Filter Question Regarding Cleaning It.....

[J4G3D]

Got a Eheim ecco filter

Wondered how often i should clean it out? or change the filters inside?
And how i go about doing it?. I ask this because i would have thought they get clogged up often? and also when i had it switched off once i opened it or tried to and the water overflowed out a fair bit!.

Cheers

 

[J4G3D]

Nobody?

 

[back2Fish]

Well when it comes to cleaning out your filter you must be careful not to disrupt the beneficial bacteria too much. So lets take your questions one at a time:

How often to clean it out? You should only clean your filters out when the water flow is obstructed. If you are getting good water flow no need to clean it. If cleaning is necessary you should always do it in some of your tank water. So put some tank water into a bucket and rinse the filter pads (or what ever type media you have) in the tank water.

How often to change the filters? You should never change your filters unless they are falling apart. If you have filter cartridges that have carbon built in then mite I suggest cutting open the filter cartridge empty out the carbon and replace it with extra filter foam. Carbon is not that essential unless you are trying to remove medications from the water, or if you know you have impurities in your tap water. But most people do not need carbon on a day to day basis. If you have reached a point where you sponges, filter foam etc are starting to disintegrate then yes you need to replace them but NEVER replace more than 1/3 of your filter media at any one time.

How to go about doing it? I believe I answered that in the above two answers.

I hope I have helped.

 

[bitteraspects]

If done properly, you can clean your filters as often as you like. Once flow is restricted, its already been way too long.
I clean all my filters weekly (sometimes every 2 weeks if I've been really busy or out of town). This includes removing the filter baskets, dumping out the water and waste in the canister, and rinsing the media in a bucket of tank water. Then every couple of months I do a thorough scrubdown. This includes pulling out and scrubbing the filter baskets, scrubbing the canister itself, and flushing the hoses. never once have I had a problem due to my feequency of cleaning. In fact, I find its much more beneficial to the equipment and the fish.

Remember, whatever waste (poo, food, etc) is sucked into your canister, will stay in there until you remove it.

 

[back2Fish]

If done properly, you can clean your filters as often as you like. Once flow is restricted, its already been way too long.
I clean all my filters weekly (sometimes every 2 weeks if I've been really busy or out of town). This includes removing the filter baskets, dumping out the water and waste in the canister, and rinsing the media in a bucket of tank water. Then every couple of months I do a thorough scrubdown. This includes pulling out and scrubbing the filter baskets, scrubbing the canister itself, and flushing the hoses. never once have I had a problem due to my feequency of cleaning. In fact, I find its much more beneficial to the equipment and the fish.

Remember, whatever waste (poo, food, etc) is sucked into your canister, will stay in there until you remove it.

Interesting, it has been about 4 or 5 years since my last tank, and this would have been unheard of then, but I suppose it does make sense as long as you are not letting the media dry out. Thanks for tip.

 

[bitteraspects]

I've noticed a trend across the pond where cleaning your filters only every 6mo or so. Here in the US, most serious hobbyists would either cringe of laugh at such a suggestion. To imply that the shape of your filter determines how often it needs to be cleaned, laughs in the face of common sense. I mean, theoretically, if your canister filter is supposed to be doing a better job of filtering your tank, and is removing more waste from the display, wouldn't that in turn suggest it needs to be cleaned more often if anything?
Accumulated detritus in your filter over long periods of time can have bad effects on your water parameters. The waste held in the canister can increase nitrate levels and even lead to ammonia spikes (if there is any bacteria loss I. Your filter), and dissolved solids can drop the PH of your tank.
In regard to the idea that you only need to clean the filter when the flow is restricted, I definitely have to disagree. by the time you notice a visual difference in the flow of your filter, it has already been restricted for some time. the longer and heavier the restriction on the flow, the more strain is being put on your impeller. Over time, this can lead to premature equipment failure. Also, with clogged filter pads, comes bypass. if your filter pads become clogged with detritus, the water will try to find its way around the media rather than through it. flowing water will always take the path of least resistance. While this is largely determined by the design of the filter, bypass can happen simply by restricting the normal flow path.

There are many schools of thought regarding filter cleaning and maintenence. In the end, you just need to decide for yourself how you're going to do it. But I for one can personally attest that weekly cleaning will have no ill effects if done properly. And the way I see it, if there is much to gain and nothing to lose by cleaning your filter regularly... Why would you not do it?
If you make it part of your weekly WC routine to at least squeeze out the filter pads in a bucket of tank water (which you will already have on hand in front of you), it will only benifit you and your fish, and won't take much longer than usual.

 

[raptorrex]

If done properly, you can clean your filters as often as you like. Once flow is restricted, its already been way too long.
I clean all my filters weekly (sometimes every 2 weeks if I've been really busy or out of town). This includes removing the filter baskets, dumping out the water and waste in the canister, and rinsing the media in a bucket of tank water. Then every couple of months I do a thorough scrubdown. This includes pulling out and scrubbing the filter baskets, scrubbing the canister itself, and flushing the hoses. never once have I had a problem due to my feequency of cleaning. In fact, I find its much more beneficial to the equipment and the fish.

Remember, whatever waste (poo, food, etc) is sucked into your canister, will stay in there until you remove it.

I have to disagree completely here. one of the main benefits of cannisters is, long periods between cleans. as back2Fsih says. true, if you have reduced flow, the filter needs cleaned. but if that happens, in two or three weeks, something is wrong. perhaps over feeding?

as far as i can see, most of the waste taken in by your filter is broken down, completely. (if the filter is working efficiently) not kept in the filter. i last cleaned my Eheim, a month ago. it had been 13 months since the last clean. (flow has slowed, noticeably, but not excessively, in that time.)

remember, you can clean your media as carefully as you like. but you will still loose valuable bacteria, when cleaning.

@back2Fish. you are not the only one surprised by bitteraspects comments. his "common sense" approach, honestly makes no sense. an effective filter breaks down the waste. if its truly, effective. all that is left in your filter is fibrous matter. and that cant break down much further. i would postulate that the reason he needs to clean so often is, that he does not have enough bacteria to "effectively" clean for the fish he keeps. that's not to say his fish are kept in any "bad" way. they just require more effort, than necessary, to keep that way.
As bitteraspects says

you just need to decide for yourself how you're going to do it

. but, to me, there is no point in making work for yourself. especially when all the evidence points to the fact that over cleaning is as bad, possibly worse, than low maintenance.

my advice. clean when you notice a drop in flow. judge, when you open the cannister, just how dirty it is. if you are getting clogging in some areas for the media, consider a change of type. six months seems to be the average for cannisters, though there is not rule. you will eventually gain experience of your system. this will allow you to "tailor" your cleaning to your, particular, environment. but i ,too, can say my system works with no ill efects on my fish. (i have never lost a fish to illness. indeed dont loose fish). so, if both work, why do any extra work?

 

[roadmaster]

If done properly, you can clean your filters as often as you like. Once flow is restricted, its already been way too long.
I clean all my filters weekly (sometimes every 2 weeks if I've been really busy or out of town). This includes removing the filter baskets, dumping out the water and waste in the canister, and rinsing the media in a bucket of tank water. Then every couple of months I do a thorough scrubdown. This includes pulling out and scrubbing the filter baskets, scrubbing the canister itself, and flushing the hoses. never once have I had a problem due to my feequency of cleaning. In fact, I find its much more beneficial to the equipment and the fish.

Remember, whatever waste (poo, food, etc) is sucked into your canister, will stay in there until you remove it.

I have to disagree completely here. one of the main benefits of cannisters is, long periods between cleans. as back2Fsih says. true, if you have reduced flow, the filter needs cleaned. but if that happens, in two or three weeks, something is wrong. perhaps over feeding?

as far as i can see, most of the waste taken in by your filter is broken down, completely. (if the filter is working efficiently) not kept in the filter. i last cleaned my Eheim, a month ago. it had been 13 months since the last clean. (flow has slowed, noticeably, but not excessively, in that time.)

remember, you can clean your media as carefully as you like. but you will still loose valuable bacteria, when cleaning.

@back2Fish. you are not the only one surprised by bitteraspects comments. his "common sense" approach, honestly makes no sense. an effective filter breaks down the waste. if its truly, effective. all that is left in your filter is fibrous matter. and that cant break down much further. i would postulate that the reason he needs to clean so often is, that he does not have enough bacteria to "effectively" clean for the fish he keeps. that's not to say his fish are kept in any "bad" way. they just require more effort, than necessary, to keep that way.
As bitteraspects says

you just need to decide for yourself how you're going to do it

. but, to me, there is no point in making work for yourself. especially when all the evidence points to the fact that over cleaning is as bad, possibly worse, than low maintenance.

my advice. clean when you notice a drop in flow. judge, when you open the cannister, just how dirty it is. if you are getting clogging in some areas for the media, consider a change of type. six months seems to be the average for cannisters, though there is not rule. you will eventually gain experience of your system. this will allow you to "tailor" your cleaning to your, particular, environment. but i ,too, can say my system works with no ill efects on my fish. (i have never lost a fish to illness. indeed dont loose fish). so, if both work, why do any extra work?

In the aquarium, there are total dissolved solids ,and total suspended solids.
Total suspended solids are those thar are held on the filter material or in the filter material until we clean the sponge,pad,cartridge etc and clogs the material depending on volume accumulated. Bacteria will work on this but it is possible that the water quality can begin to suffer while bacteria works on this and the bacteria does not completely dissolve this or we would never have to clean filter material at all.
Total dissolved solids are that which passes through the filter material and is only removed effectively through water changes. Again water quality can deteriorate in between water changes.
Total suspended solids as the name implies are not readily broken down and remain trapped in the filter material. Sure,the bacteria will work on it and colonize there and further restict the flow of water if allowed to gather without regular cleaning of the filter material.
Only time I would suggest holding off on cleaning the filter material is during the cycling or maturing process where we are trying to develop a bacteria colony that in large part develops in the filter where oxygen rich water and food are readily available.
Nothing at all wrong with weekly swishing of filter material in tank water that you are removing anyway.

 

[raptorrex]

If done properly, you can clean your filters as often as you like. Once flow is restricted, its already been way too long.
I clean all my filters weekly (sometimes every 2 weeks if I've been really busy or out of town). This includes removing the filter baskets, dumping out the water and waste in the canister, and rinsing the media in a bucket of tank water. Then every couple of months I do a thorough scrubdown. This includes pulling out and scrubbing the filter baskets, scrubbing the canister itself, and flushing the hoses. never once have I had a problem due to my feequency of cleaning. In fact, I find its much more beneficial to the equipment and the fish.

Remember, whatever waste (poo, food, etc) is sucked into your canister, will stay in there until you remove it.

I have to disagree completely here. one of the main benefits of cannisters is, long periods between cleans. as back2Fsih says. true, if you have reduced flow, the filter needs cleaned. but if that happens, in two or three weeks, something is wrong. perhaps over feeding?

as far as i can see, most of the waste taken in by your filter is broken down, completely. (if the filter is working efficiently) not kept in the filter. i last cleaned my Eheim, a month ago. it had been 13 months since the last clean. (flow has slowed, noticeably, but not excessively, in that time.)

remember, you can clean your media as carefully as you like. but you will still loose valuable bacteria, when cleaning.

@back2Fish. you are not the only one surprised by bitteraspects comments. his "common sense" approach, honestly makes no sense. an effective filter breaks down the waste. if its truly, effective. all that is left in your filter is fibrous matter. and that cant break down much further. i would postulate that the reason he needs to clean so often is, that he does not have enough bacteria to "effectively" clean for the fish he keeps. that's not to say his fish are kept in any "bad" way. they just require more effort, than necessary, to keep that way.
As bitteraspects says

you just need to decide for yourself how you're going to do it

. but, to me, there is no point in making work for yourself. especially when all the evidence points to the fact that over cleaning is as bad, possibly worse, than low maintenance.

my advice. clean when you notice a drop in flow. judge, when you open the cannister, just how dirty it is. if you are getting clogging in some areas for the media, consider a change of type. six months seems to be the average for cannisters, though there is not rule. you will eventually gain experience of your system. this will allow you to "tailor" your cleaning to your, particular, environment. but i ,too, can say my system works with no ill efects on my fish. (i have never lost a fish to illness. indeed dont loose fish). so, if both work, why do any extra work?

In the aquarium, there are total dissolved solids ,and total suspended solids.
Total suspended solids are those thar are held on the filter material or in the filter material until we clean the sponge,pad,cartridge etc and clogs the material depending on volume accumulated. Bacteria will work on this but it is possible that the water quality can begin to suffer while bacteria works on this and the bacteria does not completely dissolve this or we would never have to clean filter material at all.
Total dissolved solids are that which passes through the filter material and is only removed effectively through water changes. Again water quality can deteriorate in between water changes.
Total suspended solids as the name implies are not readily broken down and remain trapped in the filter material. Sure,the bacteria will work on it and colonize there and further restict the flow of water if allowed to gather without regular cleaning of the filter material.
Only time I would suggest holding off on cleaning the filter material is during the cycling or maturing process where we are trying to develop a bacteria colony that in large part develops in the filter where oxygen rich water and food are readily available.
Nothing at all wrong with weekly swishing of filter material in tank water that you are removing anyway.

i don't think i said there was anything wrong with constant cleaning. but as both systems work. why bother with "over cleaning"? if you are suggesting my system does not work. you are talking , how should i put it, rubbish . as its the most oft used system, amongst experienced keepers. and the suggestion that you don't deplete the bio colony by over cleaning is, laughable. still like bitteraspect says. you pick what you want to do.

 

[roadmaster]

If done properly, you can clean your filters as often as you like. Once flow is restricted, its already been way too long.
I clean all my filters weekly (sometimes every 2 weeks if I've been really busy or out of town). This includes removing the filter baskets, dumping out the water and waste in the canister, and rinsing the media in a bucket of tank water. Then every couple of months I do a thorough scrubdown. This includes pulling out and scrubbing the filter baskets, scrubbing the canister itself, and flushing the hoses. never once have I had a problem due to my feequency of cleaning. In fact, I find its much more beneficial to the equipment and the fish.

Remember, whatever waste (poo, food, etc) is sucked into your canister, will stay in there until you remove it.

I have to disagree completely here. one of the main benefits of cannisters is, long periods between cleans. as back2Fsih says. true, if you have reduced flow, the filter needs cleaned. but if that happens, in two or three weeks, something is wrong. perhaps over feeding?

as far as i can see, most of the waste taken in by your filter is broken down, completely. (if the filter is working efficiently) not kept in the filter. i last cleaned my Eheim, a month ago. it had been 13 months since the last clean. (flow has slowed, noticeably, but not excessively, in that time.)

remember, you can clean your media as carefully as you like. but you will still loose valuable bacteria, when cleaning.

@back2Fish. you are not the only one surprised by bitteraspects comments. his "common sense" approach, honestly makes no sense. an effective filter breaks down the waste. if its truly, effective. all that is left in your filter is fibrous matter. and that cant break down much further. i would postulate that the reason he needs to clean so often is, that he does not have enough bacteria to "effectively" clean for the fish he keeps. that's not to say his fish are kept in any "bad" way. they just require more effort, than necessary, to keep that way.
As bitteraspects says

you just need to decide for yourself how you're going to do it

. but, to me, there is no point in making work for yourself. especially when all the evidence points to the fact that over cleaning is as bad, possibly worse, than low maintenance.

my advice. clean when you notice a drop in flow. judge, when you open the cannister, just how dirty it is. if you are getting clogging in some areas for the media, consider a change of type. six months seems to be the average for cannisters, though there is not rule. you will eventually gain experience of your system. this will allow you to "tailor" your cleaning to your, particular, environment. but i ,too, can say my system works with no ill efects on my fish. (i have never lost a fish to illness. indeed dont loose fish). so, if both work, why do any extra work?

In the aquarium, there are total dissolved solids ,and total suspended solids.
Total suspended solids are those thar are held on the filter material or in the filter material until we clean the sponge,pad,cartridge etc and clogs the material depending on volume accumulated. Bacteria will work on this but it is possible that the water quality can begin to suffer while bacteria works on this and the bacteria does not completely dissolve this or we would never have to clean filter material at all.
Total dissolved solids are that which passes through the filter material and is only removed effectively through water changes. Again water quality can deteriorate in between water changes.
Total suspended solids as the name implies are not readily broken down and remain trapped in the filter material. Sure,the bacteria will work on it and colonize there and further restict the flow of water if allowed to gather without regular cleaning of the filter material.
Only time I would suggest holding off on cleaning the filter material is during the cycling or maturing process where we are trying to develop a bacteria colony that in large part develops in the filter where oxygen rich water and food are readily available.
Nothing at all wrong with weekly swishing of filter material in tank water that you are removing anyway.

i don't think i said there was anything wrong with constant cleaning. but as both systems work. why bother with "over cleaning"? if you are suggesting my system does not work. you are talking , how should i put it, rubbish . as its the most oft used system, amongst experienced keepers. and the suggestion that you don't deplete the bio colony by over cleaning is, laughable. still like bitteraspect says. you pick what you want to do.

Did not suggest that your sytem or method was not working , merely attempting to correct inaccurate statement that "everything that accumulates in filter is broken down completely."
Never said that depletion of bacteria does not happen but bacteria gathers on, and clings to, every surface in the aquarium, On the glass,on the decorations,plants,wood,and on the substrate. What little is removed by swishing material around during frequent cleanings is in my view,negligible and by doing so,, the filter will run at optimum level,water flow will be optimum,and filter will be more effective than three or four months or twelve. between servicing.To not want filter operating at optimum level to me,, is how you say... Laughable.

 

[raptorrex]

Did not suggest that your sytem or method was not working , merely attempting to correct inaccurate statement that "everything that accumulates in filter is broken down completely."
Never said that depletion of bacteria does not happen but bacteria gathers on, and clings to, every surface in the aquarium, On the glass,on the decorations,plants,wood,and on the substrate. What little is removed by swishing material around during frequent cleanings is in my view,negligible and by doing so,, the filter will run at optimum level,water flow will be optimum,and filter will be more effective than three or four months or twelve. between servicing.To not want filter operating at optimum level to me,, is how you say... Laughable.

and i did not say that. mealy that the fibrous leftovers have little left to break down. that's how a septic tank works for human waste (which is, effectively, a large version of a cannister filter.) well ish.

the, consensus is (as there is little real scientific study). that there is very little, if any, bacteria in the tank and water. true substrate can hold some (but you need to husband this resource, as it is usually removed with vacing.) though there is a bio film over much of the tank, inside, and deccor. (this is what makes a tank mature). but this is not the bacteria we are using in the filter.

finaly it depends on what you call optimal, optimal flow, or optimal bio operation. just because a filter flows more water. does not, necessarily, mean the filter is working optimally. even on high flow systems. the water, and therefore waste, need to have contact time with the media. and it matters not how you put it. if your filter has grown a level of bacteria. removing it, or some of it, is reducing the effectiveness of the filter. of that there can be no argument, as the filter can only grow bacteria it has the food for.

 

[roadmaster]

Did not suggest that your sytem or method was not working , merely attempting to correct inaccurate statement that "everything that accumulates in filter is broken down completely."
Never said that depletion of bacteria does not happen but bacteria gathers on, and clings to, every surface in the aquarium, On the glass,on the decorations,plants,wood,and on the substrate. What little is removed by swishing material around during frequent cleanings is in my view,negligible and by doing so,, the filter will run at optimum level,water flow will be optimum,and filter will be more effective than three or four months or twelve. between servicing.To not want filter operating at optimum level to me,, is how you say... Laughable.

and i did not say that. mealy that the fibrous leftovers have little left to break down. that's how a septic tank works for human waste (which is, effectively, a large version of a cannister filter.) well ish.

the, consensus is (as there is little real scientific study). that there is very little, if any, bacteria in the tank and water. true substrate can hold some (but you need to husband this resource, as it is usually removed with vacing.) though there is a bio film over much of the tank, inside, and deccor. (this is what makes a tank mature). but this is not the bacteria we are using in the filter.

finaly it depends on what you call optimal, optimal flow, or optimal bio operation. just because a filter flows more water. does not, necessarily, mean the filter is working optimally. even on high flow systems. the water, and therefore waste, need to have contact time with the media. and it matters not how you put it. if your filter has grown a level of bacteria. removing it, or some of it, is reducing the effectiveness of the filter. of that there can be no argument, as the filter can only grow bacteria it has the food for.

I suppose you and I shall have to agree to disagree.
Mechanical and biological filtration are considerd by most to be the most important types of filtration. For my money ,and in my opinion,, anything that obstructs the flow of water through the filter should be removed on regular basis to ensure that filtration is running at optimum levels.
Have followed this philosophy since early 1970's and it has served me well.
Have heard nothing thus far that would lead me to think otherwise.

 

[raptorrex]

Have followed this philosophy since early 1970's and it has served me well.
Have heard nothing thus far that would lead me to think otherwise.

lol, funnily enough, i had guessed .

 

[bricko]

I have 2 external running on my tank and clean each one every other month. Basically it is a strip down and clean of a filter once a month. This may be exessive in some opinions but it also means that maintenance is quicker as the filter and media require less cleaning down. This is just my preference and seems to work fine for me. I use mainly bioballs and ceramic rings which are rinsed in tank water then replaced into the basket. I have foam filters in the first stage of the filter for collecting large pieces of crap and rinse these under tap water, I know there may be some bacteria in the foam but that is not its primary purpose in my filter so I chose to clean it this way as it is primarily there to screan the water not bread bacteria.

Just thought I would include my filter routine into the mix as well

 

[bitteraspects]

I have to disagree completely here. one of the main benefits of cannisters is, long periods between cleans. as back2Fsih says. true, if you have reduced flow, the filter needs cleaned. but if that happens, in two or three weeks, something is wrong. perhaps over feeding?

according to who? because im almost certin that no manufacturer is going to suggest you wait 6mo between cleaning your filter?
and as i clearly mentioned earlier. by the time there is a noticeable difference in flow, your filter has already been hindered for way too long. canister filters are only rated to handle a certain amount of head pressure. (something like 4-5', depending on the manufacturer). this is usually marked by the length of the hoses that accompany your filter. the more unnecesary strain put on the motor beyond that can cause your equipment to break down much sooner than intended. (and people wonder why their filter leak. bahahahah. )


as far as i can see, most of the waste taken in by your filter is broken down, completely. (if the filter is working efficiently) not kept in the filter. i last cleaned my Eheim, a month ago. it had been 13 months since the last clean. (flow has slowed, noticeably, but not excessively, in that time.)

as mentioned earlier. not all solids are broken down. and as mentioned earlier (noticing a trend here?) dissolved solids do lower your PH, and have other negative effects on your water parameters.

remember, you can clean your media as carefully as you like. but you will still loose valuable bacteria, when cleaning.

i think this sentence explains exactly why you so foolishly disagree. it seems like someone has tragically misinformed you on this matter. if proper precautions are taken (IE. using decholrinated tank water, not TAP water. not allowing your media to dry out or go for extended periods without food and air. etc) you run absolutely NO risk of loosing enough bacteria to make a difference in your cycle.
as i said, i clean my filters every week to two weeks. i guess that disproves your "theory"

@back2Fish. you are not the only one surprised by bitteraspects comments. his "common sense" approach, honestly makes no sense. an effective filter breaks down the waste. if its truly, effective. all that is left in your filter is fibrous matter. and that cant break down much further. i would postulate that the reason he needs to clean so often is, that he does not have enough bacteria to "effectively" clean for the fish he keeps. that's not to say his fish are kept in any "bad" way. they just require more effort, than necessary, to keep that way.

BAHAHAHAHHAHAH. you would "postulate" WRONG!
not once did i ever say i "need" to clean my filters that often. merely that i CHOSE to. when performing weekly WC/ gravel vac. etc, why would you NOT take an extra 5 minutes out of your day to give your filter pads a squeeze in a bucket of tank water? youre already in ther tank and doing cleaning. whats 5 more minutes?
i CHOSE to clean my filters regularly to benefit bot my equipment and my fish. i GUARANTEE, my equipment will last much longer than yours if only due to its cleaning schedule.

As bitteraspects says

you just need to decide for yourself how you're going to do it

. but, to me, there is no point in making work for yourself. especially when all the evidence points to the fact that over cleaning is as bad, possibly worse, than low maintenance.

and again i ask, what "evidence"?
ive been keeping a weekly to bi-weekly WC/cleaning schedule for many years, and have yet to have any negative outcome because of it. guess there is no "evidence".
as for "why make more work for yourself"?... how about because your fish and equipment rely solely on you for their maintenance, and were only talking about 5 minutes a week.
5 minutes is a cigarette break, or the time it takes to walk down the driveway to get your mail. 5 minutes is a single television commercial, or one song on the radio.
if an extra 5minutes a week is too much "work" for you, i feel sorry for the way you were raised.


my advice. clean when you notice a drop in flow. judge, when you open the cannister, just how dirty it is. if you are getting clogging in some areas for the media, consider a change of type. six months seems to be the average for cannisters, though there is not rule. you will eventually gain experience of your system. this will allow you to "tailor" your cleaning to your, particular, environment. but i ,too, can say my system works with no ill efects on my fish. (i have never lost a fish to illness. indeed dont loose fish). so, if both work, why do any extra work?

clearly i can not speak for EVERY manufacturer, but i have NEVER seen any canister suggest you only do cleaning/maintenance every 6mo. i have seen 6-8 weeks (eheim), but NEVER once have i seen a manufacturer s instructions include the words "do not clean for 6 months".

as roadmaster explained to you earlier.

"anything that obstructs the flow of water through the filter should be removed on regular basis to ensure that filtration is running at optimum levels."

i have yet to meet a man who is bold enough to suggest that doing something for 5 minutes a week is "hard work". but if taking an extra 5 minutes during my usual tank cleaning day ensures my equipment will last longer, and fish will be happy, im more than happy to do it.
with the money people are spending on canister filters. why would you NOT do the extra "work"?

but like i said. everyone has their own ways. quite frankly, the way you people do things in the UK is nowhere near how we do it in the US. and both our methods are completely different from how they do it in ASIA.

in the end, figure out what works for you, and do that.
but when your tetratec filter starts leaking because you waited 6 months to clean/maintain it, id suggest keeping it to yourself. lol