Proper way of changing filters?

[Ben K]

Okay so I tried to change the sponge filter in my HOB filter. But I ran into a problem and thought I'd ask a few questions before I try this again.

When I pulled out the 'tray" that holds the filter medias, I discovered that there was a bunch of garbage stuff at the bottom. This stuff wasn't getting into my tank, due to the sponge filter, but some of it did manage to get into my tank after I pulled the tray out. I immediately removed the HOB and set it into a nearby pail. My question are:

1) Is there a proper method for changing the filter media in HOB filters? Like, remove the entire filter before taking out the tray?

2) Is the muck at the bottom of the filter good or bad? I dumped it this time, but I was wondering if this was most of the bacterial stuff that helped filter the tank, or just the dirt that it was filtering out.

 

[Devilishturtles]

You want to keep the muck out of your propellor and the intake tubes of your HOB filter, but I only take my filter off and clean the inside maybe once every...3 months or so. Instead, weekly or so when I clean the cartridges, I lift up the intake tube so that it stops the water flow, then take the filter cartridges out to clean them, reaplace them when done, then insert the intake tube again. Very minimal amount of garbage actually goes back into the tank.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Ben K]

Well, my first time doing it and I had almost half of the garbage go back into the tank. If I remember correctly, by removing the intake tube, it caused more to go back into the tank through the tube, which in turned got plugged up. I had to literally take the filter out of the tank, separate the the straight piece of tube from the U shaped piece and dump out all the muck that got trapped. I was glad that it did get trapped, I'd hate that chunk of garbage/muck to get back into my tank as well. My tank looked filter as it was, though after an hour of normal filtration, it was crystal clear again.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Ahh. Make sure you are cleaning the intake tube regularly. If you keep that cleaned you shouldn't have that problem when you take the tube out.