cleaning your filter

[Gail]

Once a month I clean my filters, I would like to throw out the question:

How well do you clean your filter? Do you use a brush or just rinse the goo out of it? Do you rinse the sponge that's in your filter and change the carbon cartridge at the same time?

Just interested.

gail
GPG

 

[neilanh]

I just rinse it in a bucket of tank water as best I can to get the debris free. I don't run carbon on a regular basis either.

It's important to use tank water (or properly treated water) when you clean them. Chlorine/Chloramines in your tap water will kill the bacteria that are hanging in the filter.

 

[trackfast]

I sometimes rinse out the body (HOB) with a strong stream of water. I use a brush on the inside of tubes. The media is rinsed in tank water or treated new water. I don't use carbon regularly.

 

[BigJim]

Sponge gets rinsed and thoroughly squeezed in old tank water and biomedia get rapidly dunked in old tank water. The HOB housing, impeller, motor, and plumbing get scrubbed under regular tap water with a filter brush.

 

[WayBel2004]

How often should you clean the actual filter i.e. plumbing, impellor, motor?

 

[BigJim]

I usually do it whenever I clean the media. Why clean the filter halfway?

 

[WayBel2004]

Really? I feel bad now. It's been running for about six months now and I just take out the inserts and rinse them in tank water and clean the outside with my algae brush. I thought by cleaning out the body I would lose all my good bacteria. Next water change I will do the whole filter. Thank you.

 

[BigJim]

You'll lose some of your beneficial bacteria by scrubbing the body, but it's not enough to outweigh the improved water flow you get by keeping everything clean. There are a lot of theories out there on cleaning your filter. If what you're doing is working for you, keep it up.

 

[WayBel2004]

Thanks Big Jim. Next water change I'm going to look closer at the inside and see if it's all gunked up or not-then proceed from there.

 

[Gail]

It will be gunked up and all gooey (LOL)!! Good luck cleaning it.

Thanks everyone for the input.
gail
GPG