Filter cleans - should I do?

[Delapool]

Hi all,

Bit of background. I have a high-tech planted tank with two canister filters and one internal (mainly) mechanical filter. The internal filter gets cleaned once a fortnight to once a month.

It's holiday time here so (naturally) I'm thinking of cleaning one of the canister filters as per usual.

Except I'm kind of wondering if worth the effort. Now I know that effectively I'm running a septic tank inside a fish tank. But I'm wondering if cleaning will do much if it is just going to get back to normal state in "x" weeks (would love to know how long x is but from the internal filter cleans I'm assuming less than a month).

I used to do filter cleans to lower nitrates but these days nitrates run at 5ppm and I dose ferts for the plants. Filter flow looks fine and no issues with filter. If I open the canister I know there will be gunk there but not bad. So not sure if a filter clean should be done? Or how I can tell??

Edit - I realized after typing this that one canister is semi-see through. That was a third full maybe of debris on bottom below trays. So will probably give it a clean.

Still curious though on what I will be achieving. Maybe removing toxins we don't test for??

 

[Autumnsky]

Interesting question. The main purpose is for a healthy tank so if you feed lightly or aren't stocked heavily, then you would have less muck to clean out. That is a nice feature you can see into it if it is polluted or not.

It seems decieving that one time cleaning out a canister filter is full of muck and the same time next, not too full. That was my issue last time cleaned it out earlier than usual and it was filthy. The previous time it was longer that it should have been and was cleaner. I am thinking it is because of the type of foods I was feeding mucked it up sooner.

Since you have an internal, you might be able to tell if it is getting dirty enough to be disgusting, time to change the internal filter.

As a seperate bit of wondering, does the intake location have additonal impact, as one located lower in the tank might take up more crud, getting dirty more quickly.

This reminds me I might need to be cleaning mine out more often. I will be moving a filter on a tank I am shutting down a A/C110 over to the 72G just to keep the BB going. But that will help me judge how much sooner to clean the canister.

 

[Delapool]

Yes, I'm still thinking although have two weeks off so will probably do one.

On the for clean side I'm thinking there may be chemicals or fish waste building up that I don't test for. On the other hand if I'm doing large water cleans each week for approximate EI dosing does this strike that out.

Is it an approximate Walstad tank or does that technique not work?

Tank is over stocked but well planted. Plants are bit of a negative as can't do gravel vac's and they must trap a lot of fish poo. Even with three filters. Location is a good question. I've never got around to it but would like to add a skimmer or something.

Filters are running fine but last filter clean I did find an issue where the UV bulb was rusted. Lucky I don't use the UV as seems a bad design. An I do like to clean the impellers.

So I'm guessing tank is healthy but a filter clean would make it healthier. Just some thoughts to date. Still debating with myself.

 

[Autumnsky]

The substrate is an issue in my tank. I know it has got to be awful. I think I will plan to do a section at a time with the gravel vac, even if I need to up root some plants and replant. Mostly my tanks are (and have been) smaller, so doing a complete clean out periodically is not too big of a deal, kinda a reboot/scape thing and in that process the mucky bottom gets rinsed too.

But now that the 72G doesn't get gravel vac'd almost ever because of the plants, and when I did do it last it was only in the front zone where I always feed them, I am thinking that i really should just do a section at a time, as I don't do complete rescapes often like I might if it was a 12G or 6G tank.

My impeller is in a separate housing outside /on the bottom side, of the canister (FX-5) which must be removed with a screw driver!!! So it gets done about one time per year, give or take. Or if it were noisy or some particular reason.

 

[Barliman]

Still curious though on what I will be achieving. Maybe removing toxins we don't test for??

I'm not sure what those would be.

It seems to me the main point of cleaning a canister (or any filter) is to restore efficient flow so the mechanical/chemical/bio media can do their job. If you're not noticing a serious loss of flow and if you don't use chemical media that requires frequent replacement, then I see no need to clean the filter.

As for the substrate, are your plants root or water column feeders? If the former, leave the substrate alone: the plants will break the waste down. I'd hate to disturb a flourishing tank if it isn't necessary.

 

[Delapool]

I'm not sure either. Asked around locally in case someone had tested build-up of TDS above local water levels or fish hormones or something, something but not much luck.


Some of the plants are root feeders. I've got several kilograms of laterite clay and dozens of clay root tabs in the substrate so good point on substrate.

 

[Delapool]

Just an update. I really wish I had a TDS meter or something as that might be interesting to test water before / after filter clean.

Cleaned the large canister filter. Aqua One 2700 - I think about 15 to 20 litres size. I think I cleaned it last in august or september. (as opposed to internal filter which is cleaned once or twice a month, canister filter cleans are much less common for both of them).

First tray of coarse sponge - very clean.

Second tray - same (wondering if filter working!).

Third tray - the fine sponge was absolutely caked. Main clean.

Fourth tray - wool filters not too bad.

Ceramic media fairly good.

So I think worth doing for the third tray although the filter was no where near gunked up.

As a side note, all was going well until I dropped the canister filter head on the retaining wall. First time ever I've been glad the 'limestone' is really compacted beach sand that I've covered in glues and varnishes. Filter head didn't even get a scratch and back setup working, retaining wall has a half inch impact crater in it

 

[Autumnsky]

Interesting review on the muck of your filter, lol. I had similar on mine last time, in that it was the side sponges just caked with silty scum all the media was not as dirty as I would have thought.

On mine, I know I was worried the time before on losing BB so very gently cleaned the sponges. It must have not been clean enough, but it really collected yucky stuff. I might clean mine tomorrow. Maybe more than 2 times a year..... would be better. (for me) :embarrassed:

 

[Delapool]

Interesting review on the muck of your filter, lol. I had similar on mine last time, in that it was the side sponges just caked with silty scum all the media was not as dirty as I would have thought.

On mine, I know I was worried the time before on losing BB so very gently cleaned the sponges. It must have not been clean enough, but it really collected yucky stuff. I might clean mine tomorrow. Maybe more than 2 times a year..... would be better. (for me) :embarrassed:

Lol, I was thinking of getting photos. Might be good I didn't.

Mine do get a really good clean when I finally get to them. But I've doubled the amount of ceramic media so it's actually almost too much to carry.