Maintaining Filters - What, When, And How?

[Winterlily]

Okay, I read through a bunch of threads about this on here, so I know not to mess with the filter unless flow has slowed. I also know, of course, not to rinse media in anything other than tank water. But, what I don't know is this: How often does one have to clean the impeller? Does it need to be actually cleaned as opposed to just rinsed/dunked in tank water? What about things like the intake tubes?? Some of mine have bigger bits of gunk in them that I'm unsure if I should be somehow (a brush??) getting out or leaving alone. I know (I think??) that one should NOT clean the rest of the filter itself - that the slimy stuff is GOOD, right? Leave it be?

(By the way, if it matters, I have a bunch of small 5.5g male betta tanks running AquaClear 20s [HOB] on them, and one 55g that will be running a Rena Filstar XP3 canister.)

Feel free to talk as s-l-o-w-l-y and clearly as you like to this newbie who thought she was finally beyond newbiehood.

Thanks!

 

[unknowntbeast]

Yes, this is a great question! Although I don't have an answer, I do have something to add to your question. For those of us who use "activated carbon" do we replace it? Throw it out and not replace it?

 

[mattlee]

Yes, this is a great question! Although I don't have an answer, I do have something to add to your question. For those of us who use "activated carbon" do we replace it? Throw it out and not replace it?

the carbon only lasts fo a period of time and after is useless and needs replacing with new. the period of time varies from person to person.... i have been told to change once a month and i have been told its not much good after 2 weeks so still a little unsure on its working time!!!!! i would go for once a month as any more and it would start costing quite alot of money........

 

[OldMan47]

The impeller question is an important one. A basic problem statement, the impeller has quite small clearances between the driving magnetic part (that heavy cylindrical part) and the housing it sits in. If it is not kept clear of all debris, the impeller will not turn and the rest of the filter becomes instantly useless. The impeller gets removed and gently scrubbed clean. Gently is not to preserve any bacterial coating but an impeller's blades are fragile. The hole the impeller magnet sits in also gets a good scrub with a bottle brush on my filters. When putting the impeller back together, you need to be especially careful to properly fit the shaft into the bearings so that the impeller stays properly aligned in the hole it fits into. In a number of filters, the bearings look like little rubber caps that sit over the end of the steel shaft.
The basic filter case does not get the gentle care of the media when I am cleaning. I like to get the case fairly clean but am not obsessive about it. If the case looks fairly clean when I am done I am happy with it. If the media looks truly clean when you are done, you have gone way too far in cleaning it.
Carbon is not something that I keep in my filters. I have some on hand in case I run into situations that actually need some, like a need to remove medications of a tank that is being stained by bogwood leaching tannins but it usually sits in a jar on the shelf.

 

[glolite]

Just like to add that an old toothbrush is great for cleaning delicate impellers, gets algae out of all those difficult to clean areas.

With fluval type filters you can remove the inner section containing all the media. I drop it into a bucket of tank water and then clean the outer casing under the tap with an old scouring pad. Once the impeller has been removed, run fast flowing tap water through the outlet nozzle to get rid of debris and any pesky snails. Back to the bucket and swish the media around in tank water, making sure not to clean too well as Old Man said. Fit back together and replace.

With larger filters such as Juwel internal or most external filters, it's best just to rinse the floss in tank water once a week when water changing. The sponges need cleaning every 3 to 6 months, depending on the bioload of course. Remove one sponge and rinse in tankwater. If you do one sponge every 1 or 2 months in rotation then the filter should stay colonised with good bacteria.