How Often Do I Clean My External Filter

[shelaghfishface]

hi,

i am just wondering how often it should be cleaned, its a tetratec ex1200, had a few problems with nitrite when i first set it up but everything is fine now, that was 3-4 weeks ago and its not been cleaned in that time.so can i do it with a water change now?
also the pipes are minging! seem to have algae growth in them, how on earth can i get those cleaned?
also as its my first external, is there anything i should do that i normaly wouldnt have done with my internal filters??

thanks in adavance

shelagh xxx

 

[kribensis12]

For my external filter, i take out teh piping, and take a old tooth brush ( once its been cleaned) and stick it up the tube,a dn swish it aorund, and pull out, all the algea comes out with it. I also clean off the inside with a tooth brush. I take the sponge out and stick it in fish water and squeeze it , and then i put it back together and start it up ( note, this isnt a teratec, its a AquaClear).. I've never even seen a teratec before!

 

[shelaghfishface]

yes that will work, i will have to put the brush on a piece of cane or something as the pipes are 4ft long..
how often do u do your sponges? ( i mean clean them) or is it a case of just when they gunked up lol

shelagh x

 

[backtotropical]

Hi Shelagh,

With any filter, you really want to clean the media as little as possible to avoid bacteria loss. The media (sponges) in the external, as with all other filters, should only be cleaned if it gets dirty enough to reduce flow through the filter significantly.

I usually clean my externals every 6 - 12 months, unless flow slows drastically before then.

HTH

BTT

 

[Miss Wiggle]

just watch the flow from the filter, when the flow rate drops it's ready for a clean.

 

[Bloo]

Hi Shelagh,

With any filter, you really want to clean the media as little as possible to avoid bacteria loss. The media (sponges) in the external, as with all other filters, should only be cleaned if it gets dirty enough to reduce flow through the filter significantly.

I usually clean my externals every 6 - 12 months, unless flow slows drastically before then.

HTH

BTT

Same here. Though I over-filter and run 2 filters when one will suffice. I don't bother cleaning the pipes at all as mine look perfectly fine with just a light coating on the inside.

 

[george4]

Hi, i am running 3 tetra tec ex1200 . 2 on 1 tank 1 on the other. i only clean them out when the flow rate drops. so they are always left for at least 2 months . they can hold quite a lot of crap.. because i have 2 on one tank i change them alternately which means i get away with using tap water. i take the dirty sponges out on lawn and give them jet with hose. i no this is probably not the most advisable way but i never have problems. with regards cleaning the tubes i use a piece of electric cabel with a small sponge tied to 1 end. thread the empty end through first and then you can pull the sponge through which gets all algi out .

 

[jennybugs]

because i have 2 on one tank i change them alternately which means i get away with using tap water. i take the dirty sponges out on lawn and give them jet with hose. i no this is probably not the most advisable way but i never have problems..

I would have said that will kill all the beneficial bacteria on the sponges

I gently squish my external sponges out in old tank water once every 2 months, along with cleaning the tubes. Mine is in a puffer tank so gets dirty quite fast. The internal filter sponges have a weekly clean.

 

[george4]

yer i would imagine it will kill most of the bacteria, but that is why i always keep one well mature filter running in each of my tanks all the time. this way i can use jet to clean it, knowing there is pleanty of bacteria in the otherfilter untill the 1 i have just cleaned matures .

 

[shelaghfishface]

brill tanks everyone,ill check the flow tonight,and clean if i need to, i have to take the carbon out anyway so ill do it all if it needs it

thankyou again,and for the cleaning the hose tips.

shelagh xxx

 

[poconoboss]

Hi Shelagh,

With any filter, you really want to clean the media as little as possible to avoid bacteria loss. The media (sponges) in the external, as with all other filters, should only be cleaned if it gets dirty enough to reduce flow through the filter significantly.

I usually clean my externals every 6 - 12 months, unless flow slows drastically before then.

HTH

BTT

The media (activated carbon, ammonia remover etc.) have a finite life, after about a month, their ability to clean the water are greatly diminished.

Are you telling me you leave the media in there for a year?

You should change your media monthly and your sponges should be cleaned weekly.

The bio media can be left to every other month, but still needs to be refreshed.

Now having said that, when you change your media, you should only change half at one time which allows the beneficial bacteria colony to remain and multiply back to size.

I can't imagine leaving all that gunk the filter removes from the water in the filter for up to a year.

 

[shelaghfishface]

Hi Shelagh,

With any filter, you really want to clean the media as little as possible to avoid bacteria loss. The media (sponges) in the external, as with all other filters, should only be cleaned if it gets dirty enough to reduce flow through the filter significantly.

I usually clean my externals every 6 - 12 months, unless flow slows drastically before then.

HTH

BTT

The media (activated carbon, ammonia remover etc.) have a finite life, after about a month, their ability to clean the water are greatly diminished.

Are you telling me you leave the media in there for a year?

You should change your media monthly and your sponges should be cleaned weekly.

The bio media can be left to every other month, but still needs to be refreshed.

Now having said that, when you change your media, you should only change half at one time which allows the beneficial bacteria colony to remain and multiply back to size.

I can't imagine leaving all that gunk the filter removes from the water in the filter for up to a year.

i have had my carbon in for a week, just to remove some colour out , im assuming its ok to take it out now,

 

[england]

hi there i clean mine out roughly every two months as my fish are messy beggers,,,, i would remove the carbon and add either another sponge or filter floss which is great for polishing the water

carbon has lots of neg reports of it contributing to HITH<hole in the head within cichlids,,,i removed my ages ago paid 11 for a huge tub and used it for four days,,,wasted my monie

 

[Tobigara]

because i have 2 on one tank i change them alternately which means i get away with using tap water. i take the dirty sponges out on lawn and give them jet with hose. i no this is probably not the most advisable way but i never have problems..

I would have said that will kill all the beneficial bacteria on the sponges

I gently squish my external sponges out in old tank water once every 2 months, along with cleaning the tubes. Mine is in a puffer tank so gets dirty quite fast. The internal filter sponges have a weekly clean.

something like 95% of the bacteria lives in the media specifically designed for it. ie bio-balls, ceramic rings, bio-wheels etc. killing the bacteria in the sponge will make no difference. there are quite a few people on this forum that clean their sponges in tap water.

Hi Shelagh,

With any filter, you really want to clean the media as little as possible to avoid bacteria loss. The media (sponges) in the external, as with all other filters, should only be cleaned if it gets dirty enough to reduce flow through the filter significantly.

I usually clean my externals every 6 - 12 months, unless flow slows drastically before then.

HTH

BTT

The media (activated carbon, ammonia remover etc.) have a finite life, after about a month, their ability to clean the water are greatly diminished.

Are you telling me you leave the media in there for a year?

You should change your media monthly and your sponges should be cleaned weekly.

The bio media can be left to every other month, but still needs to be refreshed.

Now having said that, when you change your media, you should only change half at one time which allows the beneficial bacteria colony to remain and multiply back to size.

I can't imagine leaving all that gunk the filter removes from the water in the filter for up to a year.

you're right about sponges having a finite life span. however, sponges and biological media last for years. the companies that produce the media tell you to buy new media every month because they want to make money, not because it's essential. i'm not sure if you ever need to replace bio media. if you do have to replace it, you only replace half at a time to allow the bacteria to populate the new stuff and prevent a cycle.

i can't remember which MOD it was but i remember him saying that he finally replaced a sponge from an aquaclear hob after using it for like 7 years and the only reason he replaced it was because it was literally falling to pieces.

i was told that bio media should be lightly rinsed in tank water, carbon shouldn't be used and mech media can be cleaned however gets it cleaned.

 

[backtotropical]

Looks like i didn't make myself clear.

I use 2 externals on my tank and each external has only sponge in it. Sponge is my bio media and i don't use any chemical filtration. The sponge acts as mechanical filtration as well as bio filtration.

If i was running carbon, rowaphos etc etc, obviously they have a finite life and need changed sooner than 6 months, however i can't even remember the last time i used anything of the sort. With quality Scottish water pouring from the tap, these additives don't achieve anything that i can't fix with a water change. I was referring to bio-media only when i said

With any filter, you really want to clean the media as little as possible to avoid bacteria loss. The media (sponges) in the external, as with all other filters, should only be cleaned if it gets dirty enough to reduce flow through the filter significantly.

I usually clean my externals every 6 - 12 months, unless flow slows drastically before then.

So, to clear this up once and for all, which media do you have in your external, Shelagh? I suppose i assumed you had the same as me. Bad me!!

BTT