"IF" I have to clean my canister filter, how do I go about it?

[bobc4d]

OK, I am really confused, which doesn't take much, how do I clean my canister filter? I have a Fluval 206 canister

I've read things here, googled things and have different results.

several google threads with youtube video shows people (even someone from Fluval) rinse their media and foam in tap water. won't this kill bb? others show only cleaning the foam part in tap water and pulling the media from the containers, rinse the containers then returning the media.

would it work to put tank water in a bucket and swish the media (carbon, bio,prefilter) in the containers in the tank water and rinse the foam in tap water?

how often should the prefilter media be replaced?
I googled replacement media and one thread said, after his Fluval set up he removed the carbon filter and replaced it with more biomedia. is this a good thing to do?

this is my first tank and first canister filter.

 

[jcolon]

Actually, that sounds about right ... Except do NOT use tap water! Go ahead and open up the canister and rinse the foam and the ceramic rings with TANK water. I usually have 5 gal of tank water for rinsing.

First I remove all the media and give my foam pads a good rinsing / wringing with the water in the canister. Then I dump the water, refill 1/2 the canister housing with tank water and rinse the pads a second time. Dump that water and fill the canister a second time about a 1/4 of the way to rinse off the ceramic rings.

Believe it or not .. I then clean off the empty canister housing with warm / hot TAP water to really clean off the gunk that sticks to the inside. Empty the water, wipe it down with paper towels and I make sure I still have about a gallon of tank water left to give the canister a final rinsing. Don't forget to also clean off your impeller cover and impeller .. again I use warm/hot tap water ... then rinse with tank water.

No worries ... there's not enough chlorine / chloramine residue left to present any danger to your BB.

 

[maxwellag]

Most of the time people rinse biomedia to remove waste and other junk and improve the flow. Usually rinsing it in old tank water won't kill BB unless you really scrub it hard. You shouldn't ever need to replace the media unless it's falling apart.

 

[jondamon]

I have a fluval 206 in my 50g planted tank.


Once a month I strip my 206 and clean everything as follows.

I remove a small bucket of tank water and keep to one side.
Then I also fill a second bucket with dechlorinated tap water.

I turn off my 206 at the outlet and then lift up the hose lock valve. I then disconnect my hoses using the unlock lever.

I take my 2 buckets and the canister to the bathroom as my tank is upstairs.

In the tank water I remove all 3 of my bays which are filled with biorings and sponge and a polishing pad and put them in the bucket to keep them wet.
I drop my sponges from the red holder into the tank water bucket also.

I then strip the impeller out of the housing and clean all the gunk that hides in here. I use a toothbrush for cleaning this. I also clean the housing and the rubber seal in tap water!!!

I clean the canister bottom case in hot tap water in the bath. I then fill it with cold water and dechlorinate the water with a drop or 2 of Prime. This is then ready once everything else is clean.

I then wash my bays that are empty in hot tap water and place to one side.

I then rinse my biorings and sponge in the new water bucket and begin filling the bays with the rinsed biorings and sponge.

As each one is full drop them into the canister of dechlorinated water until all 3 are back in place. This is where I replace my polishing pad in the bay.

I then rinse my other sponges in the new water and add them into the canister bottom.

Then reattach impeller and housing to the canister bottom. Attach hoses and return stop valve to normal position. Use the prime feature before turning it on to remove any excess air and then turn on canister.


I also strip down the internal intake and outtake pipes etc and scrub them clean too.


Sorry this is a little long but I wanted to make sure I included everything I do.

Because I have a planted tank I don't use carbon media as it removes excess nutrients from the water column. Carbon only needs to be used to remove smells or medications and after 4weeks of use its hit its end of life anyway.



Jon