Cleaning Canister Filter

[cope]

We are about 4 weeks new... all is going great.... amonia, Nitrite, Nitrate,  water changes.... and my fish tank education has grown.. Thanks to the nice people here at the Box....
I have noticed now that I have a little algee growth..Not too much, but a little here and there, I was told to waite for about 4 weeks before getting a Pleco... I do regular gravel Vaccuming and I clean the glass every now and then (inside) with the magnet cleaner...

I have a Rena Xp2 and It says to clean every 4 weeks... So I want to make sure that I do it correctly, the book is a little lacking on instruction..

says to clean.... rinse certian parts... I rinsed out the mechanical filtration pads with the water from the tank and just poured out the remaining water from the filter tank..... I did not use any tap water on anything.... this is where I am confused... I am afraid of killing the bacteria I so caringly grew...

I hooked up the filter... and turned it on... and now my clean tank is full of .. Looks like snow.... I think it is particals that might have been stuck to the outlet hose... .. so the tank now has particals floating around...

So what should I have done?    should I have cleaned with tap and scrub brush the inside of the filter, the baskets, and the foam filter material? AND ONLY RINSED THE BIO FILTER MEDIA (STARS AND CERAMIC) WITH TANK WATER?

And do you clean the inlet and outlet tubes....

I know I ask a lot of questions, I just want to do this correctly... thank you in advance... Cope.

[Zulaab]

Re: Cleaning Canister Filter

You did okie.  You are going to have a few floating particles in the tank when you do what you did but that will all return back into the pump sooner or later so nothing bad there..  You did good.  I usually dont clean my pumps until I see a diminish in power which usually happens for me about every 2 months.  I do the same as you except I clean the course and fine filter pad in my sink and just flush all the ceramics with tank water..  put them all in a bucket with some tank water and then I just whirl them around to get the big "stuff" off.. then return them into the filter.  The fine and course filters I find really more hold the poop and stuff in them that I want removed from the filter 100%.  Yes I kill off some bacteria but they will come back within a few days and since the ceramic area holds a ton its not like you are starting over.   In time you will think of getting a second filter to over do your filtration and this is when I completely flush everything out making it super clean.. because I know the other filter will handle the load while it grows back in the second filter.  This way I just do one filter every about 6 weeks and then do the other one 6 weeks later.

Keep it coming :)  You are doing well :)

[imagirlgeek]

Re: Cleaning Canister Filter

Hi Cope!  

It sounds like you did everything right.  The only extra thing I would have done is remove the impeller and wipe down in there.  On the xp2, it's on the bottom of the motor.  I'm not sure if that's in the book or not.  

And you did great by not using tap water.  I don't either.  I rinse the sponges in a bucket of aquarium water, and then rinse the rest of the media in the baskets in the same bucket.  

As for the stuff coming out of the hoses...that is annoying but should get filtered out pretty quick.  I don't clean the hoses very often because it's such a pain.  I'm sure there is a fancy tool that you can buy to clean them, but I use a straightened out wire coat hanger, bent into a loop on the end.  Then I have strips of old rags that I feed through the loop and push it through.  Some nasty stuff comes out...be prepared.  

The XP is one of my favorite canister filters!

[CichlidFan]

Re: Cleaning Canister Filter

Hey cope, don't be too concerned about following the instructions to the letter. I'm not saying to toss the owners guide or anything, I am saying you want to use your own common sense when approaching the need to clean. I would give a new tank, just set up and cycling, a little over 4 weeks to make sure it has a good start towards establishing colonies of bacteria all through out the tank, filter, and water table.  

After you have a good size bio load...ie ...plenty of fish.....then again, use your best judgement as to how often to clean. I believe most of us with 4 or more tanks, probably clean the canister filters only about every 90 days or so, again, this is based on the bio load, including how much  you feed your fish. If you don't feed excessively, your bio load will lower in the long run over time.

You are learning grasshopper....wont be long until you are ready to snatch the pebble..... :)

CF

[cope]

Re: Cleaning Canister Filter

thank you,  just wanted to make sure I was on the right path..... I know this will all become second nature in time... thanks again...

[cope]

Re: Cleaning Canister Filter

I still have a question about cleaning this thing......... I checked the filter again and when you turn it off.. the water boils thru the inlet and outlet untill it stops (maybe a couple seconds) will that boiling or bubbling knocks loose crap inside the tubes.... now once you re-start the filter.. your tank now looks like a snow globe...... I have cleaned the tubes and cleaned the filter the correct way.. but still have this effect.... I ask because I am concerned about the fish that are now swimming thru this white flake....will it harm them?

[imagirlgeek]

Re: Cleaning Canister Filter

No, it's not harmful to the fish at all, and a lot of that stuff is just going to get pulled right back into the filter anyway.  Yeah, it's gross looking, but it's never hurt any of my fish.  I think it's mostly algae....I could be wrong, but that's what I think it is.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Cleaning Canister Filter

I think it's bacteria film....I have never had any fish become ill from ingesting it.

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: Cleaning Canister Filter

The scum that gets into canister tubing can be a pain in the butt to clean.  

What most people I know do about it, is they drain the hoses into a buket until the water runs clear and then shut the valves.  The only thing is, on the XP seriece I do not think you can open the valves without them being in the canister so not much help there.

This is what I do.

1.  Always replace your fine media pads with a new one.  I dont care what all people say, you cannot get that pad clean enough for re-use.  It might work for a short time, but it cloggs up or is only partially effective.

2.  Rinse & re-use your biological media in aquarium water in a bucket or something.

3.  Rinse and & re-use your mechanical media at the sink and blast out all those particles of crap, crude, and sludge so that you start as clean as possible.  You might even find that in about a year or more's time that those foams pads also need replaced.

4.  Clean your hoses by draining water, or using a pipe brush to clean as much as possible and atleast inside the suction strainer and dischrge spray bar.

5.  Always clean out the impeller and motor assembly.  This can cause unwanted drag, and head to buildup wearing your moving parts out faster.

Hope this helps..

Geoff

[wvgdiscus]

Re: Cleaning Canister Filter

Why does everyone clean the parts in the used aquarium water for?
Also why not clean the hoses at the same time your cleaning the canister?
Does not a dirty hose cause less water flow?

[imagirlgeek]

Re: Cleaning Canister Filter

The reason I rinse in aquarium water is so that I don't kill the bacteria.  I used to use tap water and one of the heavy loaded tanks started crashing.

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: Cleaning Canister Filter

why ask why...dry bud dry..

[Philbert]

Re: Cleaning Canister Filter

I have used a fiberglass rod or a small chain to clean my hoses...each easy to get and use. Also a small metal rod or a wooden dowel at Home Despot works great...I paid $3 for a 6 ' small link chain 2 days ago at the Despot. Chain is the easiest method.
Take a plastic coated twisty tie and twist it around about a 1/4 of a paper towel, rolled or wadded up, after threading the tie through the end of the chain; get the paper wet, then drop the chain down the hose, grab the end and pull it through the hose slowly.
The hose will be clear and clean and a bunch of slime will come out ahead of the paper wad; this will double the water flow from the canister. I just rinse the bio media in treated water, the rest I replace with new poly fiber and sometimes rinse the sponge. I use a HOB along with the canister, so I have a lot of charcoal cleaning and bio media making the canister not the only home of bacteria. I also drop a $1 Whisper HOB insert filter in the cannister for charcoal, and my water is clean and clear.
The slime in the hoses is what really slows down the water flow, an ocasional hose cleaning will keep the flow at optimum.
I have an old Eheim Ecco, a Cascade 700, and an antique Aqua Vista 300...all crank and my water is always clear. Keep the hoses clean, and change the media about every 4-6 weeks and your tanks will stay clean and healthy.
Water changes are essential to the water condition, so I recently got a small submersible pump to make 30-50% changes easy and fast.

[wvgdiscus]

Re: Cleaning Canister Filter

I ask why cause when ever I clean a canister or sponge filter. I rinse it all out with tap water & squeeze out as much bio as possible.
I can tell its done when the water comes out clear. I also will clean all parts with tap water to.
I have done this on 30 hex, 55's, 75's, 125's & now on my 180. Never once had any problems with doing this.

For cleaning the hoses I use a coat hanger looped at the end to hold the aquarium scrub brush.
It comes clean just like a new hose.

As far as replacing the filters in a canister. I will only replace them when the are falling apart.

& it is said that discus is harder to keep then other fish.

[Spot86t]

Re: Cleaning Canister Filter

A lot of it may also depend though on the level of chlorine and/or chloramine that each water company uses.  It will vary with each water district.

To clean my hoses, i take a piece of coarse scotchpad, stuff it snug in the hose with my finger a few inches from the end, then I put the water hose on "jet" and blast it through the hose.  a time or 2 in each direction and the hose is quite clean.  Practice lets you know how snug it can fit in the hose without getting stuck halfway.  (long wire rod helps free it if that happens).  

Sometimes the dirty little blob of scotchpad exits with a "POP" and probaly ends up in the neighbors flowerbeds or something.  I try to aim it better now at their irritating little daschund when it's out....  Coarse sponge works too - I usually have pleny of each laying around.

I used to use fishing line with a lead weight at one end, and coarse cloth at the other, using the weight to draw the line thru the hose til i could grab it.  Waterhose Jet setting is much faster IMO.