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I have an aqua one 1000L canister filter on a 55 gallon tank with 1 medium oscar. The filter mediums are bio balls, ceramic noodles and a bio chem filter bag.

The question is how often should I clean out the canister from just changing the bio chem filter bag to rinsing out the whole thing.

Also I think the canister filter is heating up the water 1 degree which is a benefit as the tank is in a cold room. Is this normal or a sign of the filter needing a clean out?????? with thanks

Hi,
I don't have that filter so I'll let someone who does
address the specific cleaning issues.

The tank water is what cools the pump in the canister.
If it is actually heating that tank one degree, then
the pump motor is working overly hard to move the water.
That can be the result of partial blockage in the canister.
And that restriction can be due to too much media in the
preliminary stages or the media being overloaded with
debris and slowing down the flow.

Along with filter cleaning, be sure that the lines are
not kinked or bent at angles that introduce back pressure
into the system

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Thankyou frank for your reply.
Do you have a canister filter? If so how often do you take it apart to clean out?

Hi,
Actually, No, I don't have one now. How often you
clean it should depend upon how much you are asking it
to do. By that I mean, if you have a canister that
is rated for tanks from 30 to 50 and you have it on
a 50 or 55G tank then you are asking a lot and it should
probably be cleaned more frequently. If you have a canister
that is rated from 50 to 100G on a 55 and you have the
tank lightly stocked, then once a month or MAYBE even
once a quarter might be just fine. There are folks
with more practical experience with canisters than I
who I figure will chime in sooner or later with more
definitive information.
Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Hi, I have an Eheim canister filter which I completely clean once a month. I rinse all the filter sponges with the water from the water change and also rinse the small pebbles (dont know what they are called). The noodles at the base I was told not to rinse but to just leave them alone but I do give them a bit of a swirl and then empty the run off from that.

I guess the frequency would depend on your fish load. I have fish that are high waste producers so I feel that a once a month clean is required to keep the filter running efficently.

I also change the white fine sponge at the top of the canister every third clean as this tends to become less effective after a while. It seems to separate so that its less fine if you get what I mean. You may not have filter sponges in yours, I haven't looked at the aqua one filters to be honest.

About the filter heating the water - I dont think that is a normal thing to have happen, maybe it is time for complete clean.

Hope this helps a bit.

Cheers - Crusha

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Those who say they cant, Never will !!!