Brown gunk in filter?

[360º]

i get this brown slimy stuff on my filter media and it has started getting in my tank.

is this algae or something else?

and how do i get rid of it?

 

[logansmomma1228]

I think that stuff is called mulm. It is just build up in your filter. When you do a water change take the filter media and swish it out in the old tank water. You can also scrub it somehow, I think you can just get a scrubby (regular pot scrubber no soap or anything in it- some come with it now), or some type of brush, and just scrub the crap out of it lol.

 

[dkpate]

That's probably the beneficial bacteria, and you do NOT want to get rid of all of it. Just swish it in old tank water when you do a pwc, and you can rub it a little with your hand.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Same thing in my filter which has been running about 7 months. Rinsed it out in the bucket of water I'd just taken out of my tank. It's not doing any good except blocking up my filter! The bulk of the beneficial bacteria lives on the surface of the filter media and isn't going to be dislodged just by swooshing the pads about a bit in water (they have the full force of water being forced over them all the time anyway!)

 

[mgamer20o0]

the filter is there to keep the water clear where you you think all that junk in the water goes. i just squeeze mine in water until its no longer gushing brown junk.