Filter Maintenance

[danon]

Evening all,

I am currently 28 days into my fishless cycling.

My question is WHEN/HOW and HOW OFTEN do i clean the filter?

It's a trickle filter with Ceramic noodles, Black sponges then Carbon Cartridges.

The carbon cartridges sit on the top and are currently a darker colour than when first bought, presume this is the bacteria growing.

Thankyou.

 

[stormy78]

Evening all,

I am currently 28 days into my fishless cycling.

My question is WHEN/HOW and HOW OFTEN do i clean the filter?

It's a trickle filter with Ceramic noodles, Black sponges then Carbon Cartridges.

The carbon cartridges sit on the top and are currently a darker colour than when first bought, presume this is the bacteria growing.

Thankyou.

Hi,

Generally I would only clean the filter media when the flow from the filter is drasitcally reduced. I would clean the media in old tank water. The Carbon cartridge could potentially be removed at some point as carbon is used generally to draw chemicals/medication out of the water so unless you have just treated an illness you could use other normal media in its place (after you cycle I guess?). The carbon is probably darker as its the first thing the water hits and as such will gather up a majority of the sludge and waste from the tank!

 

[Colin_T]

trickle filters are really good filters but they should have a layer of fine filter material on top. This is used to trap most of the gunk from the tank and helps keep the rest of the materials clean. Carbon should be used last if you want to use it. However, as mentioned by stormy it will remove chemicals from the water. This can include plant fertilisers and medications for treating fish, as well as toxic chemicals like copper that could cause long term problems to the fish.

If you have a layer of fine material on top then take it out each week and hose it off. Leave the rest of the media until it starts to look disgusting. If you clean the top layer regularly then the rest of the filter should remain clean as well.
If you have clean the rest of the filter media then wash it out in a bucket of tank water.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I agree with the carbon and floss statements. However, I would rinse the sponges out in tank water (or tap water that has been dechlored and matches the tank temp) weekly. I got tired of rinsing floss a long time ago and sine it is such poor bio media it can be chucked and replaced- again weekly.

I would rinse the ceramic noodles avery moth or two in the same water described above.

 

[danon]

trickle filters are really good filters but they should have a layer of fine filter material on top. This is used to trap most of the gunk from the tank and helps keep the rest of the materials clean. Carbon should be used last if you want to use it. However, as mentioned by stormy it will remove chemicals from the water. This can include plant fertilisers and medications for treating fish, as well as toxic chemicals like copper that could cause long term problems to the fish.


Should i replace the carbon for something else? What?

The filter media is what came with the tank/ Aqua One.

What other media could i use, make etc.

Thought i was getting to grips with everything, obviously not

 

[stormy78]

trickle filters are really good filters but they should have a layer of fine filter material on top. This is used to trap most of the gunk from the tank and helps keep the rest of the materials clean. Carbon should be used last if you want to use it. However, as mentioned by stormy it will remove chemicals from the water. This can include plant fertilisers and medications for treating fish, as well as toxic chemicals like copper that could cause long term problems to the fish.


Should i replace the carbon for something else? What?

The filter media is what came with the tank/ Aqua One.

What other media could i use, make etc.

Thought i was getting to grips with everything, obviously not

I would guess just buy some of the blue media filter pads that people like Juwel make. You can cut it to size no problem at all. If you go to your LFS they will have all the media there. I have the Juwel filter that came with the tank and I removed the carbon pad and did exactly that, buy some media and cut it to size to fill the gap.

 

[OldMan47]

You are doing fine danon. Don't let yourself get caught up in the debate over whether or not you need carbon. I don't use any but lots of people do. Fish keeping is partly an art and not a pure science, different things work for different people. When you find your own style and your own preferences, based on what you have learned, you will be successful.
If you try to follow somebody else's methods exactly, you will have trouble because each of us does things that we don't even think about but our own techniques work together with what we do without thinking. (That's the art part) That means that if I tell you in infinite detail how I have a healthy tank, something that I don't even think about you will choose to do different, because I never thought to tell you about it.