Cleaning my filter

[leemer]

Ive read that i need to rinse out the foam in the filter every week ive also read i need to rinse it in aquarium water which confuses me, does it mean the water in my tank or in a bucket of aquarium water which i am about to dispose of.
cheers

 

[Fat Boy]

In the bucket my friend, in the BUCKET.

 

[littlefishie]

Try not to do it every week.

Once a month or so can be considered excessive. When it seems like it's so filled with gunk what it can't hold any more, then rinse it out.

And yes, in the tank water you've just siphoned out of the tank.
If you rinse it in tap water, the chlorine in the water will kill the beneficial bacteria that's built up on your sponge. You don't want that.

 

[sylvia]

And if you rinse it directly in your tank - well that'll make one hell of a mess.

 

[OohFeeshy]

And if you rinse it directly in your tank - well that'll make one hell of a mess.

Not to mention all the gunk would get sucked back into your filter.

 

[Jen]

I don't think I have ever cleaned mine with tank water. No one told me to when I first started fish keeping. I have never had any problems rinsing with tap water. I never clean the filter and do a gravel change at the same time.

 

[freddyk]

When the filter is dirty, clean it. Everybodies tank is different, and people will all have different lengths of time. Someone with an overstocked tank of messy fish may find themselves rinsing it out every week, while someone else with an understocked tank of small clean fish might go two months. This one is all about common sense.

 

[Mr Miagi]

Agreed, you'll have to figure it out yourself. But do wash it in used aquarium water, that ure about to chuck out.

I think canoechiq is lucky. The one time i did a water change and didnt use tank water too clean my filter i ended up having a huge nitrite spike and killing a goldfish!

 

[Jen]

now that you mention it, mr miagi, I do tend to have high nitrates/nitrites...most of the time. I will try washing it in tank water... is it okayto do gravel clean + filter clean at the same time?

 

[Mr Miagi]

Yeah, for sure. I wash gravel, and dont get much waste from it, so i find it easy to clean my filters cartridges in the old tank water.

But if you find you get dirty water from the gravel, which is unsuitable for cleaning, just take out water from the tank without cleaning the gravel with the syphon hose and use that! Hope i was of some help!

Benny

 

[Jen]

I use the python to clean, which might make it difficult, but I'll give it a go next time around. Thanks

 

[StarOrbs]

And if you rinse it directly in your tank - well that'll make one hell of a mess.

Hmm, wash the dirty sponge in the tank where it will go back into the filter... Or dispose of it.

 

[jflowers]

You do regular water changes yes? 10% every week or 25% every other week is a minimum. When you do this change, rinse your filter sponges in this water (that you have removed from the tank). You don't have to every water change, just keep an eye on the water flow from your filter, when it slows, you need to clean your filter sponges (every 6 weeks or so here).

Jon

 

[KentBlokey]

For people with Juwel filters.... I dare you to look inside with a torch, when the filter media is removed