filter cleaning

[nycfatcow]

When i used to have my fw tank i remember cleaning out my filter ever 2 months or so cuase the sponge couldnt hold any more. What about saltawater? i have 2 Aquarclear 500s was wondering when i clean them out?
TIA

 

[HoopsGuru]

I would clean them out at least weekly, any trapped debris will only lead to extra nutrients in the tank and potential nuisance algae problems.

 

[nycfatcow]

wow your telling me to take out my 2 aquaclear 500 each week and do a cleaning? thats crazy man very time consuming and takes a lotta work

 

[greenmaji]

clean out the media.. you shouldnt have to pull the filter off and clean it every week.. It has a basket that slides the media out..

 

[Bhunsucker]

During my PWC I pull the media basket out of my AquaClear 500 and clean the sponge in the old tank water. It really does not add that much time to the process. I only break the whole filter system down about once ever 2-3 months. HTH

 

[Hara]

time consuming and takes a lotta work

no where near the amount of work you will have if cyano and hair algae take a nice foothold.

 

[AndyH5512]

LOL, you asked, they answered....

 

[nycfatcow]

wow good stuff guys thanks a lot, i think imma be changing one filter at a time withing 2-3 month periods per filter

 

[HoopsGuru]

I would clean them out at least weekly, any trapped debris will only lead to extra nutrients in the tank and potential nuisance algae problems.

As the others mentioned, you only need to clean the media weekly, not the housing or pump parts. FWIW, this is why some people now run HOB filters empty or only for water polishing.....or grin and bear the necessary labor (I agree cleaning the media isn't bad) involved to keep them working optimally in saltwater.

I'm not sure what you mean by your final statement of "changing the filters every 2-3 months" in regards to cleaning/changing the media or cleaning the entire filter.

 

[nycfatcow]

what i meant was every 2-3 months i will take out my filter out and do a through cleaning from pipes to media to everythign

 

[DragonForce]

I have an aquaclear 500 that I converted to a mini fuge. The main problem with not doing a full change and just cleaning the pads is that you disturb all the "crud" that sinks to the bottom of the aquaclear. When you pull the basket out, it creates a suction that pulls all the "crud" out as well, and then the particles get pushed back in your tank. I think it would be reasonable to alternate doing a through rinse once a week on these units.

 

[nycfatcow]

how did you convery yours into a mini fuge?