WHAT IS IN YOUR FILTERS?? How often to Rinse?

[Kindredspirit]

Hey guys ~ What is in your filters? Media * Sponges* both * Carbon*....what else?? How often do you rinse all that is in your filters? I have mostly sponges in most of mine and I rinse them once a month ~

I think I may be doing this not often enough? Or I missed one....cuz my office smelled horrible just now ~

I rinse my intake sponges every wc but all filters once a month ~


Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/29/29_5_2.gif

[hexed]

I have HOB filters and canisters on all my discus tanks and the only media in them is JUST sponges. I have prefilters on all intake tubes. I rinse the sponges once a week inside all my filters and the prefilters everyday. I completely clean the HOB and canisters once a month - this is wiping the insides down and rinsing all the parts.

On my goby tanks and half my 50 gallon - the planted side (this tank is divided with a breeding pair of discus on one end), I use regular media that came with the filters and clean those once a month - the too have prefilters on the intake tubes.

To me if you only have nothing but sponges inside the filters then they work just like a regular sponge filter would and I clean the regular sponge filters once a week.

[Kindredspirit]

To me if you only have nothing but sponges inside the filters then they work just like a regular sponge filter would and I clean the regular sponge filters once a week.


I wonder if I shld start doing it once a week instead of once a month.....


hmm....


Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_13_13.gif

[lhforbes12]

I also clean my cannisters once a week, but I have a variety of media in them; sponges, filter floss, and noodles. The sump media gets cleaned every two days when I do a wc on that tank. I clean all media with running tap water. I have never had a problem doing this. If I don't keep them this clean they start slowing down quickly, but that is mainly because I almost never replace the media, just clean it. I don't use pre-filters, but I do have 100 micron and 50 micron pads in the filters also.

[traco]

Oh, I'm way out to lunch then!! I rinse my filters once a month. I guess upping would help. And I should mark on the calendar when I do it cuz I'm always forgetting.:p Last time, the sponges were really bad and yucky.

[marilyn1998]

I have two Filstar XP3 canisters. Both of the intakes have prefilter sponges, I rinse those everyday.

I use 2- large hole sponges, 2- medium hole sponges, ceramic noodles, biostars and a micron sponge in each.

I clean my tanks 2x week. Every Friday I SCRUB the glass, then rinse out one canister. Next Friday SCRUB the glass and rinse the other. Third Friday of the month I thoroughly clean one canister, then the fourth Friday do the other.
I scrub the glass on the Monday that I thoroughly clean the canisters.

HTH

[sleonard]

I use Aquaclear filters with sponges as well as air-driven sponge filters. I clean out all the sponges in tank water and scrub the Aquaclears every Saturday.

Scott

[crazie.eddie]

I have 2 filters in my 125, an Eheim Pro II 2128 and FilStar XP3. I usually clean out a filter every other month. On the weekend I do plan to do it, I just do lite gravel cleaning, by syphoning up the substrate surface, never really digging into the substrate. I also clean out the pre-filter sponges every other day or so. That way, I don't disturb too much of benificial bacteria in the tank. In my other tanks, I also do lite gravel cleaning on the weekend I clean out the filter. Never had problems.

[poconogal]

I have an AC 500 and I rinse the media in tank water and clean the filter every two weeks. I have a fine pore prefilter on the intake which I rinse 2x a week.

In the AC 500 I have the big sponge, a 100 micron filter pad, Purigen by Seachem, ceramic noodles, and an extra sponge and noodles that can be transferred to the QT tank filter when needed.

[Kindredspirit]

Thanks everyone! I had done all wc yesterday and then a little later I walked into my office and OMG.....the smell was to die for ~ literally! I took all the sponges out of my African and cleaned them ....the smell went away a little ...but not enough ~

I then took them out of all tanks in my office and cleaned them all! The smell is gone ~ I had been doing the filters all once a month ~ musta forgot one:p

Think I will up that tho to ~ hell something less than a month:balloon:


Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_6_109.gif

[greyhoundfan]

Marie.. What's gonig on?? You've been creating alot of work for yourself lately. Filters, tanks, airpumps..Not enough stuff to do huh..

J/K..Hang in there.

[Kindredspirit]

I know I know ....itz tough bein me ya know? Now I have a missing Goby...:( jumped ship I guess ~


Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_13_13.gif

[lhforbes12]

Marie,
What in Heavens to Betsy is your new avatar? It looks like an RLV with hair

[Kindredspirit]

What is it? Pick on Marie day? :( :(


It is my Newfoundland ....Shamu ~ Whatz an RLV? Do I know what that is? Sounds familiar....


Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_13_13.gif

[lhforbes12]

What is it? Pick on Marie day? :( :(


It is my Newfoundland ....Shamu ~ Whatz an RLV? Do I know what that is? Sounds familiar....


Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_13_13.gif

::::::::::fwap::::::::::

[Kindredspirit]

Rio Linda Vase! I had forgotten ~ wow ~

[poconogal]

Rio Linda Vase! I had forgotten ~ wow ~
Marie, Marie, Marie... how could you forget your wonderful treasure, the RLV? In fact, I've missed it - haven't seen it myself for awhile. You must post a piccie of it. ;)