FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Ok, just thought about this, but I was wondering how often those who have canister filters clean them up or change the filter media?

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

This depends totally on the canister size and quality of the canister.

My small Eheim 11g Betta tank is cleaned, all filter material washed every week.

The large Eheim Pro11 for the 5ft tank is cleaned monthly.

I have only replaced one of the top fine pads I have two now. If I had to change any one I would add it to the filter with the old one for at least a month before I replaced it to "Run it in" this would stop a very small mini cycle starting up. I have just changed my course filter material I did this gradually over a period of several months. I also had the new material in a mesh bag in the tank all the time waiting for the next top up.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

I have a Fluval 204 on a 160lt Amazon tank.

Canister is pulled apart once a month.
Foam pads a cleaned out in old tank water
Bottom basket has per filter noodles so only a quick rinse in old tank water
Middle basket has filter wool which is replaced
Top basket has bio-max which only get replaced every 6 months.

gaskets are re-greased and the impeller is cleaned.

Cheers
Wayne

I'll go with those two more or less. I generally only clean filters when the flow rate begins to slow, so thats on average about every 3 weeks for the small filters, and about every month to every 3 months for the bigger eheims on the monster tanks. Piping generally gets cleaned more often, about every 1-2 weeks. All washes take place in buckets with old tankwater. During the bigger cleans I dump the mulm out of the bottom of the filter too. As long as the flow rate is good, and the water testing ok, I tend not to worry about a regular cleaning schedule. The less disturbed the bacterial colony the better, and its efficiency is dependant on flow rate more than anything else. If its not blocked theres no problem. Carbon insets get replaced as per manufacturers instructions, foam inserts get replaced when the structures are visibly crushed or starting to look a bit raggy, and most of the eheim media gets replaced every 6 months to a year. Occasionally I go round the seals too, getting crusts off them, and the impellors get taken apart and cleaned about every 2 months. Depends how much algae you get and how hard the water is I guess.Im lucky here, the water is neutral to soft, and I dont get that much algae.

I run an Eheim Pro II on my 6 foot tank with an AquaClear HOB. Two filters give me backup unit in case one unit inexplicably stops. Two heaters provide the same protection for the tank with the units undersized for the tank volume.

The Eheim has a sponge pre-filter on the intake to prevent chunks from entering the unit. The pre-filter sponge is thoroughly cleaned on a weekly basis. The Eheim is cleaned every three months. New fine filter pad, coarse filter pad is rinsed and media is rinsed in waste water.



__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

yea, dual is certainly the way to go. i run dual caniters on all my tanks right now, cept my 40g.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

Wow, I need to stop cleaning my filter. Eheim pro II here, I do it weekly along with water change and change out pads monthly on alternative rotation.

See my profile (link below) for fish and setup.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

Kitty,

You are way too dedicated! Cleaning a Pro II every week would not only give me a rash but would be grounds for justified suicide!



__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

yeah, well look where it got me....sick fish.

See my profile (link below) for fish and setup.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

Depends on the canister.
I run 2 large oversize filters on my 75g,
so only clean each one bi-monthly. Cleaning
consists of rinsing the sponges, replacing
them when needed. I change my peat out about
once every 3 months...1.5 lbs per canister.
I change floss every change and bioballs are
never touched just lightly rinsed in used tank
water.
Filter intakes are covered with a sponge and cleaned
weekly.
my eheim filter same, but I alternate rinsing ehfi
substrat and efhimech each change.
Carbon and White sponges are changed when needed,
dense blue sponge is changed once a year.


Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

i clean my canister (jebo 819)on my 60g Malawi tank every 2 months!..
i firstly do a 15g water change and then rinse all the filter sponges, noodles in buckets of the removed water of the tank. keeping in all good bacteria.

i do mine every 2 months cause i think its not necessary to do it so regularly. My tank is under stocked and i do not over feed.

I have a eheim 2215 on a 79g tank. I NOW clean mine once a month. I learnt the hard way and left my filter for about 4 months, (instructions stated clean every 3 - 6 months) and ended up with a headache nitrate problem and my fish dying . I think you need to judge the food you feed your fish and the amount of fish in your tank to how often you need to clean your filter.
Cheers
BubbleLover

---

My Fish like swimming all day long,
They love my bubbles 'pop' on their bum!
http://photos.yahoo.com/shedevil_90

taking all into advice. but right now my tank is severly under stocked. so i cleaned one (after about 4 months) do the other in a month to let the other settle back to normal.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction