filter question

[Joeejojo]

I have a 90 gallon tank that has 2 Ehiem canister filters on it, one is a 2213 and one is a 2217. My fish are doing fine, not shy or timid in the least and eating very healthy, but even with water changes I still see very minute particles floating in my tanks as if the current is too strong and the filters are not picking them up. I have tried changing the flow and moving the intakes, but they are not picking up everything.

Would a sponge filter placed in the tank clear it up?
Would I then be able to take off a filter (the 2213)?
How big of a sponge and what size pump?


Dave

[Dood Lee]

If it doesn't affect the water parameters in any way, I wouldn't worry about it. BTW, you didn't mention whether or not your tank was BB or had decorations. If you have a BB tank, maybe you are feeding too much?

[Cosmo]

I used to run a 2217 and a 2215 on my 90gal and they did a great job of keeping the water clear. Are you keeping the filters clean? They should be cleaned every few weeks rather than the every 3 months eheim recommends.
Are you doing frequent WCs? do you syphon the bottom regularly and wipe down the sides? There are many factors that could be causing what you're describing. A sponge filter may help and a Hydro V would easily replace the 2213, but don't remove the 2213 until the sponge is fully cycled or you may experience some negative feedback from your fish. Then again, the sponge filter may not help if the problem lies elsewhere :confused:

Maybe add another layer of ehfisynth to trap small particles in each can?

Jim

[Joeejojo]

I do have gravel and a some driftwood. I do frequent water changes but I never knew to wipe down the walls. What shoud I use, an algae scraper or something else?

[Greg Richardson]

Algae scraper will work just fine. I know some use those viva towells that are the kind that don't break up in the water. You can actually wash them in your washing machine.

I really like those hydra sponges. I know a breeder that uses two of the largest ones and that is it in 55 gallon tanks and his water clear.

Of course daily wc's is the key.

[ecrew]

Cosmo,

I have a Fluval 404. The other day I opened it up and took out the sponges for rinsing. The water in the Fluval had a lot of stuff floating in it. Should I empty the water from the Fluval and add aged aquarium water? My husband thinks that if I do this, i'll mess up the bio-load that's already established on the media inside.
What do you do?

Thanks,
Liz

[ppv1951]

i'd try cleaning those filters more often too.

[ppv1951]

ecrew -

clean your filter out and using some old tank water, squeeze your sponge in it a couple times. that will keep your sponge working. good idea to clean that filter out once a month or so.

pat.

[ecrew]

So what you're saying is that emptying the old water out of the Fluval and refilling with old tank water is something I should do once a month? I know I should rinse the sponges and i've been doing that part, but I haven't emptied the water in the Fluval because of what my husband said.

So I take it that emptying the water won't kill the bio-load established in the filter?

[Dood Lee]

I clean my eheim every 2-3 months, and I never have debris problems. You could try putting a prefilter sponge on the intake, it's what I do and I clean the prefilter every week, which is why I can clean my canister every 2-3 months.

[ecrew]

Dood Lee,

I used to not have a prefilter on my intake which is probably why I have all that debris in the canister. I have recently started putting a prefilter on the intake so I guess that means I need to empty the water in the fluval and replace.

When you clean your canister, do you empty the water too?

Can someone please answer my question about the bio-load being affected or not by changing the water in the canister.

Thanks!! :)

[frenchdiscus]

I have a Fluval 404 with intake prefilter (that is a must)! I open it every 4 weeks, clean the filter (plastic, and inside components) with hot water from the tap and clean with brushes, of course I keep the Biomax and sponges in a bucket with tank water for the time being, than refill the canister with aged water at 25C + degrees.
I also squeeze those sponges in the bucket to clear off eventual debris!

The key is to keep the bio oxygenated and avoid big difference of temp with the new water!

If you prefer, you can fill it up with tank water after cleaning, I guess that would be the ideal scenario

Hope that helps?
Olivier

[ecrew]

Thanks, Olivier!!!

I've wanted to empty the Fluval but husband wouldn't let me. A friend told him it would kill the bio-load. To me, it didn't seem right to leave all that gunk in there.
How often do you replace the sponges in the fluval? I just rinsed mine over the weekend. They were covered in hair algae and the sponges where almost black.
I rinsed as much of the algae off as possible and the sponges lightened up to a brown color. Since we started having the hair algae problem, i've been putting a prefilter on the intake. I just hadn't cleaned the Fluval out until this past weekend.

Thanks!!

[frenchdiscus]

You're welcome!
I bough 4 new not long ago, there are cheap! I only changed 2 at the time!!! Very important, do not change the 4 pieces at the same time, do it over 2 weeks time. At the beginning when you don't really know when to open for cleaning, I would check every 2 weeks, but if you see that with the intake prefilfer, it looks okay inside (no food!, no poop) than extand it to 3 or 4 weeks.
Also, don't forget to clean up all tubings, they become durty after a while (slimy especially), I do it with those long brushes like baby bottle style but longer! I also connect the pipes on the faucet and flush it with hot water, you know on the rubber side of the tubing.
Again with the sponges you can really squeeze then hard in the bocket with tank water.
For info I only have 2 biomax and 2 filter floss in the canister, no carbon!
What is you water change regime?
I replace the filter floss at every cleaning, just get organized before you start with everything, this way it's faster and better for the bio.
;)

[ecrew]

We have the Fluval prefilter rings and biomax media in the Fluval along with two bags of Purigen instead of carbon.

I'm sorry if I've misunderstood, but are you saying you replace the sponges inside the filter every month or every 2-3 months (staggering of course :))?

I was changing 30-50% of the water twice a week. Now i'm trying to add a 3rd or possible 4th time each week.

We have chlorine in our tap. Should I clean the tubing and attachments etc... with tank water?

[frenchdiscus]

We have the Fluval prefilter rings and biomax media in the Fluval along with two bags of Purigen instead of carbon.

I'm using this one below. If you are talking about the one that comes with the filter, I think it's useless.
http://petsforum.com/ATI/atb400.htm
I don't know what is Purigen, I can't comment on this.

I'm sorry if I've misunderstood, but are you saying you replace the sponges inside the filter every month or every 2-3 months (staggering of course :))?

If they look good, meaning in one piece, a little brown color, not black, then it's okay to keep them, you are the judge, but I would have a spare set just in case

I was changing 30-50% of the water twice a week. Now i'm trying to add a 3rd or possible 4th time each week.

Your fiskes will tell you how much w/c they need! If they don't look good or act normal, then it's time for a w/c. I personally started with daily w/c and now I can go 2 to 3 days, once again you are the judge, nobody knows what's going on in your tank but you!!!
My tank is bare bottom, don't forget!

We have chlorine in our tap. Should I clean the tubing and attachments etc... with tank water?

Not with tank water, no need, clean it very well (with water only of course), the only thing you want to be carefull with is the BioMax and sponges.


Olivier

[ecrew]

Olivier,

I just ordered the FilterMax Prefilters! I'm glad to know they work. I'm still waiting on them to arrive. :)

Thanks for all your help!!!

Purigen is made by Seachum. Here is the description of it on BigAlsOnline.com.

"Purigen is a premium synthetic adsorbent that is unlike any other filtration product. It is not a mixture of ion exchangers or adsorbents, but a unique macro-porous synthetic polymer that removes soluble and insoluble impurities from water at a rate and capacity that exceeds all others, even hypersorb , by over 500%. Purigen removes proteins, nitrites and nitrates, ammonia, and a broad spectrum of organics, yet its impact on trace elements is minimal. It significantly raises redox. It polishes water to unparalleled clarity. Like Hypersorb , Purigen darkens progressively as it exhausts, and is easily renewed by treating with household bleach. A 100 ml bag of Purigen purifies and polishes up to 100 gallons of water for up to six months. Purigen is designed for both marine and freshwater use. Not to be used with any products with slime coat in them as this can cause the product to become toxic."

[frenchdiscus]

Okay, if it works why not!
I used to use Chemi-pure from Boyd, but realized I prefer to depend on my water change, cause you never know when you have to change them... and honestly... nobody really knows when.

Good luck
Olivier

[ecrew]

I understand what you're saying. :)

Thanks for all your help!!

[Dood Lee]

ecrew, you can totally empty out the fluval when you clean it. To save bio, rinse your bio media in tank water. Best to clean the fluval when you do a water change, keep a bucket of it and just submerge the bio (bio-max I assume?) in the bucket of tank water. The sponges you can just rinse under tap water. The bio media of most canisters contain enough bio, so the bio in the sponges don't really matter. Clean out the fluval canister, replace all filter media, then fill it with dechlorinated water, and you're done!

[ecrew]

Thanks, Dood Lee!! :)

I've got some cleaning to do! :)