Oh My - Look at the Time!

[acewiza]

I REALLY want to do filter maintenance on the 190, but the Marineland C-360 is now in the "new record zone."

It's been 5 months and the water is fine. Nitrate was creeping higher than I'd like last water change, but I think that's only due to the PWC schedule, which I will adjust a bit and continue monitoring. Whaddaya think?

 

[Brookster123]

The longer you wait the nastier that thing is going to be. I like to clean them every couple months. They get gross and the media is much harder to clean after a certain point.

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[acewiza]

The longer you wait the nastier that thing is going to be.

Well, that is it's job, after all - collecting any nasties that get sucked into it. Apparently it's doing a brilliant job, still flowing well after 5 months. Personally, I don't "like" cleaning the filters - more of a chore than anything else. So I'm trying to establish what I'll call for lack of a better term, a "filter maintenance zone." I think it might be unprecedented if that was in the 6 month range. BTW, there's no cleaning of media involved. The floss, charcoal and crushed coral comes out and new goes in.

I'd like to hear from others who subscribe to the change by flow rate approach. Just how far are the long-running filter folks going these days?

 

[Brookster123]

To each his own..

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[flchamp89]

Obviously if flow is reduced thats an indicator. Lots of factors involved but monthly would be my recommendation. Aside from water quality in the tank I tend to want to take care of my investments.

 

[acewiza]

...monthly would be my recommendation.

Based on what?

 

[flchamp89]

Rinsing out any chemical or mechanical media to help it continue to be effective and allow you to get most milage out of it. Clean motor or impeller area. Tubes/hoses whatever you have.

Need to also think about filter maintenance in regards to algae prevention or supression and fish diseases. Just seems like a wise endevour.

 

[coralbandit]

This is why I am all against canisters...
Out of sight out of mind.

 

[TMaier]

Mine gets a clean out once a month.

 

[Sniperhank]

Canister filters are pretty horrible when it comes to filtration, but they can work if maintained regularly.
With that said, anything beyond monthly in terms of maintenance is a set up for disaster when it comes to any type of build up gathering in the filter. This can cause several things, from unnecessary equipment wear, reducing flow through the filter, and increase in parameter issues (specifically nitrates).

 

[Autumnsky]

Hello Friends...
Please keep it civil or move along to a different topic. Thank you.

 

[Delapool]

Well, that is it's job, after all - collecting any nasties that get sucked into it. Apparently it's doing a brilliant job, still flowing well after 5 months. Personally, I don't "like" cleaning the filters - more of a chore than anything else. So I'm trying to establish what I'll call for lack of a better term, a "filter maintenance zone." I think it might be unprecedented if that was in the 6 month range. BTW, there's no cleaning of media involved. The floss, charcoal and crushed coral comes out and new goes in.

I'd like to hear from others who subscribe to the change by flow rate approach. Just how far are the long-running filter folks going these days?

Here I have heard of threads with long-running filters however generally there appears to be a supplementary filtration approach eg pre-filters, multiple filters / large water changes, heavily planted.

As one with long-running external filters my thought is that just going off water flow wouldn't be enough to be sure all is well. I run a heavily planted tank with an internal filter (cleaned more often) and 2 canister filters (30 litres in total volume).

You mention testing nitrates which also seems another way and tries to be a proxy for the compounds we don't test for. Charcoal I would say would be not doing much after a month. So a question might be in a planted tank (that uses nitrates) - could say copper be accumulating faster than nitrates?

Opening up the filter would be a good way to check that all is well. I've done that and thought that while flow rate was fine, the filter itself really was needing a clean. Particularly the bio-media which looked badly gunked up. Or the impellor and housing was badly needing a clean.

I would think in the end that if you set some criteria eg nitrates, flow rate, tank clarity, how gunked the filter / impellor looks and then start evaluating. Do a water clean on the filter now and if no difference (eg nitrates unchanged) then this would be better proof on concept is my thought.