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Hi all. I've got a question about the best way to clean Aquaclear type filters, the kind with the stacked layers (sponge on the bottom, bio-media on top)

To clean mine out I turn off the main filter, then remove the two layers. Then I attach a spare smaller filter to the tank and put the bio-media from the main one in there, as to keep the water flowing over it and to preserve the bacteria. Then I do the normal stuff - rinse the sponge etc., then put everything back together.

My question is, is there an easier way to do this? Do I need to be shutting the whole fitler down, or can I just remove the sponge and let everything else be?

I also notice that even touching the contents of my filter causes a landslide of "junk" (detached bacteria, or algae I assume) to explode into the tank water and it causes quite a mess. Is there any way or method in your experiences to avoid this? Thanks

Rich

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Back in the saddle!

i usually put one of my nets under the overflow of my hob filters when cleaning.

OH TOLEEDY!

You only need to shut down the entire unit and bring it to a sink and clean it clean it once a month. The other times you need to clean the sponges, go ahead and shut the filter off, siphon some water out or your tank. Once you have a bucketful of water, take the sponges out and rinse them off/squeeze and mooshle them around in the tank water for a while to clean them out. Using tank water preserves bacteria while getting rid of the food particles/poop your filter takes out.

Slap the sponges back in, fire up the filter and you're good to go. I suppose you could dump the water that's in the filter out into the bucket and fill it with new if you wanted to keep a little bit of matter from getting back into the tank.

That is exactly what I do and it works well. I also take off the intakes and clean those because a lot of stuff gets clogged there. I am thinking of getting a canister filter. Is that easier to clean?

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I'll just steer the course then.

Not sure about cleaning filters...

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Back in the saddle!

Great post Fallout

I do the same

I don't bother getting a spare up and running. I just do what I need to then get it going again. I think the bacteria can survive a little while unless the conditions are extreme.

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