Filter Cleaning

[fire_king]

Hi everyone how often do you clean your filter media and how? I cant find anything anywhere.
Thankyou

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Depends on your stocking but as a general guide, some people only do it when they notice reduced flow. I have do my filters once a month as part of a matinance

All media should be washed in old tank water not under the tap.
EG. fill a bucket with tank water, wash all media in and throw water away.

Wool/poly pad Washed weekly replaced every 2-3 weeks
Sponges= washed 1-3 months replaced every 2-3 years
Noodles= washed 3-6 months should last for long time

 

[Rickzayne]

I do mine once every 2 weeks.

I have a fluval 405 which has sponges then ceramic disks and then wool

so I lightly squeeze the sponges to remove any rotting food ect, that might have been caught, in tank water I have just syphoned off.

then give my 3 trays of ceramic a quick shake in the same water.

then replace my final tray of filter wool. with new stuff as it disintegrates after a while.

 

[KittyKat]

Wash in old tank water when it gets clogged. Fine sponges may need to be replaced, rough sponges and ceramic media normally do not need to be.

If replacing media, make sure to *never* replace more than 1/3 of it at one time. It is best to leave at least 6 weeks between replacing fine sponges, unless one has a considerable amount of other media.

 

[adamgreen240]

Most foam can be washed quite a few times before needing replacing. Fine mechanical filter media like filter floss/wool will need replacing more frequently, however.