Fluval maintenance

[Serafin]

Hi guys i have a Fluval running in my tank. My question is, is it ok to clean out the foam pads, floss pads etc with water from the shower head to get them really clean, as doing this is just standing water is not so easy to do. The reason I ask is that ive been told I should only clean them out in (dirty) water from the tank as not to loose the Good bacteria living in the fluval. Though i did not believe any good bacteria really lived the fluval as the water flow was too fast, and that the good denitrifying bacteria in my tank came from the Live Rock. Any input and advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Airgoose2222]

You'll be adding tap water via the foam pads if you do it that way which will add unwanted contaminants to your tank. Also, it's good that you clean them regularly. The foam pads catch a lot of debris in the tank but does not do as good of a job breaking it down with bacteria. Hence why people say the create excess nitrates. If your live rock can break it down quickly enough, you're fine. If not, you will have a constant higher level of nitrates without continual maintenance on the filter. Hope this helps.

 

[baron1282]

To clean any of the foam pads and anything that comes into contact with the water, I would use water taken out of your tank. It helps maintain the Good Bacteria on everything.

Your be surprised how much will live in your fluval. I have pods living in it! I was surprised at first to see things move around the bio-rings, but they are there!
So nothing but tank water for sponges, bio-rings, and other filtration media.

Like Airgoose2222 said, the pads will keep unwanted debris without breaking them down. This is why it is important to clean your filter at least once a month! The issue with Nitrates is because people don't clean the filters our enough.

I DO use regular tap water to clean all the plastic parts. I use Hot water and than I dry it off with a paper towel. I leave all the filter media in the bucket submerged in old tank water. So only canister filter itself is cleaned out with the normal tap water. The plastic holding the Rings I leave in the Tank Water, but I can clean all the other plastic parts!

 

[Serafin]

Thanks guys and since my cleaning method is exactly the same as yours baron, I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and keep away from the tap water.

 

[ILikeyTheFishy]

I have a fluval 405. I use old tank water and a toothbrush and baby bottle brushes to clean all the parts. I have well water so I'm hesitant to let any tap water touch anything that goes in the tank. I have my own ro/di system and a 15g drum to collect water so I don't have to worry about getting water from my lfs anymore to do water changes and clean parts.