Filter
- Thread starter griffin1
- Start date
LauraFrog
Fish Gatherer
This depends on a LOT of different things.
How big is the tank the filter is running on? What fish are in it and is it already cycled?
During a fish in cycle you don't clean the filter. You don't do ANYTHING that might disturb the bacteria. This is also true for a fortnight after adding fish at the completion of a fishless cycle.
When you get into regular filter cleaning it will depend on how large the tank is, how large the filter is, and how heavily stocked the tank is.
The most important thing when cleaning a filter is to keep enough of the bacteria intact to prevent a cycle spike. The best way to do this is to use a large amount of your filter media space on biological media that is never changed. I find porous ceramic rings work best. What I like to do is use a heap of filter floss around the intake of the filter. This catches all the solid 'gunk' like fish poo and bits of plant material. Then I change this every two weeks to a month, depending on how many fish I'm expecting the filter to cope with. If you are using reusable sponges instead of disposable wool, they should be cleaned every two weeks to a month by squeezing them thoroughly in tank water. If you don't have a large amount of space taken up by biological media (ie if all that's in your filter is sponges) only clean one a month. If there's only one, cut it into thirds.
If you're using chemical media, it should be changed monthly, or more often if you're really relying on it. Personally I don't use it. Carbon is great if you have problems with water supply contamination, but it's only really good for a few days under a heavy load. Then it starts releasing the absorbed toxins back into the water. If you're going to use it, make sure you really need it - otherwise it's a waste of money TBH. Carbon is a black substance that usually comes looking like little pebbles or noodles. You'll recognise it instantly because it will leave black smears on your hands if you touch it. The other chemical media you'll encounter often is zeolite. It looks like creamy or off-white rocks, usually about the size of aquarium gravel. It's sold as ammonia remover, and that's exactly what it does, but it will prevent your tank for cycling. The best uses for it are in tanks that cannot be filtered (ie fussy bettas or tiny fry) or where biological filtration won't work (ie chocolate gourami tanks).
Nitrate absorption resin is a different matter altogether that needs to be treated according to the package directions, but it is totally unnecessary for general tropical keeping - it's used for very sensitive species.
If your filter is sponges only I strongly recommend replacing one of them at least with biological media, I recommend ceramics again. It just makes the tank environment more stable, and because you can clean the rest of the media properly it keeps the tank cleaner as well.
How big is the tank the filter is running on? What fish are in it and is it already cycled?
During a fish in cycle you don't clean the filter. You don't do ANYTHING that might disturb the bacteria. This is also true for a fortnight after adding fish at the completion of a fishless cycle.
When you get into regular filter cleaning it will depend on how large the tank is, how large the filter is, and how heavily stocked the tank is.
The most important thing when cleaning a filter is to keep enough of the bacteria intact to prevent a cycle spike. The best way to do this is to use a large amount of your filter media space on biological media that is never changed. I find porous ceramic rings work best. What I like to do is use a heap of filter floss around the intake of the filter. This catches all the solid 'gunk' like fish poo and bits of plant material. Then I change this every two weeks to a month, depending on how many fish I'm expecting the filter to cope with. If you are using reusable sponges instead of disposable wool, they should be cleaned every two weeks to a month by squeezing them thoroughly in tank water. If you don't have a large amount of space taken up by biological media (ie if all that's in your filter is sponges) only clean one a month. If there's only one, cut it into thirds.
If you're using chemical media, it should be changed monthly, or more often if you're really relying on it. Personally I don't use it. Carbon is great if you have problems with water supply contamination, but it's only really good for a few days under a heavy load. Then it starts releasing the absorbed toxins back into the water. If you're going to use it, make sure you really need it - otherwise it's a waste of money TBH. Carbon is a black substance that usually comes looking like little pebbles or noodles. You'll recognise it instantly because it will leave black smears on your hands if you touch it. The other chemical media you'll encounter often is zeolite. It looks like creamy or off-white rocks, usually about the size of aquarium gravel. It's sold as ammonia remover, and that's exactly what it does, but it will prevent your tank for cycling. The best uses for it are in tanks that cannot be filtered (ie fussy bettas or tiny fry) or where biological filtration won't work (ie chocolate gourami tanks).
Nitrate absorption resin is a different matter altogether that needs to be treated according to the package directions, but it is totally unnecessary for general tropical keeping - it's used for very sensitive species.
If your filter is sponges only I strongly recommend replacing one of them at least with biological media, I recommend ceramics again. It just makes the tank environment more stable, and because you can clean the rest of the media properly it keeps the tank cleaner as well.
Rooster
Fish Herder
ONLY clean when clogged - there is NO need to "clean regularly" or "replace media" as the manudacturer would have you think !!!!!
When the flowrate drops to a point where you think "mmmm, thats slowed down" THEN is the time to give the media a rinse in old TANK water.... NEVER NEVER NEVER tap water ! (it contains anti-bacterial chemicals that will kill your hard earned "good guys")
Depends on a lot of factors, but it could range from every week to every few months !
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
To add to the excellent advice above, I would say that planning to clean once a month (as a starting plan) is a good one for beginners, who will not yet have a real feel for what constitutes a slowing down filter or a heavy load of fish. So initially, don't go more than a month without this effort (getting the bucket of tank water into the tub and then gently dunking/squeezing your media to free the debris from it.)
Note that all this assumes you are PAST the point of having "cycled" the filter and have a correctly running bio-environment and have introduced fish. Since the cycling of the filter will often take 1 or 2 months, the very first filter cleaning for most beginners does not occur until the 2 or 3-month mark from the very beginning setup of the aquarium.
~~waterdrop~~
Note that all this assumes you are PAST the point of having "cycled" the filter and have a correctly running bio-environment and have introduced fish. Since the cycling of the filter will often take 1 or 2 months, the very first filter cleaning for most beginners does not occur until the 2 or 3-month mark from the very beginning setup of the aquarium.
~~waterdrop~~
always4lora
Fish Herder
when i got my first filter a single sponge one i read the back and it said replace it every month... good job i came here or i would constantly be cycling lol.
Sorry to hijack the topic slighty but i have just got (arrived today) a Eheim 2224 which has two filter pads and some round things(looks like dog mixer) in on tray and some cylinder things with holes in them in another tray , what do these do ? noticed they smell wierd but doesnt clearly state what there purpose is.
Sorry to hijack the topic slighty but i have just got (arrived today) a Eheim 2224 which has two filter pads and some round things(looks like dog mixer) in on tray and some cylinder things with holes in them in another tray , what do these do ? noticed they smell wierd but doesnt clearly state what there purpose is.
Rooster
Fish Herder
The white "media baskets" unclip - as you probably know, so they build a tower with a little handle on the top... the very bottom basket holds the coarse (blue?) sponge, then a loading of the grey media (this is where the bacteria live !) be careful not to overdo it - the next basket has to clip on !
The other baskets are to be loaded with whatever media you choose... if the media was supplied with the filter - then theres probably enough to fill the lot + a bit extra... the very top of the pile goes the fine sponge filter (white?) on top of more media in the top basket... and then the lid/handle.
Dont pack it in - it works better "loose"... as long as you dont have to force the baskets together you are ok.
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
In the Eheim 2224 the intake water comes down thru a tube that makes its way through all the media to the bottom of the square filter box. The bottom area is free of media and just holds tank water, settling any turbulence or large debris. The tank water is then pulled upward through the layers of filter media contained in black plastic trays and can implement any or all of the 3 functions of any filter: mechanical filtration, chemical filtration and biofiltration. Chemical filtration is optional and only needed in special cases, so is usually absent from the trays.
Coming upward from the bottom water area, the dirty tank water first enounters the ceramic rings (sometimes described as pasta tubes or noodles) in the lowest tray. The purpose of the ring shape is to randomize the small streams of upward flowing water so that the water can not pass through too quickly. The purpose of the hard ceramic material is so that the media will last a lifetime. The purpose of the rough ceramic surface is to provide extremely high surface area so that more bacteria can attach and anchor themselves. The rings should be tossed in the tray randomly, not aligned in any way. (The eheim brand of rings has long been called EhfiMECH, but I believe was recently renamed "Eheim Mech".)
On top of the ceramic rings a coarse blue sponge is closely fitted. This sponge is mainly part of the first mechanical filtration, stopping large debris, but as with any sponge, it is a good surface area for bacteria, so also serves a secondary biofiltration function. After the blue sponge, the slightly cleaner water moved up to the next tray.
The next tray(s) contains ceramic pebbles (what I believe you called "dog mix", a term I'm not familiar with but I assume is like crunchy dry dog food nuggets, right? lol) which are meant to have even more surface area for bacterial colonization and are ceramic so that they too will last a lifetime. This (or these) upper trays can also share other types of media if needed, like crushed coral for added buffering of soft water or temporary carbon for removal of medicines, tannins or organic smells (which is called chemical filtration and takes 3 days.) (The eheim brand of ceramic pebbles has long been called EhfiSubstrat or SubstratPro, but I believe has recently been renamed "Eheim SubstratPro.")
On top of the ceramic pebbles a fine pad of a sort of woven floss is closely fitted. This pad is mostly for fine mechanical filtration but will also be a good harbor of bacteria for biofiltration. This pad is tough and should last a long time with gentle squeezings, but is likely to be the one bit of media that you will eventually replace off and on. There should be enough biological media in your cannister that this pad could be entirely replaced (after your filter has matured 6 months to a year) without causing a mini-cycle in my opinion.
After the water slowly emerges from this fine white filter pad, it is pulled into the impeller chamber (where hopefully you have no air bubbles that cause noise!) and thus is pumped against the friction and height of your output tubing and into the spraybar, to be shot across the tank surface to increase oxygenation while returning the filtered tank water. Your 2224 flow rate is 700 litres per hour, which should turn all the water in a 140L tank over 5 times in an hour, thus making 140L a normal recommended size tank for this filter. Recommended turnover rates vary widely however depending on the goals/experiences of different aquarists.
A couple of tips: be sure to pick up your filter box and tilt it about 30 degrees in all directions while shaking gently if possible when you have just primed and started it running. This will help to work out all the air bubbles from the media and will help it become "silent" more quickly. When it is working properly it should be virtually impossible to hear/feel other than at the spraybar. When doing a filter clean, be sure to take time to re-lubricate the o-rings for the input/output tubes and for the pump head (between head and box) with the supplied little packet of goo. This stuff is basically vasoline, which can be used once that runs out.. keeps the o-rings from breaking down prematurely, which is true for all cannister filters.
Enjoy!
~~waterdrop~~
always4lora
Fish Herder
Wow thanks for that info! this topic is now in my favourites, the instructions had like 23/24 steps in them and told me to put these differnent things in whatnot but it doesnt say anywhere what theyre for! Nice tips on the Air , was working very with getting the air out until a big air buble got stuck and filter made funny noise, so ended up getting a gob full of water (yak!!) to get it going again lol.
At the moment the filter is a bit overkill as it's in a 50 litre tank (the outage is set to the lowest i could get it) until monday when i get the 4 foot tank just thought i'd work out how to get it setup and get it started with building up the bacteria. By the sounds of what was said it should build up fairly fast!
the fish actually seem to enjoy having a little bit of a current i think . When i first switched the filter on the water level well shot down . Very impressive filter i must say ! i can't hear at all (got the spray bar under water).Thanks again for the info very much appreciated!
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
To use Miss Wiggle's new analogy, new filters are like computers without any software. Growing the bacteria to create the biofilter is like installing the software. The fish can't operate their computer without the software. At the very fastest, if you're extremely lucky, it takes about 21 days to install the software. On average it takes a month or two or even three if things go wrong. But its essential and is a great way to get yourself acclimated to the hobby. The time is well spent chatting about your cycle (the name of the software installation, lol) and asking other questions and planning your fish stocking, which can get quite complicated itself.
This site is a great place to post about and ask questions about your fishless cycle process and to learn about how to safely and successfully stock a tank. There are many friendly and knowledgeable members here.
Take time to read the many pinned articles at the top of our forum. Under Beginners Resource Center, Cycling Resource Center there are good articles. The Fishless Cycling article by member rdd1952 is our working document for doing the fishless cycle itself after you've read the other introductory material.
~~waterdrop~~
This site is a great place to post about and ask questions about your fishless cycle process and to learn about how to safely and successfully stock a tank. There are many friendly and knowledgeable members here.
Take time to read the many pinned articles at the top of our forum. Under Beginners Resource Center, Cycling Resource Center there are good articles. The Fishless Cycling article by member rdd1952 is our working document for doing the fishless cycle itself after you've read the other introductory material.
~~waterdrop~~
Behold
Fishaholic
There is a lot of info in this thread and as said its all down to the individual tank to how you maintain cleaning it. As to media it should only be replaces when its not looking like a sponge anymore or is coming apart ETC THB it will tank many years to get like this.
I have always worked on if the flow is good its not dirty enough.
I clean both filter every 2-3 months depending on the flow rate once one is not quite right i clean it. one month later i clean the other removing the need to know if i have caused a mini cycle as both my filters can handle the tank on its own.
my sponges i squeeze clean in a bucket of tank water and and i just aggitate my Rings and balls in the bucket to clean them.
I replace my floss at the same time as the clean but i do clean my floss 2-3 week apart as this rejuvinates it for a while and makes it go a bit longer if it looks really bad then its replaced. I buy my floss in a big bag and i takes a year to get through it.
Hope thats helps a bit even if it is repeating a little.
As said just adopt the info in this post but adapt it to your enviroment.....
I have always worked on if the flow is good its not dirty enough.
I clean both filter every 2-3 months depending on the flow rate once one is not quite right i clean it. one month later i clean the other removing the need to know if i have caused a mini cycle as both my filters can handle the tank on its own.
my sponges i squeeze clean in a bucket of tank water and and i just aggitate my Rings and balls in the bucket to clean them.
I replace my floss at the same time as the clean but i do clean my floss 2-3 week apart as this rejuvinates it for a while and makes it go a bit longer if it looks really bad then its replaced. I buy my floss in a big bag and i takes a year to get through it.
Hope thats helps a bit even if it is repeating a little.
As said just adopt the info in this post but adapt it to your enviroment.....
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