How Often Do You Clean Your External Canister Filter?

[the biffster]

i have five externals and they get looked at when the flow slows down or about every 15 months
why fix something that's not broken there nothing i there that needs changing all i use is ceramic tubes
plastic bio ball alfa grogg and pearlite

 

[Klfish3113]

My 75 gallon is lightly stocked (4 medium angels, 9 black phantom tetras, 4 corys, 3 SAEs and a 6" pleco and the corys and pleco have only been in there for 2 months - given to me) and I clean mine every 4 months. I run a clean bucket of dechlorinated water, pull all the baskets out and pour the ceramic rings and other media in the bucket and lightly knead them with my hands to clean them. After I put the media back in the baskets, I pour the dirty water out of the canister, rinse the sponges in the water that I cleaned the media in, refill the canister with clean, dechlorinated water and put it all back together. Never had any problems.

Um. Everything read & every expert says to rinse in aquarium water Not clean treated tap water. This will kill your beneficial bacteria, the same with also cleaning your canister with the same water.

 

[Essjay]

It's chlorinated water which kills bacteria. Dechlorinated water won't. But as there is plenty of old tank water around during a water change it's easier to use that.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Um. Everything read & every expert says to rinse in aquarium water Not clean treated tap water. This will kill your beneficial bacteria, the same with also cleaning your canister with the same water.

Clean the filter in tap water, clean the media in old tank water (or treated tap water).