Filter maintenance

[henry1245]

Hi all,

I have a Fluval U2 filter and was wondering about filter maintenance.
Specifically; how often should i clean the filter?

I was told by the LFS to clean one side at a time (so as not to lose all my BB) in tank water from a PWC. How often should i do this?

Also I have biomax tablets in the middle of the filter - should these be cleaned/replaced every so often too?

Thanks!
Henry

 

[eco23]

Hi all,

I have a Fluval U2 filter and was wondering about filter maintenance.
Specifically; how often should i clean the filter?

I was told by the LFS to clean one side at a time (so as not to lose all my BB) in tank water from a PWC. How often should i do this?

Also I have biomax tablets in the middle of the filter - should these be cleaned/replaced every so often too?

Thanks!
Henry

I'm not familiar with your particular filter, but for maybe the first time in history you got great advice from your lfs .

I use a Fluval 405 canister filter, but the same principal applies. During each pwc I fill a bucket with water from the tank (not tap) and lightly swish my filter pads around in it to remove the debris it has caught. I actually clean all of my pads (4 in mine) during each pwc...and as long as I don't go crazy and over clean I've never had a problem. Since your filter is smaller and the beneficial bacteria is more concentrated in there...one filter pad per week is not a bad idea.

As for the Bio-max, the great thing about ceramic media is that it never needs to be replaced. You can do the same thing and lightly swish it around in the tank water if it has any debris on it. It will last decades and is a great media for your beneficial bacteria. Usually mine stays pretty clean because the mechanical filtration catches all the debris before it gets to the Bio-max, so I only need to rinse it every few weeks.

 

[cubbies74]

Henry,

I have two 75 gal. tanks with (2) Eheim 2217 canister filters on them.
Now I don't know if this is the right way to do it but this is what I've done now for five years and it seems to be working for me. I do filter maintenance when my flow rate starts to slow down. And I only clean one filter at a time. I clean or change my filer pads, and put in new Chemi Pure. So it turns out that I end up cleaning one filter about every two - three months.

 

[jcolon]

Hi all,

I have a Fluval U2 filter and was wondering about filter maintenance.
Specifically; how often should i clean the filter?

I was told by the LFS to clean one side at a time (so as not to lose all my BB) in tank water from a PWC. How often should i do this?

Also I have biomax tablets in the middle of the filter - should these be cleaned/replaced every so often too?

Thanks!
Henry

Huh? An LFS giving sound advise on cleaning filters? Maybe AA is starting to filter down to the LFS's. As Eco23 said, the ceramic media just needs to be rinsed with tank water, just make sure you do not let it dry out.

 

[henry1245]

Thanks guys!

 

[Fishguy2727]

The BB will be mainly in the biomax, not need to wait to clean each side. Any filter should be cleaned at least once a month.