Never cleaned my filter

[chris]

Hi there,

I was wondering, I do weekly water changes (daily at the moment due to
ich on my black neon tetras) at about 25% and my water levels are
great. However, I've never "cleaned" my filter. I have an Aquaclear
200 with a sponge, granulated peat and carbon, but I see people
referring to cleaning the filter. Should I be doing this? If so, how?
I don't want to destroy the bacteria in the sponge, but would like to
maintain the filter properly.

Thanks!

Chris

[Steve]

chris wrote:
> Hi there,
>
> I was wondering, I do weekly water changes (daily at the moment due to
> ich on my black neon tetras) at about 25% and my water levels are
> great. However, I've never "cleaned" my filter. I have an Aquaclear
> 200 with a sponge, granulated peat and carbon, but I see people
> referring to cleaning the filter. Should I be doing this? If so, how?
> I don't want to destroy the bacteria in the sponge, but would like to
> maintain the filter properly.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Chris
>

When you do your weekly/ biweekly water change, also turn off the filter
and clean it. Take out the foam block and squeeze it out a few times in
your bucket of siphoned-off aquarium water. Also rinse out the other
media in your bucket of aquarium water. You may also replace these other
media from time to time. Occasionally, also take out the incoming tube
with its screen on the end, and clean it in your bucket; the screen
tends to get clogged with debris.

After re-filling your aquarium, fill the filter with aquarium water,
plug it in and make sure it starts up. Sometimes it will not start,
which means that you need to remove and clean the impeller. You should
routinely clean the impeller and impeller well occasionally in any case,
perhaps every two months.

Please do be sure that your media do not dry out in the filter cleaning
process, because that would kill the helpful bacteria.
Steve

[Tynk]

chris Sep 13, 10:15 am show options

Newsgroups: rec.aquaria.freshwater.misc
From: "chris" > - Find messages by this author
Date: 13 Sep 2005 08:15:36 -0700
Local: Tues, Sep 13 2005 10:15 am
Subject: Never cleaned my filter
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Hi there,


I was wondering, I do weekly water changes (daily at the moment due to
ich on my black neon tetras) at about 25% and my water levels are
great. However, I've never "cleaned" my filter. I have an Aquaclear
200 with a sponge, granulated peat and carbon, but I see people
referring to cleaning the filter. Should I be doing this? If so, how?

I don't want to destroy the bacteria in the sponge, but would like to
maintain the filter properly. >>>

Hi there.
Yes, you should be cleaning the filter pad/sponge at least monthly.
However, do not do it under the faucet or you will kill off the
nitrifying bacteria.
What ya do is get a container or bucket that used for fish only...one
that was new because residue from cleaners like to stay in or on the
plastic no matter hoe well youseem to clean it.
So, you put some old tank water before a change into the bucket. Remove
the filter pad or sponge and rinse..squeeze and squoosh it until it's
pretty much not clean. It's not going to look like new, but it'll be
obvious to you when it's clean.
Replace. The only time you would buy new filter pads / sponges
(which ever a person's filter has) would be when they are worn, has a
hole, or about to disintergrate. By rinsing it in discarded tank water
you aren't going to harm the benificial bacteria.
They're rather sticky and stick to the surfaces of the filter pad or
sponge (and every surface in your tank as well..it's the slimey feel
when you touch something inside the tank.), so don't worry about
squeezing out the sponge.
You mention you are treating Ich.
Are you doing anything other than a 25% water change daily for it?
Did you raise the temp as well? If so, to what degree?
Is this a new tank, or any new fish?
Also, what other fish are this tank and what size is it?

[Rocco Moretti]

chris wrote:
> Hi there,
>
> I was wondering, I do weekly water changes (daily at the moment due to
> ich on my black neon tetras) at about 25% and my water levels are
> great. However, I've never "cleaned" my filter. I have an Aquaclear
> 200 with a sponge, granulated peat and carbon, but I see people
> referring to cleaning the filter. Should I be doing this? If so, how?
> I don't want to destroy the bacteria in the sponge, but would like to
> maintain the filter properly.

To add to what Tynk said, carbon is only good for a short period. After
about a week or two, you should discard it, as leaving it in might allow
what's been on it to release back into the water. As far as the fish are
concerned, you really don't need the carbon - I'd only reccomend putting
it in when there is something specific (e.g. medication) that you want
to remove.

I'm not sure what your purpouse is in running "granulated peat", but if
it's to add buffering, the peat and carbon are running cross purpouses.
The peat will add tannic acid, but tannic acid is colored, and the
carbon is just going to strip it out again.

[NetMax]

"Rocco Moretti" > wrote in message
...
> chris wrote:
>> Hi there,
>>
<snip>
>
> I'm not sure what your purpouse is in running "granulated peat", but if
> it's to add buffering, the peat and carbon are running cross purpouses.
> The peat will add tannic acid, but tannic acid is colored, and the carbon
> is just going to strip it out again.

Interesting point. So the question is: does carbon remove the desirable &
essential properties of the tannins (the low pH buffering), or only the
colouration.

I would tend to agree about 'cross-purposes', however I imagine that it only
takes a few hours of tannin leaching to saturate the carbon beyond
usefulness. I bet that carbon is just acting as surface area for bacteria.

Note to OP, the answers given are probably, but in theory, you should
service the filter according to demand, which is usually indicated by its
water flow slowing down slightly. Most of the stuff the filter captures
dissolves back into the water, so a few neons in a large tank with a large
filter might only require servicing annually, if at all. Typically,
canisters get serviced every couple of months, and powerfilters twice as
often or more, but it all depends on the fish load and amount of plants
(which add to the organic debris collected).
--
www.NetMax.tk

[David Zopf]

"NetMax" > wrote in message
...
> "Rocco Moretti" > wrote in message
> ...
>> chris wrote:
>>> Hi there,
>>>
> <snip>
>>
>> I'm not sure what your purpouse is in running "granulated peat", but if
>> it's to add buffering, the peat and carbon are running cross purpouses.
>> The peat will add tannic acid, but tannic acid is colored, and the carbon
>> is just going to strip it out again.
>
> Interesting point. So the question is: does carbon remove the desirable &
> essential properties of the tannins (the low pH buffering), or only the
> colouration.
>
Activated carbon adsorbs just about any organic material to extract it
(including tannic acid). The degree of adsorption is highly variable, based
on the carbon type and source, and some water parameters (I read an article
wherein lower pH (4-6 range) accelerated adsorption, but this was an article
on wastewater treatemtn, and was focused on a lower scale than the operating
range of aquaria). Yes, until it is loaded, the carbon will absorb tannic
acid, with an average of about 83% efficiency across all carbon sources
(range of results: 30 to 96%). My guess is that carbons promoted for
aquaria are probably on the high side of that efficiency range, since that
would result in clearer water.

I've got the chemistry side of things pretty well, but I'm weak on the
biological side. I don't know if there are any inorganic products
recommended for low pH buffering of an aquarium, but if you wanted to
continue to use the activated carbon for your system, inorganic would be a
more compatible buffering choice ... I have no idea as to whether an
inorganic buffer would be safe and acceptable for fish.

> I would tend to agree about 'cross-purposes', however I imagine that it
> only takes a few hours of tannin leaching to saturate the carbon beyond
> usefulness. I bet that carbon is just acting as surface area for
> bacteria.
>
A safe bet, I think...

DaveZ
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