Canister Filter Hoses

kjf91004

AC Members
Jun 4, 2006
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Eau Claire, WI
I have had an Eheim 2217 up and running for 8 months now. It runs well, and I am very happy with it. I was doing a water change last night, and it came to my attention that the inside of my hoses both to and from the filter are really gross inside. I guess it never dawned on me that they were going to need maintenence also. How often am I supposed to clean them out? And, what is the best tool to do it? Thank you!
 
They need to be cleaned out when they get really gunky. I clean mine about every six months or so. At the LFS they sell brushes that look like skinny bottle brushes for this purpose. They are very long and you can bend them to accomodate the flexability of the tubes. After you disconnect the tubes from the canister you can clean the tubes with running water at the sink with these brushes. Just be careful not to punture the tube. Afterwards just hook them back up to the canister and you are ready to go.

Marinemom
 
They need to be cleaned out when they get really gunky
i haven't cleaned mine in 10 years. and i have absolutely no intention of ever cleaning them. they may look 'gross' but the stuff in the hose has no negative impact on the water coming out the end of it. that's been my experience anyway.
 
I can't imagine cleaning the hoses on my Rena. It took FOREVER to get them installed!! Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure that the clamps that help seal the tubes were not meant to be removed, so I kind of doubt that cleaning the tubes is really necessary.
 
sophiecat22 said:
I can't imagine cleaning the hoses on my Rena. It took FOREVER to get them installed!! Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure that the clamps that help seal the tubes were not meant to be removed, so I kind of doubt that cleaning the tubes is really necessary.


I agree, it was all I could do to get the tube over the plastic and get the clamp on. I wouldn't want to attempt to take them back off again.
 
Sometimes the gunk on the inside of the hoses breaks free and gets pushed into the tank. This happens more often with the newer units where the inside of the plastic is still very smooth. Less gunk breaks free over time, so you don't have to keep cleaning them out all the time.

One cheap diy way of cleaning the inside of the hoses out is to use a wire hanger, bent out straight, a long piece of strong string, and a cut up rag. bend a small loop in the end of the hanger after you strighten it, tie the string to the loop, and use the wire hanger to feed the string all the way though the pipe. Once you've threaded the pipe with a long piece of string, tie your rag into the string at the midpoint, and floss out the gunk in your tube. Just make sure it's strong string so it does'nt break, and it's at least three times the length of the tube, so you can take the rag back and forth without having to re-thread it...

Heh, do this outside if possible, that gunk likes to miss the sink and wind up on the floor!
 
sophiecat22 said:
I can't imagine cleaning the hoses on my Rena. It took FOREVER to get them installed!! Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure that the clamps that help seal the tubes were not meant to be removed, so I kind of doubt that cleaning the tubes is really necessary.


I highly recommend replacing those with proper hose clamps from the hardware store.
 
MVandenberk said:
I agree, it was all I could do to get the tube over the plastic and get the clamp on. I wouldn't want to attempt to take them back off again.


soak the end of the tube in water and wet the plastic nipple (on the filter and the intake/spray bar)

The tube goes on easily, all the way down. The water then dries and "Bob's your uncle"
 
Thanks for the tip, although a little late for myself. After I wrestled with it and finally managed to squeeze it on. I thought about water, but already had it half way up and couldn't yank it back off.

Does soaking in water help with pulling them back off again?
 
The hoses on the Eheim are pretty easy to clean if you have the double taps and if you have it set up so that only a couple of inches of tubing run from the input/output of the canister to the double taps. The double taps separate from each other in the middle. Just switch them to the off position and unscrew them, you can then clean the bulk of your tubing (with the brush someone else described) without really detaching the tubing from anything.
 
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