Jump to content





Posted Image

PCS & Stuart M. Grant - Cichlid Preservation Fund - Details here


Photo

Filter Cleans - Should I Do?


  • Please log in to reply
16 replies to this topic

#1 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 26 December 2016 - 11:24 PM

Hi all,

Bit of background. I have a high-tech planted tank with two canister filters and one internal (mainly) mechanical filter. The internal filter gets cleaned once a fortnight to once a month.

It's holiday time here so (naturally) I'm thinking of cleaning one of the canister filters as per usual.

Except I'm kind of wondering if worth the effort. Now I know that effectively I'm running a septic tank inside a fish tank. But I'm wondering if cleaning will do much if it is just going to get back to normal state in "x" weeks (would love to know how long x is but from the internal filter cleans I'm assuming less than a month).

I used to do filter cleans to lower nitrates but these days nitrates run at 5ppm and I dose ferts for the plants. Filter flow looks fine and no issues with filter. If I open the canister I know there will be gunk there but not bad. So not sure if a filter clean should be done? Or how I can tell??

Edit - I realized after typing this that one canister is semi-see through. That was a third full maybe of debris on bottom below trays. So will probably give it a clean.

Still curious though on what I will be achieving. Maybe removing toxins we don't test for??



#2 malawiman85

malawiman85
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 08
  • Location: Geraldton

Posted 27 December 2016 - 06:35 AM

yes do it. There are other things building up in your tank. Nitrate in an unplanted tank is a good indicator of the build up of other chemicals within the tank. Just because what you are measuring is fine doesn't mean that other untested parameters are ok.
I would do a filter a month. That's 60 days of operation between cleans.

#3 Mattia

Mattia

    1st International Club Member

  • PCS Club Member
  • Joined: 19-October 14
  • Location: West Perth

Posted 27 December 2016 - 10:55 AM

Yep I would do it as well.
It helps you keep and eye of what's going on in there. Sponges , media... give it a good check especially to o-rings, clean taps and inside the hose.. there's always something you can do ;)

#4 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 27 December 2016 - 11:08 AM

Both good points :)

 

The larger canister last time I pulled it apart had problems with the UV bulb (luckily never use it). And always handy to clean impellers.

 

But just for discussion I'm not really seeing the need to clean it if all is working fine. On the other things building up in tank, well as per EI ferts dosing, shouldn't large water changes remove all this?

 

Also the plants themselves would be trapping a huge amount of debris and fish poo. Nothing much gets gravel vacc'ed now as the plants cover most of the tank. So I'm wondering if this is becoming a Walstad tank (except I do water changes weekly).

 

Thoughts?



#5 malawiman85

malawiman85
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 08
  • Location: Geraldton

Posted 27 December 2016 - 05:34 PM

Yes large water changes address the issue I raised. The point is though, your system is less healthy than it could be.

#6 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 27 December 2016 - 11:15 PM

Thanks again, good points raised there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

#7 sandgroper

sandgroper
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 24-April 06
  • Location: Near Malaga

Posted 28 December 2016 - 05:32 PM

Plus you should clean them while you have the time and not wait until a problem arises because you then might not be able to attend to it straight away, prevention is the best policy. :agreed:



#8 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 28 December 2016 - 10:47 PM

Plus you should clean them while you have the time and not wait until a problem arises because you then might not be able to attend to it straight away, prevention is the best policy. :agreed:


Hi,

Well out of interest what sort of problems are we talking about here? Information there would be enormously appreciated. Sorry, I'm a detail kind of person and like to learn.

Broken impeller failure from gunk buildup maybe? Tbh with two canister filters and an internal filter and a planted tank, one filter going down for 24hrs doesn't worry me as I've already tested that.

Some sort of bacterial buildup? Maybe something else biological. Am wondering there.

Of course could be something else, so as always replies appreciated.






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

#9 sandgroper

sandgroper
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 24-April 06
  • Location: Near Malaga

Posted 29 December 2016 - 10:55 AM

Yes, your to technical for me :) Just water quality issues and basic maintenance of the filter.



#10 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 29 December 2016 - 03:04 PM

Yes, your to technical for me :) Just water quality issues and basic maintenance of the filter.


Good points - many thanks for the replies, it is much appreciated to get a reply back and good info.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

#11 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 01 January 2017 - 07:39 AM

Just an update. I really wish I had a TDS meter or something as that might be interesting to test water before / after filter clean.

Cleaned the large canister filter. Aqua One 2700 - I think about 15 to 20 litres size. I think I cleaned it last in august or september. (as opposed to internal filter which is cleaned once or twice a month, canister filter cleans are much less common for both of them).

First tray of coarse sponge - very clean.

Second tray - same (wondering if filter working!).

Third tray - the fine sponge was absolutely caked. Main clean.

Fourth tray - wool filters not too bad.

Ceramic media fairly good.

So I think worth doing for the third tray although the filter was no where near gunked up.

As a side note, all was going well until I dropped the canister filter head on the retaining wall. First time ever I've been glad the 'limestone' is really compacted beach sand that I've covered in glues and varnishes. Filter head didn't even get a scratch and back setup working, retaining wall has a half inch impact crater in it :(


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

#12 malawiman85

malawiman85
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 08
  • Location: Geraldton

Posted 01 January 2017 - 10:16 AM

The course sponge layers don't usually gunk up. IMO they're a waste of time.
If you were to have large particulate matter entering the filter clogging the course layers you're better off with a prefilter on the intake that can easily be cleaned weekly.
I usually replace course layers with eheim substrat pro where possible.

Edited by malawiman85, 01 January 2017 - 10:17 AM.


#13 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 01 January 2017 - 12:42 PM

These look nice.

I've double-stacked the ceramic noodles but the weight is a bit much. And extra wool filter pads.

I have bought some fine sponge to cut and replace the filter wool but yet to get around to it.

Impeller looked good. I've seen a few broken ones at stores when people bring them in and looks a pain running around getting a replacement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

#14 dicky7

dicky7
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 25-October 13
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Noranda

Posted 01 January 2017 - 02:49 PM

Don't have to run around use the online stores and get delivered



#15 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 02 January 2017 - 10:11 PM

On a side note has anyone ever had algae or something growing in the coarse sponge?? Didn't get a photo unfortunately. It's like a clump of dark green algae with strands in a star shape radiating out several centimetres. I've picked it out several times now but seems to come back. It's less than a millimetre thick so I'm assuming it's not something the filter is doing. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited by Delapool, 02 January 2017 - 10:12 PM.


#16 LexAgate

LexAgate
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 03-February 15
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Mount Lawley

Posted 03 January 2017 - 01:45 AM

Algae of course needs light, however a UV canister might grow some things...
Most algaes aren't really a problem they'll do a little bit of their own filtering, of course you'd probably want to keep it pretty scarce to lower the chances of a bloom.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

#17 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 03 January 2017 - 10:00 PM

Yes, it's odd. I'd think it is algae rather than BGA or a mold but really wish I got a photo. Good point, there is UV but it's not switched on.

It could be some weird filtering effect but I don't know how.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users