YUCK... Canister filter hoses

[poconogal]

Okay, so my Rena XP3 is up and running approx. 3 mos. now. I love it, it's doing a great job of filtering the tank, but now I've got a buildup of gunk inside the hoses. It's so bad that if I turn the filter off, when I restart it, it shoots out pieces of what I assume is algae - looks like a snow storm in my tank. Of course, the very ample ambient room light that I have, which the plants are loving, isn't helping this hose mess. I know that I can clean the hoses but I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to just get 5/8 pond hose, which is black. I assume that would stop the growth of this stuff in the hoses? Is there any reason why I can't or shouldn't do this?

Connie

[greyhoundfan]

I'm guessing you're posting this b/c your hose are clear and you can see all the gunk inside it?

I don't think a black hose will make a difference. I have Fluval 404s and their hoses are gray and not transparent. I clean out the hoses a couple months at a time and it's still gunky.

[FishLover888]

I have Fluval 304 and 404 that do the same thing. How do you clean out the hoses? I never did that.

[poconogal]

I'm guessing you're posting this b/c your hose are clear and you can see all the gunk inside it?

I don't think a black hose will make a difference. I have Fluval 404s and their hoses are gray and not transparent. I clean out the hoses a couple months at a time and it's still gunky.
Reid, yep, they're clear hoses. But not only can I see the gunk, it snows in my tank when I turn the filter back on. How often do you clean your hoses? You said a couple months at a time, which is? I'd have to do it about every other month. Seems like a lot of trouble!

[poconogal]

I have Fluval 304 and 404 that do the same thing. How do you clean out the hoses? I never did that.
I know Eheim makes a special brush that you can pull thru the hose. Still a PITA, if you ask me!

[greyhoundfan]

I go two mos. between cleanings. One hose one month, than the next month clean the other hose and so forth. It's PITA. It doesn't completely elliminate the snow problem. I get that too. My discus enjoys Winter time any ways.:D

Fish Lover, I have a tube cleaner, is's "wirey" flexible brush that let's me clean one end, than I clean out the other end.

http://www.petsolutions.com/Brush+Kit-I-15510683-I-.aspx

something like this but is longer and attahced to a spring..

[pcsb23]

Its actually a bacteria mulm that is being blasted in your tank. A pull through brush on a long stiff peice of nylon cord is what is needed. The pipes shpould be cleaned when you see this happening.

The build up can be such that it impairs the water flow.

[diamond_discus]

I have a Fluval 305 and it see the same "snow flake" came out after I clean the filter ... However, I am not too concern because I saw my Discus actually eating those stuff ... Or should I be concern about the fish eating it ? :confused:

[pcsb23]

I don't think its necessarily harmful, I have seen fish mouth it before but not eat it. The concern is that you never quite know what's in it. I'm sure they would get worse though from mouthing poops, and I've seen them do that too.

[Reel North]

I gte that as well in ALL my canisters. its just bacteria etc building up. If you clean the hoses in between the times you clean the filter, you wont get the snowstorm. It only takes a minute, and keeps everything running well.

Although it isnt going to win sexy awards, it wont end up on Mike Rowe's show either (dirty jobs).

[poconogal]

My husband came up with a great idea for the hoses which is what I think I'll do! He suggested that I have another set of hoses, complete with the quick disconnect valve to the XP3, and the connections to the intake tube and spraybar. I can disconnect the set of hoses and replace it immediately with the clean set. Then I can clean the removed set of hoses and have it ready for the next time. Sounds quick and easy to me.

[marilyn1998]

Do you use the spray bar??? Whenever I shut down the filter, I insert the spraybar inside a knee-hi. I twist the end so it won't pop off. Once the filter is restarted and the "blowout" is over, I remove the knee-hi.

No more snowstorm. As far as the hoses, I clean them once every three months. For whatever reason, they seem to get dirty, then slowly clear up to barely dirty, then get black again. The use of a prefilter on my intakes also makes a difference.


HTH

[diamond_discus]

I tried to use a pre-filter before but it seems to slow down the water flow. Maybe I should try again.

[2RedTurqs]

I like the "another set of hoses, complete with the quick disconnect valve to the XP3". I never thought of that. Such an easy solution.

I have a Ehiem 2227 and clean the tubes every two months. Every time I do it I'm always worried about taking too long. With the extra set it would be easier and quicker.

Dave

[poconogal]

Do you use the spray bar??? Whenever I shut down the filter, I insert the spraybar inside a knee-hi. I twist the end so it won't pop off. Once the filter is restarted and the "blowout" is over, I remove the knee-hi.

No more snowstorm. As far as the hoses, I clean them once every three months. For whatever reason, they seem to get dirty, then slowly clear up to barely dirty, then get black again. The use of a prefilter on my intakes also makes a difference.


HTH

Marilyn, that IS a good idea. Even if I do get the extra set of hoses as I said above, and I'm sure that's what I'll do, I'd still try your idea once the snow starts. I only have time to do maintenance things on Sundays and the kneehigh would keep the snow out of the tank if it began during the week, and get me thru to Sunday! Thanks.

[poconogal]

I like the "another set of hoses, complete with the quick disconnect valve to the XP3". I never thought of that. Such an easy solution.

I have a Ehiem 2227 and clean the tubes every two months. Every time I do it I'm always worried about taking too long. With the extra set it would be easier and quicker.

Dave
Dave, that's what I thought, too. Pretty quick easy and then hoses can be cleaned at leisure. I think I will actually get another intake and spraybar set as well so that I can just take it all off to clean. Of course it would be an extra expense, but a minor one and its worth it!

And my husband doesn't even keep fish!

[korbi_doc]

Do you use the spray bar??? Whenever I shut down the filter, I insert the spraybar inside a knee-hi. I twist the end so it won't pop off. Once the filter is restarted and the "blowout" is over, I remove the knee-hi.

:) Great ideas everyone! I've also used a pump to push a cottonball thru the hoses to clean'm as advised by some, but it does take a bit of ingenuity to get it the right size to do the job, patience, lol....Dottie ;)

[fusQer]

cleaning the tubes is a mess. i have a planted tank and just replace the hoses every 2-3 months. you can get a pre-cut 10foot hose from home depot for $15. it is really nice with braided thread inside to prevent it from collapsing. just cut and stick it in and set it back up. throw the old ones away. i also clean the inside of hte spray bar with a long thin brush that came with my HOB emperor 400.

[lora]

I have the same problem with my hoses, I made up a special brush for them. I took an ordinary aquarium hose cleaning brush with the longest handle I could find, tied a long piece of string to the end of the brush and attatched a sinker used for fishing to the other end. I hold the hose up and drop the sinker end in first, then I shake the hose till the sinker comes out the other end and then pull the brush through. You may have to repeat this a couple of times for each hose.

[tcyiu]

I have done what Lora did with the string and fishing sinker etc. The only difference is I used some bits of rag instead of a brush. This requires a few more passes, but my reasoning is that I did not want to scuff up the inside of the hose, providing the bacteria a better foothold.

With respect to the "snow" I have a food safe container that I use for various aquaria purposes (transferring fish, surface skimming etc.). When I re-start my cannister, I put this container at the discharge before I restart the pump. The gunk gets deposited into this container and not into the tank. Relatively simple and cheap.

But this assumes that you can reach the discharge hose and the plug for the pump at the same time. I can imagine that this is not always the case, in which case you might need a helper.

Tim

[poconogal]

I forgot about this post, LOL!!! Thanks for the suggestions, all. In the interim, my hoses became clear again all by themselves, no cleaning, etc. and the snow has stopped. I'm not complaining! If it starts again, I'll at least have some things to try!

[rlong]

Hi,
I must be doing something wrong. I have been running 4 canister filers, a couple of them for 2 years and have never felt the need to clean the hoses. Mine are green and yes I can see some gunky build-up but nothing big enough that might hinder flow to a large extent.

Now, I do have 30 feet of clear 5/8 tubing that I use from my mixing barrel for water changes that is getting skumy. I wish I could find a way to clean that.

[lybrasoft]

I have a Filstar Xp 3 on one of my 60 gallon tank and i had the same problem. Imagine my water crystal clear. One day accidently I turn the switch off on the surge protector. When i turned it back on iit was like you said a snow storm. From one minute to another my tank was i don't want to think about it. I approached the tank and i saw tiny white things in my water so i took a sample and lokked at it under a microscope. Turnes out that in the filter most of the times where the uneaten food it there are some other "little creatures" called flat worms.They are very small and white. The book says they do not harm the fish but they can be anoying in a large number. There are other many reason we don't even think right know for a regular cleaning especially with these types of filters.
Pesonally i think the problem is not with the hoses.

[rlong]

Hi,
lybrasoft, are you saying that what you saw was flat worms?
Do you have the ability to get a picture with your microscope? what power did you use?

I'd love to hear if others examine their "white stuff" also to see if there is a comman thread hear.

[poconogal]

Hi,
lybrasoft, are you saying that what you saw was flat worms?
Do you have the ability to get a picture with your microscope? what power did you use?

I'd love to hear if others examine their "white stuff" also to see if there is a comman thread hear.
Sounds like Planaria, very tiny little white worms. The snow that came out of my hoses was definitely not any sort of worm though. When Planaria develop it is a sign that the tank/equipment needs cleaning more often. They are harmless to the fish though.

[poconogal]

....Now, I do have 30 feet of clear 5/8 tubing that I use from my mixing barrel for water changes that is getting skumy. I wish I could find a way to clean that.
I have a 40 ft. long 5/8 hose that goes to my Python. In my WC barrel I put some chlorine in my water and attached the hose to my Magdrive pump. I had the pump and the other end of the hose in the barrel too and turned the pump on. The pump circulated the water thru the hose and the chlorine killed any algae in the hose. With the water circulating thru the hose for a few hours, it eventually washed the dead algae out of the hose. The chlorine in the barrel also took care of the slimyness that can develop on the walls of a WC barrel. When done, I made sure to use lots of dechlor (I'm on a private well so I don't need to do anything normally for chlorine or chloramine) and then let everything air dry.

[C_of_Discus]

I wonder if you used an air hose to blow the stuff out would that work? Someone needs to invent a teflon non-stick hose!

[poconogal]

I wonder if you used an air hose to blow the stuff out would that work? Someone needs to invent a teflon non-stick hose!
I don't think an air hose would work - I don't think there could be enough air pressure to unstick algae off the insides of the hose, especially a 30 ft. long hose. Teflon coated... hmmmm... :D

[Kindredspirit]

This thread is almost a year old! Talk about a "bump"!:)

[alpine]

Be careful , an air hose might carry some oil from the compressor !

roberto.

[poconogal]

This thread is almost a year old! Talk about a "bump"!:)
I know, Marie, I totally forgot about it! LOL!!!!


Be careful , an air hose might carry some oil from the compressor !

roberto.
I was thinking he was wondering about an aquarium air pump, but that's a good point, Roberto!

[lybrasoft]

Hi,
lybrasoft, are you saying that what you saw was flat worms?
Do you have the ability to get a picture with your microscope? what power did you use?

I'd love to hear if others examine their "white stuff" also to see if there is a comman thread hear.

Their latin name is Planaria indeed like Connie said. But i disagree that is a sign of a dirty filter. I read the same opinion somewhere and i removed the filter to clean it. I couldn't believe how clean it was. Like new.
So i researched and found out that overfeeding and lefover food is the main reason. The best way to get rid of Planaria is to keep the tank clean. They can't survive much without intensive feeding.
I WAS HAPPY TO FIND A PDF FROM A GUY WHO LICENSED IN MICROBIOLOGY THAT THEY ARE NOT HARMUL TO THE FISH.
I got rid of them fast (4-5 days) feeding carefully small amounts that were consumed by the fish immediatelly.

I will be glad to make you some pictures but they are really not that small. I hope you will not have the chance to have them. they get pretty big and attach to the glass. The one i managed to extract with a medicine dropper was about 3mm.

[uli and ria]

I had this problem with my first fluval and 55 gal tank for cichlids. I bought a bottle brush, it worked ok for a while, but had an overstocked tank, so I would catch the first bucket of water when I turned the canister on with the tank 1/2 empty during water change, then I went to menards looking for some pc for fish to hide and ran into water hoses for sprinkler heads. Now I just buy every 4-5 months new hoses. no problems.

[RockHound]

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj85/placer_mines/planeria.jpg

Planeria range from about 1/64th of an inch, as babies.
To, over 1/4 inch, as adults.

They are usually white, off white to gray.
But can be darker, or even light red, depending on what food they eat.

Usually, they get into tanks along with new fish, plants, or live food.
Often, they accompany live black worms, grindal worms, etc..

They will eat about anything they can get in their mouths.
In nature they eat algae, diatoms, daphnia, dead insects, worms, fish, meat, etc.

They thrive on beef heart, fish/shrimp meat, pellet & flake food.

Usually, if you have lots of them, it is a sign that uneaten fish feed is accumulating somewhere.
Most often, under gravel, in sponges, or canister filters.
(google “ planeria canister filter”, to get an idea how prevalent it is)

Well fed fish seldom eat them, but sometimes do.
Severely cut back on feeding your fish & after a few days, fish will usually eat them.

If planeria are thriving in an aquarium.
You are overfeeding your fish & need to cut back.
Plus, increase maintenance / cleaning your filters.
Planeria often thrive in dirty sponge filters, HOB filters & canister filters.

They are light sensitive & prefer darkness. So they mostly come out at night.
They are not free swimming & move along surfaces (unless dislodged).

You can remove some by hanging a small piece of beef heart in nylon netting, in the tank.
Place it against the inside glass at night, then remove it in the morning & discard, or wash.
Repeat for several days.

Planeria will not go after mobile fish, but will eat fish eggs.
For sure, you do not want them in a breeding tank, for that reason.

[Harriett]

I think if you use use big prefilters on your intakes which catchs even fine stuff before it goes into the hoses and filter, you can cut down 90% of this problem. --I use the cylinder foam pieces used for air filters. They are available in a dense and a more open pore foam; I use the dense pore. I thoroughly clean those 1-2 x week and the filters stay very clean for a lot longer. I rarely have the snowflake blow out you are describing, as a result. If the prefilters are cleaned weekly, they do not impede the water flow at all. When I clean them, it's in straight tap water from the sink; I collect all that yucky water and it goes straight to my houseplants. I really like the nylon stocking over the spray bar idea, though--that's great.
Best regards,
Harriett

[sp33dy25]

i ve been using my xp3 for 3 yrs + now..
my hoses are clear and clean. never cleaned them.

my friend had black gunk in his hose... he just run it through some hot water under his kitchen faucet and 99% of the stuff came out.
you can give that a try.

[poconogal]

LOL Well I started this thread over two years ago and was really surprised to see it pop back up again! During all this time the tank snow had stopped, my hoses became pretty clear and clean. I haven't cleaned them at all and they've been and still are fine now!

[zoe]

So I am having this. What do you account for your not having this issue any longer, poconogal?

[poconogal]

I think the hoses originally got a buildup of something which was coming out of the hoses and once it was all gone, it didn't come back, except that it has come back a bit this spring, over 2 years after I started this thread, lol! :D It is now clearing up again. No idea why.

[shawnhu]

If you use heavy floss in your canister, you'll see a lot less of this debris in the return hose. Clear hose can harbor algae, but I don't think that is the issue in this case. The downside to having a lot of floss in the canister is that it will require more frequent maintenance.

[poconogal]

Shawhu, you just provided the answer to my mystery. I began using regular, good old cheap filter floss in my XP3. The canister hoses cleared out, no more "tank snow." Just this late winter/early spring, I decided to again try using the floss pads made for the XP3 and I started getting some tank snow again. At the last cleaning, I put 2 filter pads in and the snow has been clearing up some. But now, I've already decided to go back to regular floss because I think it does a better fine filtering job, so I'll definitely do it when I clean the canister this time and not wait until I use up the pads. I only went back to the pads because it was easier and quicker to just pop a pad in there.

[Daniella]

I clean mine each month or it is so bad that it slow down my filter debit! Mine are semi clear sort of but the light in the room is very dimmed and my tank as no plant and very low light.

I was thinking of turning my UV back on to see if that help. It,s a pain to clean this!


Reid, yep, they're clear hoses. But not only can I see the gunk, it snows in my tank when I turn the filter back on. How often do you clean your hoses? You said a couple months at a time, which is? I'd have to do it about every other month. Seems like a lot of trouble!

[rickztahone]

for those of you that have xp3's, how do you take the water out of the hose once you release the handle and stop the filter? i'm not sure if that is the correct wording but i'm hoping people that have an xp1/2/3 understand what i'm talking about. i have a hydor 300 as well so that is one of the reasons that i'm very hesitant about doing this hose cleaning. Connie, did you ever clean your hoses or do they always clear up? your thread goes through seasons huh? LOL

[poconogal]

Yeah, through seasons, Rick, LOL! Its an oldie but goody I guess. I have never cleaned my hoses and the XP 3 is on this tank since Oct. 2006. They cleared up perfectly by themselves and recently got a bit gunked up, but still nothing too bad, just spots. They'll prolly clear up again but who cares? As you know, I'll be installing that Eheim I got the deal on soon anyway, with new hose. Eheim's green hose, can't see what's in it at all.

[shawnhu]

Shawhu, you just provided the answer to my mystery. I began using regular, good old cheap filter floss in my XP3. The canister hoses cleared out, no more "tank snow." Just this late winter/early spring, I decided to again try using the floss pads made for the XP3 and I started getting some tank snow again. At the last cleaning, I put 2 filter pads in and the snow has been clearing up some. But now, I've already decided to go back to regular floss because I think it does a better fine filtering job, so I'll definitely do it when I clean the canister this time and not wait until I use up the pads. I only went back to the pads because it was easier and quicker to just pop a pad in there.

It was just a theory Connie, but seems like you proved my theory, more than I solved your mystery. Either way, congrats on figuring it out! No more snow, in the Pocono's!?

Tootles,
Shawn

[poconogal]

Shawn, LOL, no, no more snow in the Poconos! Besides, its June already, last thing I want to hear about or see is snow, anywhere!

[KEWX]

You might try pushing a 30+ feet of eletric line #12 (stiff but still flexible) through the hose. At one end of the electric line strip about 1 1/2 inches to expose the 3 wires. Cut off the bare ground and 1 other wire. Use the 3rd wire to attach to the lope on the end of your tube brush. Twist it tightly to secure it as the stiff electric wire will hold it. Run water into the tube and you can push and pull this wire/cleaning brush back and forth as much as you need to clean the tube. Hot water and aquarium salt help the process. I use a 6 foot piece of electric wire to clean the hoses on my Rena XP2 and it works very well. Quick and easy!

[Disgirl]

Sounds just like what a chimney sweep does to clean out a sooty chimney :D!
Barb

[poconogal]

Wow, another resurrection! :D I started this thread in Jan. of '07 so it will soon be 3 years old!

Here's an update: I recently had "snow" in the tank from the hoses, but they've cleared up again and the snow is gone.