Fluval 406 And Water Changes

[benzenering]

I finally installed my first canister two weeks ago.  It is now time for my first water change.  I normally change 50% of the water.  According to the user manual I can't operate the filter with the water more than 7 inches below the rim of the tank, and I will be below that.  How do I turn off the filter to do the water change?  Do I just unplug it?  I don't need to clean anything inside the filter quite yet, but those are the only instructions I see in the user manual.

 

[jag51186]

Yes, just unplug it for water changes.

 

[Byron]

Agree.  You should turn off all equipment, meaning filters and heaters, before beginning a water change.  Unplugging them is one way.  What I do is use one of the short power bars that has a switch; plug the filter and heater(s) into this power bar, but plug the tank lights directly into the wall (or wherever, just not the short power bar).  Then all you have to do is switch off the power bar.  Remember to switch it back on afterwards.
 
As for the frequency of cleaning/rinsing the filter, that depends upon the specific aquarium and the filter.  You want to keep the filter somewhat clear of debris, since this impedes the flow and can even block it completely, and it sometimes does not take long for the flow to be significantly impeded.  My Rena XP 3 needs cleaning every 6-8 weeks or the flow is drastically reduced; my Eheims on similar-sized and stocked tanks can go 3-4 months.
 
When you clean the filter, rinse all media and pads.  I tend to replace the fine white pad every time as this is very difficult to thoroughly clean and it tends to lose its shape when rinsed, so the water flows too easily through or even around it. 

Byron.

 

[ricbea]

Agree.  You should turn off all equipment, meaning filters and heaters, before beginning a water change.  Unplugging them is one way.  What I do is use one of the short power bars that has a switch; plug the filter and heater(s) into this power bar, but plug the tank lights directly into the wall (or wherever, just not the short power bar).  Then all you have to do is switch off the power bar.  Remember to switch it back on afterwards.
 
As for the frequency of cleaning/rinsing the filter, that depends upon the specific aquarium and the filter.  You want to keep the filter somewhat clear of debris, since this impedes the flow and can even block it completely, and it sometimes does not take long for the flow to be significantly impeded.  My Rena XP 3 needs cleaning every 6-8 weeks or the flow is drastically reduced; my Eheims on similar-sized and stocked tanks can go 3-4 months.
 
When you clean the filter, rinse all media and pads.  I tend to replace the fine white pad every time as this is very difficult to thoroughly clean and it tends to lose its shape when rinsed, so the water flows too easily through or even around it. 
Byron.

I agree with Byron here but if I may add one little comment so there is no confusion. When you clean the filter and rinse all media and pads, please make sure you do it in the water that you are draining from the tank, otherwise you will find that you may wipe all the beneficial bacteria. It is best not to wash your media in clean water. 

 

[Byron]

I agree with Byron here but if I may add one little comment so there is no confusion. When you clean the filter and rinse all media and pads, please make sure you do it in the water that you are draining from the tank, otherwise you will find that you may wipe all the beneficial bacteria. It is best not to wash your media in clean water.
 

 
I am not exactly disagreeing with this, but for the sake of providing a full picture which I feel a forum discussion should attempt to do, I will expand a bit.  With a fairly new aquarium, I would agree with using a pail of tank water to rinse the filter media.  Once the aquarium is established after a couple months, this is much less of an issue, for two reasons.
 
First, there will be more than sufficient bacteria in the substrate than in the filter, plus on all surfaces in the aquarium.  The larger number of nitrifying bacteria assumed to reside in the filter is not the "given" held by many aquarists.  Provided there are no issues respecting the tank stocking and water changes, there will be no issues cleaning the filter in tap water.
 
Second, we now have scientific studies that chlorine does not kill off all nitrifying bacteria.  The amount of time the filter media/pads remain in contact with chlorinated water, plus the strength of the chlorination, may affect this.  But when considered along with the first point, there actually is no need for concern.
 
In my 20 years in this hobby I have always cleaned my filters, be they canisters on the larger tanks, hang-on-back (when I used these) or plain sponge filters, under the tap.  I do also have live plants in all my tanks, including floating, and I admit that this is another safeguard.
 
Byron.

 

[gmc1]

That's interesting.the number one thing that's always been drummed into this hobby is keep filter media away from tap water.
Would this still be the case with someone with a very small bioload?

 

[Byron]

That's interesting.the number one thing that's always been drummed into this hobby is keep filter media away from tap water.
Would this still be the case with someone with a very small bioload?

 
The smaller the bioload, the less chance anything can go wrong with the nitrification cycle, as it would be able to rebuild faster.
 
It is possible to have a healthy aquarium without any filter at all.  I had one for over a year, a 10g with fish and plants, no filter, just a heater and weekly partial water changes of half the tank.  It is true that a filter will attract nitrifying bacteria, but so will the substrate and all surfaces.  Provided the bioload is not so great as to crash without the filter, there can be no issues with rinsing filter media in the tap water.
 
Byron.