Canister Filters? Nitrate Factories?

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NewToFish1989

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Sep 30, 2013
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Is it true canister filters are the cause for high Nitrates, especially if left for months without a good clean?

I'm asking because I went to a pet store today to pick some fish in that was specially orded and got into a conversation with another customer and a store manager who was having issues with high nitrates.

I asked him (customer) how often he cleaned his canister filter out and he said every 6 months which to me seemed way to long between maintance :ermm:

So I'm guessing if left for over a month, even 3 months seems along time, can the canister filter get so dirty where the mess is just spat back out and cause of endless high nitrates even after many large water changes.

I have this month neglected my own canister filter down to being ill so cleaned mine 2 days ago as well as another water change and now my nitrates on my salifert test kit is reading 0ppm nitrate after being at 40ppm for a while :blink:

Heard Salifert was saltwater but asked around and can be used for fresh water as well.
 
Canister filters are no more nitrate factories than any other filters. The issue is ALL filters can become nitrate factories if left to get too dirty. How often they need cleaning depends on the bioload of the tank. More fish equals more often cleaning. Even types of plants can have some effect. Plants that shed bits and pieces that the filter sucks up is the same as fish waste in bioconversion. OS.
 
Tank Filtration

Hello New...

The filtration equipment is secondary to removing and replacing the tank water on a regular basis. If you change out a lot of water and do it often, the filter is simply cycling water that's already clean. Service the filter regularly, but don't depend on it to keep the tank water clean. Only large, frequent water changes will do this job.

B
 
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