Filter changes

[candyl70]

Hey guys! So I know this might sound like a newbie question, but lately I have been reading a lot conflicting info. How often do you clean your filter? I have heard once a month, everyday, and every 2 months.

I have always cleaned mine out once a month, and I alternate between the two filters... does that sound right?? Or should I be doing it everyday? How about it guys? Let's hear what you do.

[diablocanine]

Hey guys! So I know this might sound like a newbie question, but lately I have been reading a lot conflicting info. How often you you clean your filter? I have heard once a month, everyday, and every 2 months.

I have always cleaned mine out once a month, and I alternate between the two filters... does that sound right?? Or should I be doing it everyday? How about it guys? Let's hear what you do.

My Fluvals get cleaned when the flow slows. My sump gets cleaned when it is visibly dirty (usually once a month). My sponges get cleaned every other month (two are in the tanks, one cleaned each month).....DC

[hexed]

I clean my filters once a month and my sponge filters once or twice a week.

[lhforbes12]

I clean my filters pretty much exactly like DC does. I don't use sponge filters (I only use cannisters or sumps) so I can't say anything about them.

Larry

[Moon]

Once a month is good enough. Certainly not every day. That will destroy the nitrifying bacteria.
Joe

[Greg Richardson]

How often do you clean your filter?

There is no right answer for that question unless the one answering it has the same filters, tank size, stocking density, juvies or adults, feeds the same food, as you do.

All of those factors come into play.

[Tony_S]

Clean the HOB filter once a month, clean the prefilter daily....sponge filters weekly(suck the crap of em with the syphon tube daily though.)

Tony

[Kindredspirit]

Clean the HOB filter once a month, clean the prefilter daily....sponge filters weekly(suck the crap of em with the syphon tube daily though.)

Tony


Hey That is exactly what I do! Are you copying me???



Copy Kat ~

M~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/29/29_4_11.gif

[candyl70]

Great!! Thanks everyone... I thought I was doing it right but heard conflicting info and had to reassure myself.. LOL.. Once a month it is!!!




http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_2_207.gif

[marilyn1998]

I clean my AC110 on the 30th and the Penguin 350B on the 15th.

[AADiscus]

There is no right answer for that question unless the one answering it has the same filters, tank size, stocking density, juvies or adults, feeds the same food, as you do.

All of those factors come into play.

I agree with Greg. Our babies filters (sponge filters) get cleaned every day. We have never had a problem with loosing all the bacteria in them. Our other tanks get them (sponge filters) cleaned every other day. Never a problem either. We have back filters on 4 big tanks. The prefilters (non-carbon) get cleaned everyday also. We have never had a problem with the way we do ours. I know some people suggest not to clean them that often but this works for us.

[lora]

Now I'm wondering if I clean my filters too much! I have an Emperor 400 and a 280 on my 50 gal and they get cleaned weekly. Is this too much? What about the slime inside the filter? Is slime okay up to a certain point?

[yeomans]

I clean my fluval about once a month on a 55 gallon , and sponges I rinse out sometimes twice a week in water that has come from the tank in order to not kill any bacteria.

[Kindredspirit]

Now I'm wondering if I clean my filters too much! I have an Emperor 400 and a 280 on my 50 gal and they get cleaned weekly. Is this too much? What about the slime inside the filter? Is slime okay up to a certain point?


You may be Lora ~ I know I use to do that and I un-cycled my tank! Cloudy water forever and issues and omg!! So ~ I do exactly what Tony posted ~ ( too lazy to re-type it! )

But ~ having said that ~ what works for you may ...well.. work for you! Have you been having any problems with cloudy water? I can tell when I walk into my office here ~ if I smell my tanks ~ I am over due on the filter cleanings ~ OR ~ the hydro sponges need it too!



hth ~

Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_4_10.gif

[Willie]

It's hard to lose the bacterial cycle once it has been established. For example, I still run old fashion sponge filters in my barebottom tanks. During a water change, all the internal surfaces of the tank is scrubbed twice, including the filter tubes and heater. The sponges are squeezed 20 - 30 times each in water from the tank. Then there's that 100% water change. I do this every week and never run into cloudiness afterwards. Sometimes, those sponges get left out on a bench for 5 - 6 hours and are dry to the touch. Still, the bacteria inside is viable. Again, no cloudiness when the sponges are returned. For a fish show last month, the sponges were squeezed out and put together in a dry plastic bag for the 5 hour drive. Again, no problems when I set up the new tanks.

Do I have to clean the sponges every week? Of course, not. I do notice a reduction in air flow after about two weeks, so it's a good management practice. Going to biweekly cleaning would be just as good for me. If you got a monster air pump, then you could probably go longer. It has nothing to do with losing the cycle though.

Willie

[Alight]

Marie's last answer and Greg's answer were what I do. I clean the filters when they get dirty and not before (LOL).

I use Oxygen plus prefilters, which are essentially the same as sponge filters with their output going to AC 110s. The prefilters take out 99% of the gunk, so they get cleaned once a day in the grow out tank, and every other day in the show tank. The filter bodies get cleaned once every 2 months in the grow out tank (not very dirty even then) and once every 6 months or so in the show tank (probably doesn't need it even then--almost nothing comes out in the rinse water). I change only one of the prefilter sponges (each intake has at least 4 sponges on it) at a time, when they wear out (a year or longer) and when I change main filter sponges - which is very rare (never change the ceramic media, just rinse it with the cleanings)
I put the old crumbly one back in the filter on top of the new one for a couple of months before finally removing the old one for good.

[Ryan]

On a tank with an average stocking density, I usually alternate the sponges. I usually run two Hydro IVs on my 55 gallons, so I squeeze one each week... sponge 1 this week, sponge 2 next week.

Now that my tank is crammed with baby angelfish, the sponges are getting squeezed every couple days. It doesn't take long for them to fill up with junk :)

Ryan

[Kindredspirit]

It's hard to lose the bacterial cycle once it has been established. Willie



I wondered about this ~ So Willie ~ bear with me here ~ you take your sponges out at times and put them in baggies for hours? And it is okay to like slap them back in and run them? I thought I read that to let them do that ~ could kick back some harmful things back into your tank? I could be missing something here ~

Why do they say to rinse lightly and not all the sponges at once? I did that once and I think the consensus was I DID un-cycle my tank ~ I would have to go back and read that particular thread tho ~

I will never understand how all this works ~ I just know what to do not necessarily why I am doing it! lol!



Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_4_10.gif

[AADiscus]

Marie, we have actually shipped cycled sponges from our tanks for fish orders. So you are looking at approx 18-24 hrs not being in a tank. We put them in a big plastic baggy with oxygen and in the box they go with the fish. We do this for local customers also that might need an extra sponge filter in there tank, etc. We have never had a problem with them being out of the tank for a period of time.

As an experiment try this: Take your filter out and rinse it like Willie said 20-30 times and see what kinda of stuff comes out of your filter. Put it back in your tank and see how happy your fish are. This is just my opinion!!!!

[Kindredspirit]

And I trust your opinion Angela ~ a lot ~ I will try that ~ I have another question If I may ~

I just set up two additional 10gal tanks and I took sponges from some of the other three large ones ~ right ~ so ~ I had put extra in the two 55gal and the 35 gal cuz....well I didnt think I had enough in the filters Angela, in case I need some ~ After three weeks I was told they would be cycled and ready to pull if needed ~

My question is that ~ probably pretty dumb ~ but I am confused to how much one shld stuff in the filters?? How do i know if I am taking out too many sponges?? I need to understand ~ I dont understand how much to leave behind or how much a particular filter needs ~ am I making any sense? I doubt it ~ lol!

I am not sure I have enough sponges in the 2 ten gals filters ~ the water is clear and all parameters are okay ~ so far ..........

I do remember that Cliff gave us some of his sponges come to think of it when we went to the City that time ~ But that was only and hour or so away ~ But I read on a post once that this guy plugged in his filter after being off for some time and all this crap came out and knocked all of his fish off?? Perhaps there was more to it....

If I took out my sponges out of my filters on all my tanks and rinsed them 20-30 times Angela I know... I would F* it all up babe! I would have cloudy water tomorrow .....I do rinse them once a month but very lightly....no?? Right now in fact I just walked into my office and I can smell my tanks!! There is no reason for that cuz I just cleaned all the filters...ugh!!

Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/29/29_4_11.gif

[Green Country Discus]

Marie, you are paranoid!! jk LOL!!! What have you got going with the 2 ten gallon tanks by the way? Hopefully not setting up Discus pairs: :p .

Angela laid out pretty much what we do but this happens to be a pet peeve of mine due to general consensus on the subject :argue: . I have learned from Willie on past posts and can confirm that what he says is gospel.

We also rinse our sponges (all in every tank, at the same time) in the sink :confused: , chlorinated water, real well, and let them sit outside the tank, until WC's are complete etc. with no loss of cycle. Our stocking levels are much more than most and we do LARGE WC's every day, some tanks twice. This may offset the loss of bacteria in our sponges, but I don't think so??? Tanks with babies get their sponges cleaned every day....Post on another forum by Cary Strong (genius with Discus IMO) noted that most problems with fry is due to dirty filters/sponges leaching nasties back into WC water. Most treat for flukes at this stage when in fact it is bacterial in nature. About that time I was struggling with a Cobalt batch, 275+, at about that age, some were dying every day, I treated for flukes...etc to no avail and ended up culling the entire bath :angry: . Since then with rigorous cleaning and treating newly set up pairs with PP, I have not experienced this problem.

JMO, when a sponge is cleaned, tank water whatever, when you squeeze it and it remains in a clump/does not return to its original shape quickly and is heavy, it is far over due for some real cleaning and probably causing your fish to live in an unhealthy environment, despite your efforts at changing water all the time. If the sponge will not return to shape, it is full of nasties that are retarding water flow within the sponge, and oxygen, giving space for anaerobic bacteria to thrive to give off what they may, nothing that makes Discus happy.

Since we have started cleaning our filters daily our Discus have demonstrated the best of health, vigor and growth rates.

Our tap water is treated with chlorine only and chloramine treated water may give different results as far as cleaning your sponges in tap water...:confused: .

As with everything else with raising these marvelous fish, take my advice and use your own judgment.
Keep smiling, ;)

[Ryan]

Al has shipped sponges to me overnight with no water... just sealed in a plastic bag. I've put them into previously uncycled tanks and never had an ammonia or nitrite spike. So even for extended periods of time you can remove the sponges from the tanks and the bacteria will live. I think it has more to do with the bacteria getting enough oxygen, right? If they don't have oxygen, they die.

Ryan

[Kindredspirit]

Marie, you are paranoid!! jk LOL!!! What have you got going with the 2 ten gallon tanks by the way? Hopefully not setting up Discus pairs: :p .



You are so not kidding admit it! lol! I am not paranoid! Am I ? O.k.a.y....well ~ dayumit ~ my fish are awesome and healthly tho ~ I agree with you re Cary ~ Andrew...I love his fish and they are beautiful now too ~ never ever a prob w/ them ever in any way in the year I have had them! Wonder how common that is ~ I agree with you also re Willie ~ he is up there with You and Yours, Ryan, Tim, Paul, Tony, Frank, RyanH, April ~ Jim ~ Al ~the other Al ~ Greg ~ Kc ~ and Jack ~ Jack has taught me a lot ~he doesnt post...but... when some post ya just know ~ it is all good ~

Okay ~ I'll give ~ I started a Goby tank Andrew ~ I love them ~ And in my other tank is a ............nah ~ I will tell you next week! ( might need some help )


when a sponge is cleaned, tank water whatever, when you squeeze it and it remains in a clump/does not return to its original shape quickly and is heavy, it is far over due for some real cleaning and probably causing your fish to live in an unhealthy environment, despite your efforts at changing water all the time. If the sponge will not return to shape, it is full of nasties that are retarding water flow within the sponge, and oxygen, giving space for anaerobic bacteria to thrive"

This was very informative ~ re the shape thingy Andrew!



Our tap water is treated with chlorine only and chloramine treated water may give different results as far as cleaning your sponges in tap water...

Andrew I do not understand what you mean by this ~ I use tap as well and I add Prime ~ so.......am I missing something?


Thank You Andrew ~ for always being there ~

Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_4_16.gif

[BIGFOOT]

We also rinse our sponges (all in every tank, at the same time) in the sink :confused: , chlorinated water, real well, and let them sit outside the tank, until WC's are complete etc.



I have been thinking about this. Butt instead of tap water I think I will use tank water.

[Timbo]

We also rinse our sponges (all in every tank, at the same time) in the sink :confused: , chlorinated water

clorine is added to muni water systems to kill bacteria...you guys rinse your sponges in clorinated water and dont lose the bacteria? whoa!

[Tony_S]

clorine is added to muni water systems to kill bacteria...you guys rinse your sponges in clorinated water and dont lose the bacteria? whoa!

Tim...IMO it all depends on HOW MUCH chlorine is in the tapwater...some places, its barely detectable, some places...you can SMELL it coming out of the tap. Ive done it myself many times without problems....It aint something I'd suggest to someone who may not have backup filtration available in case **** goes bad though. Better safe than sorry. Tank water is a better(safer) option for most hobbiests IMO.

I agree with alot of whats posted though...For the most part, bacteria in sponges can take a LOT of abuse without missing a beat. What causes 'joe blows' filter to suddenly crash then?? In most cases....I honestly dont have a clue...

As for leaving sponges out...shipping sponges etc. Ive stated before, and I'll say it again. Ive actually taken sponges,(boxes of them) rinsed them out and put them in storage for MONTHS ie....probably up to 6 months!! DRIER THAN A POPCORN FART!! Put them back into a new setup....and had a fully cycled tank within 1 week. Tell me all the bacteria was dead.....no way! Dormant maybe?? I guess so?? No clue....

Dont be afraid to clean your filters....

Tony

[Kindredspirit]

As for leaving sponges out...shipping sponges etc. Ive stated before, and I'll say it again. Ive actually taken sponges,(boxes of them) rinsed them out and put them in storage for MONTHS ie....probably up to 6 months!! DRIER THAN A POPCORN FART!! Put them back into a new setup....and had a fully cycled tank within 1 week. Tell me all the bacteria was dead.....no way! Dormant maybe?? I guess so?? No clue....


Tony

I can not believe this ~ I mean I believe you Tony as that is not what I meant ~ I had just never heard of this ~ you just put them right back into the filter after six months of storage ~ and you don't rinse them at all first or anything? I guess the bacteria was dormant ~

...certainly not dead ~

Tell me something how in the world did you ever figure out this would work w/o any repercussions? I guess Ryan was correct in his assumption that oxygen plays an important role ~ but .....you didnt inject Co2 ( is that oxygen? Don't laugh!) in with the sponges right ~ before storing for months?


Very interesting ~ I am learning much ~



Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/29/29_2_15.gif

[Timbo]

Ive actually taken sponges,(boxes of them) rinsed them out and put them in storage for MONTHS ie....probably up to 6 months!! DRIER THAN A POPCORN FART!! Put them back into a new setup....and had a fully cycled tank within 1 week. Tell me all the bacteria was dead.....no way! Dormant maybe?? I guess so?? No clue....

Dont be afraid to clean your filters....

Tony

interesting. why don't those commercial (with exception of biospiro (sp?) mixtures work then? Hagen cant produce one. (their Cycle product is certainly ineffective)

[Tony_S]

you just put them right back into the filter after six months of storage

yup...



and you don't rinse them at all first or anything?

nope....





Tell me something how in the world did you ever figure out this would work w/o any repercussions?




I didnt....It was purely accidental.



I guess Ryan was correct in his assumption that oxygen plays an important role ~ but .....you didnt inject Co2 ( is that oxygen? Don't laugh!) in with the sponges right ~ before storing for months?


LMFAO!!!:D :D

Co2= Carbon dioxide o2= oxygen

Nope....No o2 injected, no bags, no nothing....I rinsed the sponges in tankwater, and put them in a cardboard box. Thats it.

Tony

[Tony_S]

interesting. why don't those commercial (with exception of biospiro (sp?) mixtures work then? Hagen cant produce one. (their Cycle product is certainly ineffective)


I have no clue Tim...I honestly dont. All Im telling you is what happened....and not on one occasion, but probably 20 (had a box full)
Could I duplicate the scenario? Again, not a clue....This was from the breakdown of a fishroom...and setup of a new one. Its been broken down since...and never restarted.

Tony

[AADiscus]

Marie,

When you start moving filters around you need to keep in mind how many fish you have in your tank and what your filters are rated at. You really don't need a big filter for a 10 gal. IMO

Timbo, we rinse ours in the sink with running water. We have never had a problem. We do not have alot of chlorine in our water. Now this might not work for some depending on there water quality from there water company. I think the best think is find out what is in your water. What does the water plant treat the water with, etc.


Dont be afraid to clean your filters.... I totally agree with this.

[April]

yeppers...when jason shipped me all his discus..i started looking for all the dirty sponges i stuffed in the closet..dragged them out..stuck them in the tanks..and added his fish. no cycling problems...just alot of large wcs for the first 10 days to be sure ..and not one upset fish.
they were full of stuff..when i put them in cold storage..not rinsed. they were heavy enough to sink when water was added.

[Green Country Discus]

This is along the same lines and something I have been wondering for some time so some help is in order. I have never used a central type filter with sump and bio material running 1 tank or group of tanks. How are these things cleaned? They have to get totally covered with the same slime most of us try our best to keep out of our tanks, off the glass, hoses, cords etc. Or are they not cleaned and that slime, we all work so hard to remove or buy plecos to remove, is just not that bad :confused: ??? I would like to hear some input from those that are in the know with this subject. Thanks

[Kindredspirit]

I am certainly not in the 'know' ~ make no mistake about that ~ But I was always led to believe not to really squeeze out our filter sponges .....esp under tap ~ which I always did ~


But to rinse 'lightly'.....I am learning much here ~




yeppers...when jason shipped me all his discus..i started looking for all the dirty sponges i stuffed in the closet..dragged them out..stuck them in the tanks..and added his fish. no cycling problems...just alot of large wcs for the first 10 days to be sure ..and not one upset fish.
they were full of stuff..when i put them in cold storage..not rinsed. they were heavy enough to sink when water was added.


Now this is amazing to me cuz just the other day I found some old funky sponges and you are telling me April that I could have just slapped them in the filters and WHALA?? Well ~ go figure! Instead I boiled them for 15min...as I was putting them in as extra sponges in all the filters so I could pull one when needed ~ which I just did three weeks later ~ hmm....




Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_4_10.gif

[pcsb23]

This is along the same lines and something I have been wondering for some time so some help is in order. I have never used a central type filter with sump and bio material running 1 tank or group of tanks. How are these things cleaned? They have to get totally covered with the same slime most of us try our best to keep out of our tanks, off the glass, hoses, cords etc. Or are they not cleaned and that slime, we all work so hard to remove or buy plecos to remove, is just not that bad :confused: ??? I would like to hear some input from those that are in the know with this subject. Thanks
Andrew, you can get the slime in there for sure, the real trick is to have a really good prefilter section that catches all the major junk. I use a series of sponges, with ever reducing pore size. As with any filter that uses particle media you can scoop out some of the media and give it a good old rinse (in tank water - not chlorinated!!) then put it back. The return chamber gets a wipe down every few weeks, and I do the prefilters on mine every week. The main media though hardly ever gets touched. Mine is running six tanks at the minute and I have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and normally less than 10ppm nitrates - usually around 5 when I test. I do regular w/c's though.
hth,

[candyl70]

I had always heard to rinse them gently in tank water too. But I admit, I have rinsed some of the goo off under the tap , and never had any trouble doing that. But I would only rinse the sponges or the bio media, never both under tap. Would that make any difference??

I usually rinse them out once a month, sometimes a little bit longer, especially with my canister filter. Since I have 8 juvies, do you guys think I should be rinsing them out more often? I am wondering if it would help speed up their growth. I have a rena xp2 (canister) and an AC 30. The filtration seems to be pretty good along with the large (50-60%) w/c's.

Another thing I have wondered about is when there is sickness in the tank. When they had flukes, I rinsed both the filters out before treatment, and then I just rinsed them out again about 3 weeks after the treatment. Should one be rinsing them more often if treating for diseases???? :confused:

This has turned out to be a really interesting thread, and I am learning a great deal... so thanks everyone!!! :)

[AmberC]

Dont be afraid to clean your filters....



I clean my filters.. the whole shabang.. every water change.. but if I cannot do it every water change then I dont go longer than every other. I have two AC 110s on my 125 gallon tank. I take the filter off, carry it to the sink and disassemble it.. including the impeller box. I wash everything but the foam under tap water. The foam is removed before washing everything else and put into a 3 gallon bucket of tank water I had previously set up. After the filter box is clean... I squeeze out my foams in the bucket and put it back into the filter box and back onto the tank and fill it back up with tank water. I have 3 other AC's.. one on my 55, one on my 20 and one on my 10 and I do the same with all of those except that the 55 gallon tank is not a discus tank and only gets cleaned once a week.. so my filter only gets cleaned once a week on that tank.

I DO NOT use the little sponge on my filter intake like a lot of you do and have no plans to, but if I go longer than 2-3 days without cleaning out my filters... they get nasty. And I mean nasty. SO... I do the maintenance that is necessary for MY tanks. This is what keeps my tanks clean and my fish happy and healthy.

Amber

[Timbo]

hi all

well, i still think those of you who wash your sponges filters in chlorinated water are gambling. :)
its a fact that when chlorine comes into contact with beneficial bacteria, the bacteria die. chlorine is very effecient at this, its what it is designed to do. if you get away with it because your particular chlorine levels are lower than what is needed to kill off bad bacteria in your water supply, i would say that that is the exception rather than the rule, and not something i would advise everyone to do...thats for sure. you would be safe however to advise them to rinse with tank water.

[Cosmo]

I've always cleaned my pre-filter sponges under tap water thinking I was killing any bacteria... intentionally in order to keep mechanical media mechanical :confused:

Now.. I wonder :confused:

Jim

[Green Country Discus]

Timbo , why does it take antibiotic treats 10 days to do their job? How many minutes does it take for water on boil, from an unknown source,to be safe for human consumption (30)? These little bacteria that we coddle in our sponges, are really tough, an pampering them only hurts the ones we are trying to pamper ;) !!

[yeomans]

I was always under the impression that rinsing the sponge filters in tap water instead of tank water wasn't a good thing unless you needed to completly get rid of all the bacteria. I 've always been rinsing in a bucket of tank water for years. Should I change this method to achive cleaner sponge filters? or is my regular routine good? Josh

[Green Country Discus]

Josh, always move slow with something new to you and your set-up. We all have different water and ways :) .

[Timbo]

These little bacteria that we coddle in our sponges, are really tough, an pampering them only hurts the ones we are trying to pamper ;) !! i guess we'll have to agree to disagree. i feel that advising aquarists to rinse their filter material in chlorinated water is reckless and unwise and a poor course of action that can be easily remediated by using tank or de-chlorinated water.

[Green Country Discus]

Previous:
Our tap water is treated with chlorine only and chloramine treated water may give different results as far as cleaning your sponges in tap water... .

As with everything else with raising these marvelous fish, take my advice and use your own judgment.

Previous:
Josh, always move slow with something new to you and your set-up. We all have different water and ways .

Timbo, Agree to disagree on what? I would hope that we don't have grammar school kids learning from this forum!! It takes a lot of common sense to be successful at this game. Caution is great but can be overdone!!!

[Kindredspirit]

OKay ~


If I may chime back in ~ I think that whatever you have been doing and if you have no problems ~ keep doing it ~


Why fix it if itz not broke?

We all know by now that there is more than one way to skin a cat ~ yes?


I hate that saying ~ I have always hated that saying ~ we need a new one guys!



Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/11/11_2_104.gif

[Tony_S]

i feel that advising aquarists to rinse their filter material in chlorinated water is reckless and unwise and a poor course of action that can be easily remediated by using tank or de-chlorinated water.

As a general statement, I fully agree with you Tim. For the average hobbiest who only has one or two tanks, its a gamble(regardless of the odds.) and not something I would suggest.



It takes a lot of common sense to be successful at this game. Caution is great but can be overdone!!!

One valuable lesson Ive learned about the human race in general, is that common sense....aint all that common. Believe me, there are members of this forum who will take your passing comments very literally.

Nothing wrong with proceeding with MUCH caution either(for the average keeper)....Not everyone on this forum has a tankful of bulletproof discus....In fact, the good majority of new hobbiests/new members that sign up at Simply discus, have entered the wonderful world of discus with a tank full of weak, unhealthy discus.
Caution is only dangerous when it cross's the threshold to borderline paranoia....

Tony

[AmberC]

We all know by now that there is more than one way to skin a cat ~ yes?



I hate that saying ~ I have always hated that saying ~ we need a new one guys!





Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/11/11_2_104.gif

How about:

There is more than one way to raise a discus

lol
Amber

[Timbo]

Timbo, Agree to disagree on what? I would hope that we don't have grammar school kids learning from this forum!! It takes a lot of common sense to be successful at this game. Caution is great but can be overdone!!!

agree to disagree on your recommendation that it is fine to advise aquarists to rinse their live filter material in chlorinated water?

I agree that common sense goes a long way in this hobby...so wouldn't common sense be telling you that rinsing your bacteria material in bleach (chlorine), no matter how diluted, is a bad practice and not one to recommend?

what am i not understanding here? Being cautious is extremely prudent in this hobby...and especially on a forum with many newcomers (that may now start thoroughly rinsing their filter material in chlorinated tap water!)

[brewmaster15]

Once a month? once a week? Those really are not hard fast rules for anyone.. Filters get dirty based on how many fish you have, the kinds and amounts of food you feed, the types of filtration you have, and the AMOUNT OF WATER YOU Change.


I Clean my Prefilters on my aquaclears every couple of times I do a water change..or as needed.... A good clue it needs it is the water flow out...generally I like to get those cleaned before The water diminishes....Prefilters on power filters can be cleaned in tap, chlorinated, hot or cold water ...doesn't matter... If the bacteria there croaks...who cares? the biofilter.....matters.

On the Biofilter...My experience is it springs back quickly...especially if there is adequate water flow (well oxygenated) that goes thru it. Bacteria reproduce at a phenomenal rate... If you are doing good water changes... the biofilter should be fine.

I'll be honest here... with all the tanks I have I don't do "every" X amount of Times... I am not on a schedule.. I don't keep track of when I cleaned the sponge last because its different for every tank.. It looks dirty...I rinse it......I can usually tell by looking if it needs it.

As for whether Chlorinated tap water kills your biofilter if you rinse with It, That too depends on alot of things... It depends on the amount of chlorine in the water and the duration of contact....If you soak your sponges ina bucket of chlorinated tap water over night...you probably will have some bacterially challenged biofilters...if you give them a few quick rinses and then place them back in the tank..there should be little harm as the contact time will be so short for the amount of chlorine in the water.

That said.. it really doesn't take anytime to rinse your filters in a bucket of tank water, now does it?:) Save yourself some $$ on your water and electric bill that way:) :)

-al

[Kindredspirit]

I Clean my Prefilters on my aquaclears every couple of times I do a water change..or as needed.... A good clue it needs it is the water flow out...generally I like to get those cleaned before The water diminishes....Prefilters on power filters can be cleaned in tap, chlorinated, hot or cold water ...doesn't matter... If the bacteria there croaks...who cares? the biofilter.....matters.

-al


$$$$-UMs~ you guys must think I am paranoid ~ Okay...Al bear with me here ~

The prefilters are the sponges over the intakes right? I do rinse them in tank water but lot of times I rinse them under the faucet too ( be nice Tim ) cuz I want them really cleaned...

And if my Hydro Sponges are really gross and I can smell them ~ that is a clue I need to clean them ~ I do rinse in tank water in a bucket but then ....I find a faucet cuz ...........it can be soooooo gross and I want it cleaner .....havent had any problems with doing this but...

o.k.a..y...ANDREW...lol ~ guess I am a lil paranoid ~ well I love my fish dayumit!


Shld I be adding prime to a bucket of tap water before rinsing if I want to not use tank water?? Or am I completely not getting this??

See the prob here is I so trust everyone's opinion that has posted and now I am .......wondering if I shld fix it even if not broke as ......I wld die if I wasnt caution enough....



Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/29/29_4_11.gif

[brewmaster15]

Marie-ums:) ,

If you really want to be sure that what you are doing is fine...best way is to check your ammonia levels and nitrite levels the day after you do what ever method you do... If no ammonia or nitrite levels...then don't change a thing.

-al

ps...
The prefilters are the sponges over the intakes right? yes

[Kindredspirit]

Marie-ums:) ,

If you really want to be sure that what you are doing is fine...best way is to check your ammonia levels and nitrite levels the day after you do what ever method you do... If no ammonia or nitrite levels...then don't change a thing.

-al




I will do that ~ thanks for the tip - ums!

I hear you Al ~ np ~ :D


Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/29/29_4_11.gif

[BIGFOOT]

Should I be adding prime to a bucket of tap water before rinsing if I want to not use tank water?? Or am I completely not getting this??



If its the same temp as the tank. It should be just as safe as using tank water. I would save a little water and just rinse in a bucket of tank water.

[1977]

I'm with Andrew 100% on this. On heavily stocked tanks I rinse in tap water right out of the faucet and squeeze the filter until they run completely clear! You aren't really going to have much chlorine or chloromines because before you put the filter back in the tank it is squeezed dry almost. Newbies probably shouldn't do this because if you aren't faithfully doing wc daily then you might have a problem. I have no doubt that by squeezing the sponges like this you lose the majority of beneficial bacteria but it doesn't matter when you are doing lots of wc. My babies and heavily stocked tanks get squeezed every few days and the regular tanks maybe every week. I have been doing this for 5 months and have seen improvement in health of my discus. I would say if your not having any problems then don't change anything. Squeeze those sponge filters and watch all the crap that comes out!Do you really want that in your tank?!!! What good could it possibly do to rinse a sponge filter out in dirty tank water?!!! NONE!!! You might as well not rinse them at all. If you want to be on the safe side, put tap water in a bucket and add dechlorinater before cleaning sponge but this is still not going to work as well because every time you dip sponge it will absorb that nasty water again.And thats all I have to say about that!

[BIGFOOT]

I'm with Andrew 100% on this. On heavily stocked tanks I rinse in tap water right out of the faucet and squeeze the filter until they run completely clear! You aren't really going to have much chlorine or chloromines because before you put the filter back in the tank it is squeezed dry almost. Newbies probably shouldn't do this because if you aren't faithfully doing wc daily then you might have a problem. I have no doubt that by squeezing the sponges like this you lose the majority of beneficial bacteria but it doesn't matter when you are doing lots of wc. My babies and heavily stocked tanks get squeezed every few days and the regular tanks maybe every week. I have been doing this for 5 months and have seen improvement in health of my discus. I would say if your not having any problems then don't change anything. Squeeze those sponge filters and watch all the crap that comes out!Do you really want that in your tank?!!! What good could it possibly do to rinse a sponge filter out in dirty tank water?!!! NONE!!! You might as well not rinse them at all. If you want to be on the safe side, put tap water in a bucket and add dechlorinater before cleaning sponge but this is still not going to work as well because every time you dip sponge it will absorb that nasty water again.And thats all I have to say about that!




It does plenty good to rinse in tank water your still getting rid of the nasties and like you said practically putting the filter back in dry.

[Green Country Discus]

#1, any hobbyist with little experience and still learning to keep Discus successfully, keep your filters clean. Using tank water is proven and safe as mentioned by others. I did it for years! However do not be afraid to clean them well and often.

#2, My practices work and are proven for the requirements that I have, with the water I have ( Tony,bullet proof Discus, LOL I like that :) , heavy stocking levels, power feeding and mass water changes. My method saves time and mess with buckets, starting siphons, spilled water etc.. BUT see #1 :argue: to avoid conflict.

1977, thanks for the support and I know you do it like I do with a different water supply.

#3, Timbo and Tony make some good points and I was not being sensitive to the newbie and their understanding level. I have never been accused of being too kind or gentle...my bad!!

#4, I knew when I posted my original reply on this thread that it would cause controversy and hoped that there would be some learning to go with the controversy. I think that part worked, learning wise but I got involved more that I had planed to and that is not my style.

#5 and foremost, I have learned most of what I know about breeding and raising Discus on this site. The best Discus forum in existence!! Newbies, the information is buried within this site. Read, study and practice! Keeping these fish is wonderful.

[Tony_S]

BUT see #1 :argue: to avoid conflict.


:D damn....LMAO!!

Andrew...I think we're pretty close to the same line of thought here...sounds good!;)

Tony

[Kindredspirit]

I got involved more that I had planed to and that is not my style.

.



Well I am awful glad you did Andrew ~ and I for one feel honored when you contribute to anything I need help with ~




Don't ever change ~




Marie~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_4_16.gif

[Green Country Discus]

Tony, i hate to crawfish as much as any LOL, for those that don't understand that comment...sorry about your luck LOL :D :D .

Marie, you are doing a great job with your Discus. Pictures speak a 1,000 words. I think you got some of those "bullet proof" ones for Cary. That is not fair to the rest of the forum :p !!

[Kindredspirit]

Marie, you are doing a great job with your Discus. Pictures speak a 1,000 words. I think you got some of those "bullet proof" ones for Cary. That is not fair to the rest of the forum :p !!



To hear that from you Andrew ~ well ~ pretty cool thank you ~

I am sure Candy wld not mind ~ here are only two of my favorite fish that Cary sent me ~ "bullet proof" huh? They must be! These pics do NOT do them justice make no mistake ~ ask Candy she has seen them!


Marie ~http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_4_16.gif



Blue Snakeskin~


Snowflake ~
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/MidnightKiss4u/IMG_6296Small.jpg

[candyl70]

Shuddup Woman!!!! You know I love your fish... ok, ok ... and maybe you too (sometimes;) ) They really are very beautiful fish with equally beautiful colors!!