trying to sell filters. That is one of the leading cause of problems... messing with the filters because the "instructions" say to do it.

HOB's (Hang On Back Filter Systems - Power Filters and Bio-Wheel Systems) -
If you have a HOB filter system, you should really only clean the filter cartridge if the flow rate slows down or it's backing up back into the tank via the overflow outlet. But don't go more than a month between doing maintenance on any of your filters as they will build up a lot of detritus which will start to decay and possibly cause your nitrates to start climbing quickly. I just do the swoosh and/or squeeze method once a week with my 25% PWC and never have the problem. Don't worry.. most of us learned the hard way in the beginning.

Another thing if you have an HOB... is after you swoosh/squeeze the filter media/cartridge and have it ready to put back in the holder, dump the water out of the HOB reservoir as it will have some "big stuff" in there as well. Then put your filter back in the HOB, dip a few cups of water out of your tank to fill the HOB reservoir and then plug it back in.

If your HOB also has a Bio-Wheel, then you could technically change out the cartridge instead of using the swoosh/squeeze method since the actual Bio-Wheel would house sufficient numbers of N-Bacteria so that you would not cause a mini-cycle. The inventors of this system created it for that reason... so they could sell you lots of filter cartridges and encourage you to change them without causing harm to your fish. I still don't think it's necessary but if you find it simpler to change the cartridge every few weeks and don't mind the expense, then that is a choice that is available to you.
One last tip... if your "biobag" filters or filter cartridges have carbon in them, you can dump the carbon out after a few weeks since it has lost its effectiveness by then. This will also improve the flow rate through the "empty" biobag/cartridge as well. Some companies try to prevent you from emptying the carbon by sealing it inside of the plastic housing of the cartridge frame. I have been successful with doing "surgery" on the section holding the old carbon to open it up and dump the carbon while keeping the frame and floss/poly pad for reuse. The floss/poly pad or sponge material in the biobag/cartridge should last over a year but in the event you do decide you want to change your biobag/cartridge, put the new one in the reservoir for 2 weeks so it builds up a good bacteria colony. Then on your next PWC, you can trash the old one, swoosh the new one and then put in in the holder. It's not really necessary to change them very often. Not until they look like they are about to fall apart. I have the same filter cartridges on my HOB's and they are all over a year old. (More about carbon below)

CANISTER FILTER SYSTEMS -
As far as a canister filter, I have four different phases of mixed mechanical/biological filtration in my canister filter system. I have a large sponge block with large pores, then a smaller sponge block with smaller pores, then even a smaller pore sponge and then a filter floss pad. I do maintenance on my canister twice a month or if I notice the flow rate slowing down. At the beginning of the month, I leave the sponges alone and clean the floss pad real good.. even running it under hot faucet water until it's white again. In the middle of the month, I squeeze the sponges to clean them and get the big stuff out of them but I don't run them under hot faucet water. This keeps a big portion of the nitrifying bacteria alive with each filter "cleaning" so I never have a problem with a mini-cycle. I also have two filters running on each of my tanks so I alternate the maintenance on them from week to week so I have at least one fully cycled filter running at all times.

CARBON -
As you may have noticed, I do not mention keeping carbon in my filter systems. Most experience freshwater fish keepers aren't keeping activated carbon in their filters anymore. It's just another thing that the filter people are trying to sell you to keep revenue pouring in.. pardon the pun. I haven't had any activated carbon in any of my four filter systems on two tanks for over a year and all of my fish are fine. I do keep some around in case of an emergency or if I need to filter some medicine out of one of my tanks but other than that, it sits in the closet.
If your filter cartridges have the activated carbon sealed up inside of a plastic housing, it might take some minor "surgery" to open the plastic housing up so you can dump out the carbon. I have done this to several different manufacturers cartridges so I think it's possible with any of them. This way, you still have the plastic frame and floss/sponge material that can be re-used many, many times using the swooshing method above. It's better for your fish and your wallet.

MULTIPLE FILTER SYSTEMS ON A TANK -
If you have more than one filter system on your tank, then you could do alternating filter cleaning or changing and more thoroughly cleaning the filters since the other one will still be fully cycled. I do this on my Goldfish/Pleco tank since they are such big waste producers. I alternate between the two filter systems and clean 1/2 the filter media every two weeks. This means that I am only doing a good cleaning on 1/4th of my overall filter media volume and one of the filter systems does not even get touched every other week.

UGF's (Under Gravel Filters) -
These systems are not as common any more but there is a reverse flow UGF that is making a comeback in the industry. I am thinking about trying this system if I ever have to breakdown my Goldfish/Pleco tank. The purpose of the reverse flow UGF is to push water up through the gravel which raises the detritus into the water column to be sucked into the intake and filtered out of the water before the "clean" water is returned to the tank through the gravel. This could save time in gravel vacuuming since it would not have to be done very often with this type of system but it does not work for planted tanks where the plants with a normal substrate. It would work if the plants are containerized plants.

The main thing with a regular UGF, that sucks the water down through the gravel (so it's not good for a planted tank either), is to properly maintain them by vacuuming the gravel really good with the vacuum tube pushed down through the gravel to the UGF plate and make sure you suck up all of the detritus/mulm that gets caught between the gravel/plate/bottom.

Proper maintenance of the UGF is necessary to maintain a healthy aquarium. If heavy debris is allowed to collect under the plates and the power should go out, the debris could cause a deadly ammonia spike. To avoid potential problems, when vacuuming simply push the vaccum tube down through the gravel until it hits the plates. Hold it flat against the plates until the water rising up through the tube becomes clear. If gravel is drawn up the tube, regulate the suction by squeezing the tubing or partially placing your finger over the end that is expelling into the drain bucket. Move the tube to a new spot and continue this process across the entire bottom of the tank, or do half the bottom at each cleaning. This will ensure debris does not build up.
In addition to the UGF, a tank will likely have mechanical and chemical Filtration. These are provided by hang-on-back filters, canister filters and carbon or specialty resins.

Under gravel filters play a valuable role in the overall filtration of almost any aquarium equipped with them. With proper maintenance an under gravel filter will keep your tank looking great, the water oxygenated, and the gravel bed full of positive bacterial colonies.

Wet/Dry Sump Filter-A Wet/Dry Filter (also known as a Trickle Filter) is a very efficient filter, providing mechanical, biological, and optionally chemical filtration. Water flows from the tank down to the wet/dry filter. Upon entering the wet/dry, the water flows thru a filter pad, providing mechanical filtration to remove particles of waste. Then the water passes thru a drip tray which spreads the water across the surface of the biological filtration. The biological filtration is usually some kind of bio-filter media, such as bio-balls. This media simply provides room for bio-filter bacteria to grow. The dripping action of the wet/dry provides a very high-oxygen environment for the bacteria. The water flows past the biological media, into the main sump. From there, the water is then pumped back up into the tank. There is very little maintenance required for a trickle filter. Periodically, excess debris should be rinsed off the bio-media to keep the passages through it from becoming clogged. Using a mechanical filter in conjunction with your trickle filter will eliminate the need for rinsing the media, as long as the mechanical filter is cleaned regularly. The pumps and tubing also need occasional cleaning to remove debris or blockages.
 

lovemybarbs

AC Members
Dec 23, 2006
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Midwest
Thanks!!! That helps!! :clap: :clap: :clap:
 

jere1558

AC Members
Dec 14, 2006
354
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Pennsylvania
This is really great information. But how does one thoroughly clean out the tubes on a canister filter? Like Reddog80p, I only rinse my filter media 2 times a month in a bucket of tank water. I also take off the hoses to clean them at the same time. I use a one inch tube to run tank water from the bucket through the tubing. Problem is, when I restart the filter I get massive amounts of debris blowing back into my tank. What can I do to get the gunk out?
 
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