Cleaning The Filter - Must You Use Aquarium Water?

[FlyingFish78]

... Or can you simply clean the filter in a bucket of dechlorinated water? This means you don't have to drain any water from the tank.

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Aquarium water is best, dechlorinated is an option, but IMO its just easier to use aquarium as you can wash your filter while you are cleaning the tank.

 

[SimpleDog]

If you have to do a water change anyway, why add to your water bill to clean with fresh tap water?

 

[frapadoodle]

I use a smaller jug filled with tank water. Then water the houseplants and watch them explode. The rest of the tankwater goes to the landscape.

 

[FlyingFish78]

If you have to do a water change anyway, why add to your water bill to clean with fresh tap water?

 
Good point.

 

[BerryAttack]

if you use fresh tap water then when you clean the media or there is left over chlorine that isn't treated it'll kill off the good bacteria in your filters.. which sends you into another cycling faze. 
just clean your gravel etc, then when doing the water change use the vacuum hose over a bucket to rinse out filter media sponge until you decide it is clean enough.. i do this and never had an issue. find it much easier.. and then with the water you can water your potted plants, they become really happy with all the ferts giving

 

[FlyingFish78]

then when doing the water change use the vacuum hose over a bucket to rinse out filter media sponge until you decide it is clean enough.

Please explain what you mean.

 

[BerryAttack]

ok the vacuum cleans the substrate and you have a hose that runs into a bucket because that is how you remove the waste and need it to leave the tank. now with the same bucket or a different one when you have finished you leave the vacuum in the tank, sucking out water. having your already canister filter or hang on (depending if you are able to clean the media or not.. like a sponge that just needs to be rinsed) you put your thumb over the hose to control the water you use one hand to squeeze the filter media while the other hand is controlling the water flow.. repeat until the media is "cleaner" and without so much waste.. usually i do mine until they run a bit clean with the water then i'm done and i move on to the next one. repeating the process.
if you have a canister filter, when hooking back up you'll have a net to catch any waste that flows out from the out put vent where the water comes back into the tank when you have before topped it off with clean treated water.

 

[FlyingFish78]

ok the vacuum cleans the substrate and you have a hose that runs into a bucket because that is how you remove the waste and need it to leave the tank. now with the same bucket or a different one when you have finished you leave the vacuum in the tank, sucking out water. having your already canister filter or hang on (depending if you are able to clean the media or not.. like a sponge that just needs to be rinsed) you put your thumb over the hose to control the water you use one hand to squeeze the filter media while the other hand is controlling the water flow.. repeat until the media is "cleaner" and without so much waste.. usually i do mine until they run a bit clean with the water then i'm done and i move on to the next one. repeating the process.
if you have a canister filter, when hooking back up you'll have a net to catch any waste that flows out from the out put vent where the water comes back into the tank when you have before topped it off with clean treated water.

Hi BerryAttack and thanks for the reply again.

I have a spray bar on my output so I guess it's not an option to put a net over the output.

Now from what you explain it sounds like you use the siphon hose to wash the media. Wouldn't it be more simple to wash the media kn a bucket of tank water?

 

[BerryAttack]

you can do it with a spray bar, just have to swish the net around to catch what ever comes out.. i just do this to make the tank look cleaner faster.. lol
 
the media is full of waste, so buy just rinsing it in a bucket of water you are releasing waste, and when the water becomes brown (mine does.. bleh) you are now sucking in waste into the media then pushing it back out... so by using the hose you don't have that issue.. its just my solution to cleaning a filter faster while doing a water change at the same time... but everyone has their own