# How often to clean filter



## Jaap (24 Oct 2014)

Hi,

I have had the tank up and running for 3 months now. I haven't cleaned the filter since then 

1. How often should someone clean an external filter?
2. Does it make a difference if the tank is plant only or has fish?
3. Is it true that if the filter media are washed with tap water then the bacteria colonies die and diatoms are formed in the tank?
4. Is it true that a dirty filter causes diatoms?

Thanks


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## Rıza Sırman (24 Oct 2014)

According to my experiences i can say that; cleaning your filter under tapwater (chlorine) kills bacteria colonies. You must use chlorine-safe water. The best method is to get some water from your tank. Dirty filter caused black beard algea in one of my tanks. The amount of fish and plants change your filter maintanance period also.


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## Bhu (24 Oct 2014)

I use water from water change to clean my filters in. Or if that's not possible RO water else you will as said above kill of your filtration bacteria which can cause algae blooms and further toxic water. I clean my pre filter as regularly as possible sometimes once a day. Main filter once the tank is established once a month but while cycling every two weeks.


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## ian_m (24 Oct 2014)

Rıza Sırman said:


> Dirty filter caused black beard algea in one of my tanks


Doubt it. BBA is generally caused by fluctuating CO2 levels.


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## Jaap (24 Oct 2014)

If I use the tank water from the water change to clean the filter media, then it will not kill them off. However, when I fill up my tank I use tap water....will that kill of the bacteria in the filter?


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## ian_m (24 Oct 2014)

Jaap said:


> However, when I fill up my tank I use tap water....will that kill of the bacteria in the filter?


Yes. You must use dechlorinator. Things like Seachem Prime don't cost much will treat 10,000 litres (or more), so its a no brainer really.


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## bogwood (24 Oct 2014)

Basic rule, only use tank water for cleaning the Biological media.,

When to clean, not easy to say without knowing the set up, type of filter you have, and media used  My maintainance routine is different for each tank/filter.
Pre filters and floss cleaned more frequently.

You will find numerous, very helpful threads on here.

Filters are most efficient when clean.


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## dw1305 (24 Oct 2014)

Hi all, 





Rıza Sırman said:


> According to my experiences i can say that; cleaning your filter under tapwater (chlorine) kills bacteria colonies. You must use chlorine-safe water. The best method is to get some water from your tank. Dirty filter caused black beard algea in one of my tanks. The amount of fish and plants change your filter maintanance period also.


 I usually use tank water, but you should be OK in the UK to use tap water, because we have fairly low levels of chlorination (~0.5ppm), in the USA they  chlorinate a lot more heavily.

I'm not sure about BBA being caused by a build up of organic matter in the filter, but I associate Stags horn algae with higher levels of organic pollutants  and that is a Red Algae like BBA. 





Bhu said:


> I clean my pre filter as regularly as possible sometimes once a day. Main filter once the tank is established once a month but while cycling every two weeks.


 I have a similar regime to "Bhu", even though I usually rinse my pre-filter sponges out once a week, and the main filter body once a month or more infrequently. I only clean the filter media when the flow drops, which usually is a case of the hoses being dirty, rather than the media being clogged.

High flow through the media helps to maintain oxygen levels, and I want all of my filter media to be aerobic all of the time. Having both aerobic nitrification and anaerobic reduction of NO3 (and out-gassing of N2) occurring in the filter simultaneously is such a bad idea I'm not even going to go there, but it still has its adherents. If anyone is interested the alternative view is  covered by "twotankamin" in this thread "*Using deep gravel and bacteria to control nitrogen" on PlanetCatfish *<http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=41038>.

cheers Darrel


.


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## EnderUK (24 Oct 2014)

I just use tap water for cleaning the actual filter, motor and hosing once a month. The pre-filter I use tap water once a week and get it really clean. The internal sponges I use old tank water a get them really 'clean'. Really bacteria aren't that frigile and they'll quickly build back up in a planted tank.


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## ian_m (24 Oct 2014)

EnderUK said:


> Really bacteria aren't that frigile and they'll quickly build back up in a planted tank.


They are that fragile in the presence of chlorine in the UK water supply. Why do you think chlorine is added in the first place?

Of course if you wipe them out in your filter they are quickly replaced with more coming from the tank water. There are numerous scientific investigations showing ammonia spikes after washing all filter media under tap water as there are no longer any significant amounts of bacteria left to remove the ammonia. I suspect just washing the filter casing etc with tap water will be ok.

Anyway, just rinse the filter material in a bucket of tank water as you state, job done.

Also one to watch, in UK, is extra chloramine in the water. At home we have had low water pressure for the last couple of days due to a burst pipe down the road. First noticed incoming water was less than 8bar (!!!) as accidentally turned on kitchen tap full and didn't get soaked  the water normally leaves the sink and sprays all over the kitchen....Pressure now back, but the water really whiff's of chlorine, obviously dosing extra in case of contamination.


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## Sk3lly (24 Oct 2014)

8 bar is crazy high pressure. Wish my supply came in near that for my RODI unit! Mine is delivered nearer 4bar


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ian_m (24 Oct 2014)

Sk3lly said:


> 8 bar is crazy high pressure


It's great as doesn't take long to fill kids large paddling pool in the summer, you can squirt water right over the house and wet people in the front garden. Reverse osmosis would work without a booster pump if I wanted.

Down sides are, have to use expensive brass hose pipe connectors with thread lock in garden and fish tank filling hose pipe, Hozelock ones continually blow off.


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## brandon429 (24 Oct 2014)

ender is correct, we have deluded ourselves about how much control we have over the most adapted life form in our tanks. Non issue using tap water to clean filters.

we can link some studies showing nitrifying bacteria living in, and coming out of the tap. in fact it varies and at times can be surprisingly high,  see the colony count averages from your local tap supplier. They are a small portion of mixed aerobic colonies found in all post treated tap everywhere. 

so to be accurate,  using tap can seed your filter 

the chlorine is a reducer in ideal conditions in clean, non accumulated piping which is never the case on the other end and certainly in our tanks. Your local water report w show lots of living bacterial colonies coming right out of the tap, the chlorine has only a partial effect in ideal conditions.

there are scums and biofilms that insulate much of the intact, adhered colonies while we squeeze off some mulm

sure, some will be killed, just not enough to matter. Anyone who works with bacteria for a living knows they are tough in our tanks

blasting your filter mass with peroxide and no water won't even make a notable dent, aerobes aren't particularly flummoxed by some elevated oxygen. Those that were killed or dislodged are back to norm mass in 20 hours so my vote is rinse in tap if you want, or the purest ro. One way simply feels better than the other, but in the end surgeons use much more than a tap water rinse to sterilize those forearms for the scrub in


we can clean our filters as often as we like and doing so maintains surface area vs clogged up channels... exporting the mulm that collects in them cant be done often enough. All they need to be able to oxidize ammonia is a thin biofilm layer of bacterial community adhered to filter micro surfaces and semi oxygenated water flowing past. Rinsing out filters won't remove that element and it does remove pockets of partially degraded waste which is adding to the bioload the filter is trying to support.


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## parotet (24 Oct 2014)

As Darrel mentions, the frequency for cleaning my filters depend on two reasons: to avoid organic waste (dirty tubing is a good indicator) and also for improving flow. Using a coarse sponge on the inlet as a prefilter will let you make this maintenance only once a month or every two months.

Regarding the use of tap water, I clean very well all the parts of the filter (including tubing) with chlorinated tap water. I only use water aquarium for the sponges. Nevertheless I've been reading about people using chlorinated tap water in their tanks (not sure if they do it in their sponges) as a way of fighting against algae, it is like a free Excel... Does it make sense or will the plant tissue get damaged? At least the tanks shown by these guys looked great...

Jordi


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## ian_m (24 Oct 2014)

parotet said:


> will the plant tissue get damaged


Plants generally won't be damaged by chlorinated water or else watering your lawn with a hose pipe would have killed the grass !!!! It's just that chlorinated water is a very good bacteria killer, which is why water is chlorinated in the first place.


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## GreenNeedle (24 Oct 2014)

On a heavily planted hi tec setup I will clean the pipes and filter and media once a month or so for an external or every week for an internal.


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## drodgers (25 Oct 2014)

Something that works for me .. I pull out my trays and rinse the bio media in the water from the canister and then i clean the polishing material in tap water .
Add a couple drops of Prime or whatever chlorine remover you use to the canister and refill .
20 years Ive being doing it this way and never have a spike in parameters .


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