Filter Cartridge Cleaning
- Thread starter Spesh1969
- Start date
You can use treated (I assume dechlorinated?) water to clean them too. If they tend to get gunky quickly you might want to try a pre-filter on your intake tube that you clean easily and more regularly.
Like myswtsins said, dechlorinated water is ok. I squeeze the heck out of them over & over. Maybe start with old tank water to get the worst off, then switch to clean.
Prefilters are good too, but it's the same thing to clean them. A bit faster though if you do it every week during a water change. Don't wait until the flow slows much with either. Do as I say not as I sometimes do, lol.
Prefilters are good too, but it's the same thing to clean them. A bit faster though if you do it every week during a water change. Don't wait until the flow slows much with either. Do as I say not as I sometimes do, lol.
smitty
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I would not clean it in the clean treated water. I would clean it the best I can in the old aquarium water.
I would have another vote for dechlorinated water being fine, honestly if the tank is established I wouldn't worry too much about rinsing under the plain old tap, or replacing completely. You can always test your water to make sure you don't go through another sizable cycle.
But, what sort of cartridge? Would it be possible to do something like replace with a decent piece of poret foam or the like?
But, what sort of cartridge? Would it be possible to do something like replace with a decent piece of poret foam or the like?
smitty, just to disagree (& I don't say this to newbies lest they get into bad habits) I run 2 filters on all my tanks. I rinse media OR prefilters under running tap water...without declor, OMG!
So even if I kill off a theoretical 25% of beneficial bacteria (likely much less), the bacteria rebound in ~24 hours. A dose of Prime & I'm golden. I have never seen an issue doing this...ever, & I've done it for 20+ years. But I have very well established tanks, filters & plants & low-ish stocking...newbies likely don't!!
It's 1 of those "do as I say, not as I do", because I DO know what I'm doing, even if I don't test very much any more, although I should a bit more, just to be absolutely sure.
I'm sure you have some "short cuts" after your years of experience, as do I, but it's not necessarily for newbies until they have well established habits & can slack off once in a while, lol.
So even if I kill off a theoretical 25% of beneficial bacteria (likely much less), the bacteria rebound in ~24 hours. A dose of Prime & I'm golden. I have never seen an issue doing this...ever, & I've done it for 20+ years. But I have very well established tanks, filters & plants & low-ish stocking...newbies likely don't!!
It's 1 of those "do as I say, not as I do", because I DO know what I'm doing, even if I don't test very much any more, although I should a bit more, just to be absolutely sure.
I'm sure you have some "short cuts" after your years of experience, as do I, but it's not necessarily for newbies until they have well established habits & can slack off once in a while, lol.
I rinise under running tap water too but I'm on a well. 
And yes, feel free to squeeze the heck outta the cartridge.
And yes, feel free to squeeze the heck outta the cartridge.
Thanks everyone! I filled my jug with tap water, treated it with prime and then got as much gunk off of it as I could. It has a plastic frame around it with some black carbon on the inside so I couldn't squeeze it, but I did get a bunch of stuff off. I also put a sponge on my intake filter as well.
Look hard at your filter cartridge. Some have a clip that holds the frame closed, like a hinge clasp on top & the carbon is in a separate packet inside.
What brand is your filter & can you post pics of the cartridge etc?
What brand is your filter & can you post pics of the cartridge etc?
make a habit of swishing it around in a bucket of old tank water with every other water change. if they're starting to get really nasty more quickly than that, you honestly might have too many fish in your tank or may need more filtration. there's also the chance that you just need to replace the cartridge.
When i've had HOB filters with the rigid cartridge, I've found that rinsing under tap water really works best. I've been doing it for the better part of 15 years and never seen a difference. beneficial bacteria grows on absolutely every surface of the tank and filter; the glass, substrate, filter intake tube (especially there), and even on the plants. these days alot of larger HOB filters have sponge-only inserts or customize-able media baskets. put sponges in and easily and quickly "clean" them bi-weekly. your tank doesn't need carbon unless you are dosing meds.
when I've had canisters, I refused to put any media in there that was not easily rinse-able.
When i've had HOB filters with the rigid cartridge, I've found that rinsing under tap water really works best. I've been doing it for the better part of 15 years and never seen a difference. beneficial bacteria grows on absolutely every surface of the tank and filter; the glass, substrate, filter intake tube (especially there), and even on the plants. these days alot of larger HOB filters have sponge-only inserts or customize-able media baskets. put sponges in and easily and quickly "clean" them bi-weekly. your tank doesn't need carbon unless you are dosing meds.
when I've had canisters, I refused to put any media in there that was not easily rinse-able.
