Do I need a new filter?

[bettafishlover86]

As I was cleaning my tank today, I noticed that my filter does not suck in any of the dirt stirred up from inside of my gravel. I put my hand in front of my filter and I did not feel any suction. My filter has never sucked up any of this debris but today was the first day it came to my concern. I have a topfin silentstream 30 gallon filter. Do I need a new filter?

 

[Aqua67]

I also have a silentstream filter which is for a 5-10 gallon aquarium. It came with a 5 gallon aquarium “kit”. I’ve added a sponge over the intake to keep shrimplets from getting sucked in. I also add my own filter floss material to it instead of using one of their cartridges from time to time. When I do use the cartridge I cut it open to remove all of the carbon. I want to keep the tannin stained water for the shrimp.

I have never had a filter that needed so much cleaning and maintenance just to keep the flow going. It seems to clog up every couple of days. Out of frustration I’ve been looking off and on for a replacement filter for the past several weeks. I’ve only had this tank setup going for about 6 months.

When the water reduces to barely a trickle, whether the indicator is showing a need to clean the filter or not, I pull the filter out of the tank. I rinse the little sponge I have at the end of the intake tube. I take the sponge off the tube and squeeze it under water until it comes relatively clean. I take the tube apart and run water through it. I clean the impeller itself and the impeller hole area using a Q-tip and run some water in there, shake it and pour it out. This usually gets it running and filtering water well again. All of the actual filter media is kept and not rinsed or replaced, unless it is needed. I generally don’t replace the media if I can get the water flowing well again otherwise.

Some “good” things I can say about this filter is you can pull the retractable tube down so you can reach the bottom of the tank which is nice. No need to buy extenders to reach the tank floor. The thing is pretty quiet also.

I would love to hear other’s comments on the SilentStream filter.

 

[Bdoggy]

As I was cleaning my tank today, I noticed that my filter does not suck in any of the dirt stirred up from inside of my gravel. I put my hand in front of my filter and I did not feel any suction. My filter has never sucked up any of this debris but today was the first day it came to my concern. I have a topfin silentstream 30 gallon filter. Do I need a new filter?

It's a hang on filter. So is water flowing out well or just a trickle?.. how long has it been since you cleaned it?

 

[Slaphppy7]

Get an AquaClear....

 

[WhistlingBadger]

What kind of filter do you currently have? How big is your tank? Bettas can be a bit tricky because they don't like much current, so you don't want to go too crazy, but it sounds like an upgrade (or a good cleaning) might be in order.

Edit: Silentstream 30. Duh. When in doubt, read the opening post! That's probably good if your tank is 15 gallons or smaller. It might just need a good cleaning. Don't throw out the filter media (except the charcoal--you don't need that). Just give it a good rinse with dechlorinated water and reuse so you don't loose all that good bacteria.

 

[bettafishlover86]

What kind of filter do you currently have? How big is your tank? Bettas can be a bit tricky because they don't like much current, so you don't want to go too crazy, but it sounds like an upgrade (or a good cleaning) might be in order.

Edit: Silentstream 30. Duh. When in doubt, read the opening post! That's probably good if your tank is 15 gallons or smaller. It might just need a good cleaning. Don't throw out the filter media (except the charcoal--you don't need that). Just give it a good rinse with dechlorinated water and reuse so you don't loose all that good bacteria.

My tank is 29 gallons. Is my filter too small?

 

[bettafishlover86]

It's a hang on filter. So is water flowing out well or just a trickle?.. how long has it been since you cleaned it?

The water is flowing well. I just cleaned it today.

 

[Colin_T]

Clean your filter at least once a month after is has established. Wash filter media/ materials in a bucket of tank water and re-use the media. tip the bucket of dirty water on the lawn.

If you use a gravel cleaner, it will suck the gunk out of the gravel and the filter won't have to remove it from the water. Check youTube on how to use a gravel cleaner and then get one. They are the best thing since sliced bread. They really are worth having.