filter trouble

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At least a new sponge is durable enough to wring it out fairly aggressively without damaging it. Of course (you know this, but) rinse it out in a bucket of water from your tank, rather than from the tap. I really would not worry about wringing out the bacteria. You have the BioMax filter insert in addition to the sponge, right? The BioMax is really designed for bacterial colonization (although, sure the sponge will do so as well), so I really would not worry about even going as far as replacing the sponge if it becomes incurably clogged. The AquaClear user manual recommends alternating replacing filter components as they become unusable for this very reason.

Some out-of-the-box considerations: You might try reducing the amount and/or frequency of feeding. The food should be gone completely in 30 seconds. As well, when I switched from flakes to NLS pellets it made a noticeable different in water quality and filter media longevity. Lately, I have started even only feeding every other day, and I have noticed that my gravel stays cleaner and filter media stays usable longer, and the fish really don't seem to affected by it. You might give it a try. I really don't think you should need to wring out your mechanical filter every week. I really only need to clean my filter media every few weeks. Of course, it may depend on the number of fish, etc.
 
Yes I do have the biomax insert in all my filters. I have cleaned out a sponge from each filter and will probably do the others tonight. They are fairly new so I dont think I'll need to replace them as long as I can get most of the crud out. They are still floating but I'm assuming it's because I haven't cleaned out both sponges yet. I also have some spare sponges if I need them. I will try feeding pellets more often rather then flakes, although I don't think I feed to much they easily eat all of the food in 30 seconds
 
If you have the BioMax I would not hesitate to clean the sponge as aggressively as you see fit.

Regarding flakes vs pallets: I notice that they tend to vent the flake particles, probably to separate the water from the food. The pellets don't seem to do this. This really is just my personal advice, not necessarily representative of the "collective view" on flakes vs pellets. You might try to feed every other day for a few weeks and see how that works out for you. Or just keep cleaning the media regularly if you prefer to keep feeding daily.

Also, the AquaClears have the flow-rate adjustment on the lid. Try reducing the flow during feeding to keep food from being drawn into the filter. Supposedly it "refilters" when the flow is rate is reduced.
 
how do you guys get your filter sponges and things to stay down? mine keep floating to the top of the filters and im worried they will overflow. i have aquaclears

If you don't rinse out your filter housing and sponges often enough, this will happen. I've gone through this a few times.

Don't forget to rinse out the entire filter housing, that's really important.
 
LyndaB said:
If you don't rinse out your filter housing and sponges often enough, this will happen. I've gone through this a few times.

Don't forget to rinse out the entire filter housing, that's really important.

+ 1 on Lynda's advice.
I have experienced this as well, and it comes from not cleaning the filter sponge as often as it needs to be. I have the Aquaclear 110, and this is how I clean it:
I get a bucket of temperature matched dechlorinated tap water (tank water works too), turn the filter off, remove the rack that holds the sponge, biomax and carbon pouch, put the sponge in the bucket, and squeeze the heck out of it!
By the time I'm done squeezing, the water is dark brown from all the waste. Then I dump the water from inside the filter into the bucket. I (usually) then take a paper towel and wipe the filter housing. I put the filter back together, fill it up with tank water, and start it back up.
 
LyndaB said:
Don't forget to rinse out the entire filter housing, that's really important.

Do you mean specifically to control the floating media problem, or just for overall good operation of the filter? Just curious.
 
For both, but it completely does away with the floating media issue. You'd be amazed how many people just don't think to clean out the filter housing itself.
 
LyndaB said:
For both, but it completely does away with the floating media issue. You'd be amazed how many people just don't think to clean out the filter housing itself.

How/why? Does the housing get slimy? I guess I see value in cleaning the housing. I'm just curious how that helps the floating media problem.
 
I probably clean out the housing more then the sponges themselves, I have had a filter stop working due to the small propeller (or whatever you call it lol) getting clogged and not being able to spin. So I do take my filters apart quite often. I guess I hadnt realized that my sponges needed more cleaning, I have always been scared to destroy my cycle. I'm going to completely take apart my filters tonight and clean them, without doing a tank cleaning.
 
As said just squeez the foam in a bucket of tank water.

I also have a "fish cup" it's a large cup I use to fill up my filters with when I cycle them back up. I also use the cup to use dirty bucket water to rinse out the housing. It gets all the large chunks of debris out of the housing. (I don't like to rinse or wipe it down with tap water)
 
How/why? Does the housing get slimy? I guess I see value in cleaning the housing. I'm just curious how that helps the floating media problem.

You know all the brown gunky slime that you rinse off of your sponge? If you think that nothing passes by the sponge to rest within the filter housing, you're about to have a rude awakening. I would suggest that your next water change, you turn off your filter and take the housing into the tub to rinse it out (yes, it can be done with tank water as long as the media is not in it).

If you don't rinse it out, you risk clogging your impeller which could then burn out or having your filter overflow.
 
LyndaB said:
You know all the brown gunky slime that you rinse off of your sponge? If you think that nothing passes by the sponge to rest within the filter housing, you're about to have a rude awakening. I would suggest that your next water change, you turn off your filter and take the housing into the tub to rinse it out (yes, it can be done with tank water as long as the media is not in it).

If you don't rinse it out, you risk clogging your impeller which could then burn out or having your filter overflow.

Makes sense. Thanks for the explanation.

O.P. Just gently shake out your BioMax bag in a bucket of tank water to slough off the solid waste, and wring that sponge out until it wrings clean (and clean the housing, etc). Enough Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter will be safe and sound in your BioMax bag.
 
a.tetreault said:
how do you guys get your filter sponges and things to stay down? mine keep floating to the top of the filters and im worried they will overflow. i have aquaclears

Did you get it resolved?
 
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