# Filter maintenance. How regular do you do it?



## Vanish (14 May 2013)

One of my other threads, lead to a small discussion over how regular filter maintenance should be done. 
Here's the thread. 
Tetratec replacement advice? | UK Aquatic Plant Society
As you'll see one member states he does his no more frequently than 6 months. Whilst I said I do it with a weekly water change. Obviously these are pretty much at both ends of the scale, so I thought it would be interesting to see what the rest of you do. When answering can you state whether you are filtering a high/low tech set up, large bio mass or just a few plants. 
So I maintain the filter weekly, have a high tech set up with a relatively high bio mass. 
What do you do?


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## NattyAntlers (14 May 2013)

As in linked thread at the end of each month and to add high tech with I guess heading for a high bio mass.


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## roadmaster (14 May 2013)

Heavily planted 300 litre, with approx 100 fish,Low tech.
I clean the canister on this tank once each month and re-charge the Purigen.
I'm particular bout what I like with respect to clarity and for this tank,,Once a month work's well.

55 gal low tech with five Pleco's,Severum,assorted guppies,moderately planted,canister is cleaned every two week's.
I expierimented with different duration's between cleaning's, noting the dirtiness of material, or lack of dirt. This helped me to determine what work's for me.


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## IanD (14 May 2013)

I have a 55 gal low tech tank running a fluval 406. Bio load is approx 90% of maximum, moderately planted with 30% water change per week. I rinse out each filter sponge and media tray once a month but this is staggered so no more than 50% of media/sponge gets rinsed every 2 weeks. I will clean the impellor etc. and pipework every 3-6 months. This has worked well for me.


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## sciencefiction (14 May 2013)

Well, that very much depends on the tank, what's the bioload, how many filters, etc..
I think it's about getting it right and balanced.
Filters do clog with debris, especially in a planted tank and you don't want that both for the efficiency of the media/access to oxygen and because of rising organics, wrong bacteria growing there taking the available space, etc... All this can contribute to other issues like bad water quality, algae, etc.
However, if you start overcleaning your filters regularly, you can too have trace levels of ammonia that your tank inhabitants won't be happy about and can lead to algae outbreaks too. I know for a fact that when I overdo it, even though the tests show nothing, my fish start scratching themselves for a day or two until the bacteria I washed off picks up again. I never used anything but tank water to clean filters and I've caused spikes before on my other tanks several times, one was measurable and lasted a week. The tank had a high bioload, though not planted at the time properly and the spike was so high that even the water smelled of ammonia. That's just because I washed the media very thoroughly in tank water trying to dislodge all of the debris.
 With a heavily planted tank, you may not have that issue because the plants are main filter for the tank, but ammonia rise will lead to some sort of algae. Same will happen if you let your filters clog to the point they don't operate properly. So I guess one has to find the sweet spot.

I think the best is probably to use prefilters and clean them very often, they will also stop big debris getting in like plant mass, poop,  rather than opening the filter and disturbing the bacteria colony that often. Also, if you've got just one filter in a tank, you probably need to be more concerned of how you clean it and when rather than when having multiple filters.


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## ian_m (14 May 2013)

I open my JBL1500 external probably once a month and rinse the coarse filter foam, mainly to get plant bits off it. I wash them in a bucket of tank water.The finer foams just squeeze out a bit of muck and put back at the same time. As for the ceramic noodles/balls, wash one tray (out of 3) every say 6 months (don't really know), and rotate them round with the cleanest last in the flow.

As for my internal Juwel 600l/hr filter, I wash the floss every week, replacing when won't stay in shape anymore. The coarse foam I squeeze one (out of two) every week and put back in furthest from the flow. The fine foams squeeze one (out of two) every couple of months. Notice squeeze rather than wash, just to get rid of quite a bit of filtrate but leave plenty within the foam.

Not suffered any ammonia spikes, cloudy water etc doing it this way. The clean noodles/balls/foams are soon dirty the following week.


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## biffster (14 May 2013)

i think this thread is about me i have low tec planted tank with low to medium biomass
i do two 35 to 40% water changes twice a week and i clean the external filters 6 to 12 months
or if the flow slows all my test readings come back spot on tanks get tested once a week
why disturb something that is working perfectly i dont suffer any ammonia spikes or nitrite spikes
my nitrate is 5 ppm or less it works for me  oh by the way all my tanks are over filtered but there isn't such a thing


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## Vanish (16 May 2013)

Thanks for the replies, looks like I'm a bit OCD with the filter maintenance. So I'll ease up a bit. On the plus side I will make water change day a lot quicker.


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## clonitza (16 May 2013)

I usually clean the external filters every 3-4 months (empty the canister, clean the prefilter and impeller), more often I clean the hoses and lily pipes.


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## dw1305 (16 May 2013)

Hi all,


clonitza said:


> I usually clean the external filters every 3-4 months (empty the canister, clean the prefilter and impeller), more often I clean the hoses and lily pipes.


Same here, sponge pre-filter every 10 days or so, hoses every couple of months and the filter media 2 or 3 times a year.

cheers Darrel


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## biffster (16 May 2013)

why disturb something that is working perfectly the only time 
a filter should be opened is if the flow drops off i only do mine 
if the flow drops off of 6 to 12 months which ever comes first 
i think there is a lot of people suffer from OCD when it comes to 
filters lol


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## Juliusz (16 May 2013)

In my main tank I have two external filters without pre-filters (maybe I should get them), cleaned once a month alternating - so effectively I clean a filter every two weeks.


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## biffster (16 May 2013)

i would like to know what you mean by pre filters i have strainers 
on mine pre filters are they not defeating the object of an external
filter really as you will get a biological filtering in the pre filter before
the external


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## Juliusz (16 May 2013)

Something like: EHEIM prefilter


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## niru (16 May 2013)

I too use the Juwel internal box as prefilter with loads of various sponges. The juwel 600 pump is used more as a suction device driving this prefilter. The actual filtrr is Tetra 1200 which takes the prefiltered water. 

Prefilter is cleaned (hose sucked actually) each week at WC and sponges cleaned or washed. The filter is cleaned once a year or more... Floss in prefilter changed each fortnight or so..

Cheers

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2


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## dw1305 (16 May 2013)

Hi all,


biffster said:


> i would like to know what you mean by pre filters i have strainers on mine





Juliusz said:


> Something like: EHEIM prefilter


Yes, I mean a PPI10 sponge or the Eheim pre-filter that "Juliusz" recommends. On most tanks I have a really sizeable foam block.

Have a look at this thread <best filter for shrimp tank? | UK Aquatic Plant Society>


biffster said:


> pre filters are they not defeating the object of an external filter really as you will get a biological filtering in the pre filter before the external


Not really, biological filtration will occur in the pre-filter, but that is really a bonus not a problem.Other bonuses are it gives you a browsing surface for shrimps and fry, and you can aim the venturi air bubbles at it (I usually have an internal as well as an external filter), with-out worrying about air bubbles building up inside the filter.

The main aim of the pre-filter is to keep bulky organic matter out of the filter body, this means you can have long gaps between filter maintenance, you just need to keep the pre-filter clean which takes seconds.

I want the ammonia, and as much dissolved oxygen as possible, in the filter, I don't want anything else.

It was when I found that a lot of people used their filters as syphons, as well as for biological filtration, that I began to under-stand the problems people were having keeping fish (like the larger _Panaque _spp.) which combine a high oxygen requirement with a large amount of waste production.

Which was why I wrote "Aeration and Dissolved Oxygen.... " <plecoplanet: Aeration and dissolved oxygen in the aquarium>

cheers Darrel


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## Anthony89 (16 May 2013)

I have two extrnals which I clean alternatively on a two month scale. Sometimes more often with my fluval as the flow becomes slow.


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## biffster (16 May 2013)

i dont get bubbles bulbing up in my filters i make sure that the spray 
bar or venturi are nowhere near the pick up strainer the only thing 
i am thinking of is the biological build on the pre filter and not on the 
filters internal sponges if i have a tank with wood chomping fish i have 
a polishing filter that is filled with nothing but filter floss which removes 
all the ground up wood i also wonder filters are really just for cleaning 
water and keeping water clean and clear of suspended practicals some 
people think they are for keeping the substrate clean of detritus and fish
poo . that part should be done with regular tank maintenance with a light 
vacuum over of the substrate like i said filters are only for cleaning water
and keeping water clean and clear and prepossessing ammonia so that 
water is safe


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## biffster (16 May 2013)

just done my water polishing filter today that as been two 
months since it was last cleaned out it needed doing because the 
flow had dropped to a trickle its a fluval 203 the old cylindrical
ones i find that strainers keep the thick of the debris out of the 
filter but this one takes out the powdered wood from my wood comping
plecs


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## dw1305 (16 May 2013)

Hi all,


biffster said:


> of is the biological build on the pre filter and not on the filters internal sponges if i have a tank with wood chomping fish i have a polishing filter that is filled with nothing but filter floss which removes all the ground up wood i also wonder filters are really just for cleaning water and keeping water clean and clear of suspended practicals some people think they are for keeping the substrate clean of detritus and fish poo


Pretty much that, but I don't like floss, or even getting the suspended matter in the filter, the reason for this is that they can both impede flow. Once the water flow slows in the filter the filter material has more chance of becoming de-oxygenated, with potentially lethal results.

With a large fairly coarse pre-filter sponge the likelihood of the water flow slowing is reduced, even if the sponge needs cleaning. For the same reason I like ceramic/glass rings, or Eheim "coco-pops", in the filter body.

Have a look at this thread on "Planet Catfish", "Macvsog23" was the late Bob Marklew, my friend, and "Bristol Pleco God" and "Apistomaster" is Larry Waybright, who also has probably forgotten more than I will ever know. <View topic - Gravel or sand for plecos??>

cheers Darrel


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## biffster (16 May 2013)

this is a polishing filter it as only floss in it there is two 
other filters on the tank


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## sciencefiction (16 May 2013)

Floss is the worst media. I don't use that anymore. I use medium and coarse sponges for mechanical filtration and it works great as long as you don't use those super fine sponges. I've never had issues with the flow and the sponges don't get as easily gunked like floss that becomes useless and starts working like a layer of bricks.



> Have a look at this thread on "Planet Catfish", "Macvsog23" was the late Bob Marklew, my friend, and "Bristol Pleco God" and "Apistomaster" is Larry Waybright, who also has probably forgotten more than I will ever know. <View topic - Gravel or sand for plecos??>


 
I like that. I've figured out that much from a bit of my own experience. But I've got sand in all my tanks, not a tick layer and not the finest sand but I really never see any gunk on it, or anaerobic pockets and they are all planted with plants with good root systems as well.The gunk/detritus all must be used as I get little to zero algae with no siphoning and little filter cleaning and my substrate is spotless, although I've got a large common pleco in one of the tanks and it does gets dosed with ferts and liquid carbon too.
My cory fry are thriving in a tank that hasn't been siphoned in 6 months too. Fish are all super healthy and I don't ever have issues with the water quality unless I overclean  So although one has to be careful to provide enough oxygen and flow through the filters, that doesn't necessarily mean clean daily, just be sensible and don't go extremes I guess. I overfilter all the tanks, low tech or high tech, all get 10x filter flow minimum and I prefer larger filters too.

These are two examples of my tanks below that only get large weekly water changes, little filter maintenance(3-6 months) and almost no siphoning unless when I have to gather empty snail shells that my clown loaches eat in one of the tanks and that's if I bother. Note that the videos were not taken after a water change or prepared for a video and they look like that at any given time. I just grabbed the camera when I saw something interesting. I use foam blocks as prefilters or sponge type filters if I keep shrimp only, not on all tanks at the moment but it's really the best way. If you've got shrimp, they'll be spotless too for the most part as they love munching on stuff on the sponges.

Common pleco tank, no siphoning. I took the video as I had just transfered a corydora that I nursed back to health from being kept in a green barb tank in the LFS. The cory was very funny dancing solo(C.142 that I though is melanistius and I am still trying to find a few of the same species). The tank has been running for a year and a half with no changes.


Cory fry tank, no siphoning in 6 months. I had bought two zebra otocinclus so I snapped a video of them on day 1 in one of my tanks. They actually cleaned that stone spotless. They are now moved to their destination tank too. The tank is 9 months old.


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## Vanish (17 May 2013)

This has turned into an interesting thread, with lots of well grounded advice   I'm now considering the addition of a pre-filter. 
Everyday really is a school day on this forum. I wonder what I'll learn tomorrow.


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## Daz2162 (7 Jul 2013)

Inside my canister cages x3 i have floss before my three main medias,  ceramic balls,  plastic bioballs and activated carbon.  Do you think its better for me to get coarse spunges instead as the general consensus is that floss sucks which im inclined to agree with.  Trouble is how do i get one that fits my canisters cages? 
I also want to givr prefiltering on my intake tube.  

Aldo read on here about getting dissolved oxygen in the filter without actually getting air in the filter,  how is this acheived? Air srone near the inake once a sponge is added? 

Cheers 

Darren


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## ~firefly~ (7 Jul 2013)

120 litre planted, heavily stocked (145% bioload), 50% water changes weekly, Eheim Pro 3 with large pre-filter. Pre-filter rinsed thoroughly under a running tap each week. Filter itself only opened every 3-4 months where media is rinsed in tank water and filter floss is replaced.

I'm just about to transfer all of this over to a 350 litre so I've no idea what this will do to my routine...other than make water changes very long a laborious!


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## Daz2162 (7 Jul 2013)

~firefly~ said:


> 120 litre planted, heavily stocked (145% bioload), 50% water changes weekly, Eheim Pro 3 with large pre-filter. Pre-filter rinsed thoroughly under a running tap each week. Filter itself only opened every 3-4 months where media is rinsed in tank water and filter floss is replaced.
> 
> I'm just about to transfer all of this over to a 350 litre so I've no idea what this will do to my routine...other than make water changes very long a laborious!


Hi mate, 
Cant see it having a massive effect on your routine if anything it may give you  the opportunity to only have to open your filter every six months or so as there is more water diluting the nitrates etc. 

It will however have an effect on your flow,  your filter wont be as powerful in a bigger tank so you'll need to install a powerhead or two for better circulation,  otherwise youll get dead areas where algae will take over and plants will be malnourished. 

Cheers
Darren


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## ~firefly~ (7 Jul 2013)

That's a good point, thanks. I'm hoping the Juwel filter head will make up for the lack of circulation from just the external so the two together will work well.


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## Daz2162 (8 Jul 2013)

Cool,  no worries mate. 
Might even had to use two powerheads in a 350ltr, you'll be suprised of the flow needed. 

Ps im very jealous of you getting an new bigger tank. *one day* (he crosses fingers)  lol. 

Whip a piccy up when its done. 

Cheers 
Darren


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## dw1305 (8 Jul 2013)

Hi all


Daz2162 said:


> Do you think its better for me to get coarse spunges instead as the general consensus is that floss sucks which im inclined to agree with.


 Throw the floss away, it is horrible. Even if you ignore the X10 rule, the more flow you have through the filter the better.


Daz2162 said:


> Trouble is how do i get one that fits my canisters cages?


If you want a sponge inside the filter just buy a ppi10 sponge sheet and cut it to size.


Daz2162 said:


> I also want to givr prefiltering on my intake tube. Aldo read on here about getting dissolved oxygen in the filter without actually getting air in the filter, how is this acheived? Air srone near the inake once a sponge is added?


What-ever else people tell you on other forums etc, you just need to remember that biological filtration is all about oxygen. The key parameter for scientists who are interested in water quality (at the Environment Agency etc) is BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand). What this quantifies is the total amount of dissolved oxygen that would be used by the biological (bio-load) and chemical processes within that water body. The higher the BOD is, the more polluted the water is, and the more oxygen we have to supply.

In a planted tank with actively growing plants we start from a very strong position in that during the photo-period, when the plants are actively photosynthesising, levels of dissolved oxygen will be near (or at) full saturation. Any problems are likely to come when the lights aren't on and the plants are contributing to the bio-load.

At that point the larger gas exchange surface we have the better, wet and dry trickle filters are brilliant for this, but if we have a canister we need to make sure the water exiting the canister is still oxygenated.

An air pump, producing very fine bubbles, that are retained on the pre-filter sponge, is definitely an option, although for preference I would go for a power-head and venturi, which will produce a lot more surface turbulence, as well as bubbles with a long residence time in the water column.

If you are adding CO2, you can have the air pump/power-head time-switched to come on when the lights go off, if you aren't adding CO2 you can run the pump/powerhead all the time, as gas exchange is a 2 way process, and if the water is CO2 depleted (by photosynthesis), a large gas exchange surface will allow more rapid CO2 diffusion.

cheers Darrel


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## Daz2162 (8 Jul 2013)

Thats brilliant,  thanks for the reply. Definitely gunna bin the floss,  as it will be stemming my flow as i have 3layers in total, i only have a 60ltr tank and my filter has output of 1000ltr so after media and gravity probably about 750-800ltr so i for sure hitting x10. Even more once i get sponges involved. 
Im thinking about buying the eheim prefilter,  looks like a good bit of kit. In terms of ppi10 is that classed as medium or coarse? 

I have a jbl 400 powerhead and no venturi so what i came across the other day is a 16/22 - 6mm reducing tee for air hose,  so i could have my spray bar  as a venturi.  Would this work as effectively? 

Cheers

Darren


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## Daz2162 (8 Jul 2013)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all
> 
> If you want a sponge inside the filter just buy a ppi10 sponge sheet and cut it to size.
> 
> ...


Ive found some on ebay that is 15ppi, is this okay? 

Also found a few. Pond filter sponges that are bigger diameters,  so more for your buck,  are these okay to use? 

Cheers

Darren


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## oldbloke (8 Jul 2013)

Speaking of which, are there any alternatives to buying the expensive bits of foam and floss which our aquatic companies provide us with?
I appreciate they have to make a profit but.......

I run a Tetratec Ex 600.


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## Daz2162 (8 Jul 2013)

Floss yes, sponges no.  For floss you can buy breeder mat,  its like 4quid for a few meters or so,  but the general  consensus on here and im inclined to agree is that floss is rubbish, after a year or so of using it,  i find it cloggs far too quickly and is impossible to just clean and pop back in as it alls to pieces . Dont get me wrong though,  its great for picking up detritus  etc.  But each to their own of course. 

Cheers 

Darren


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## ian_m (8 Jul 2013)

I have used this to make my own Juwel filter foam replacements.
DIY Foam Sheets

Soak in water, freeze and cut with a saw to get clean edges or...save time and buy the pre-cut replacements for your filter from the above site.


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## Daz2162 (8 Jul 2013)

Oh yes,  thats brilliant,  thats the kind of website ive been looking for.  Thank you so much.  Just about to make my purchase. Cheers buddy! 

Darren


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## oldbloke (8 Jul 2013)

Great advice as ever!

Cheers.


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## ian_m (8 Jul 2013)

I also found the compatible Juwel poly pads were a lot tuffer than the original Juwel floss/pads and survive rinsing a couple of times before having to be thrown away. I bought 50 a couple or years ago and they are still going.


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## ~firefly~ (8 Jul 2013)

Daz2162 said:


> Cool, no worries mate.
> Might even had to use two powerheads in a 350ltr, you'll be suprised of the flow needed.
> 
> Ps im very jealous of you getting an new bigger tank. *one day* (he crosses fingers) lol.
> ...


 
It's running at the moment with only the Juwel filter and flow seems to be ok (all plants are waving very gently). Time will tell. I'm quite confident that the Eheim Pro 3 will do the job on this one as I have it turned down on the smaller tank because it's too powerful!


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## dw1305 (8 Jul 2013)

Hi all,


Daz2162 said:


> Ive found some on ebay that is 15ppi, is this okay?


Yes.


Daz2162 said:


> Pond filter sponges that are bigger diameters, so more for your buck, are these okay to use?


Yes. I mainly buy the 12" x 4" x 4" drilled sponge blocks, or big sponge sheets, from Koi places and just cut them to size.

cheers Darrel


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## LancsRick (8 Jul 2013)

I've tried a few different strategies on my tanks, and now run this (or close to) in all of them.

- Intake tube has a stainless steel mesh guard fitted

Filter

- Ceramic tubes for mechanical filtration (either two lots, or a single lot followed by a coarse sponge)
- Ceramic balls
- Floss layer (following advice on here many moons ago, I started using polyester cushion stuffing, and haven't looked back!)
- Purigen

Probably do filter maintenance every 6 weeks or so on average, probably varies from 4 to 8 weeks. Whilst I might struggle to get my scapes right, one thing I don't have an issue with is water quality, it's always been "gin clear" following that setup.


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## oldbloke (8 Jul 2013)

Is it ok to clean all your media at the same time or does this disrupt the biological filtration process?


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## LancsRick (8 Jul 2013)

As long as you're cleaning in tank water from the same tank then there's no issue. Your thinking is right though, if you're running a dual filter setup and ever have to do anything that will negatively impact the bacteria in one filter, it's always better to leave as long a gap as possible before doing the other filter.


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## oldbloke (8 Jul 2013)

LancsRick said:


> As long as you're cleaning in tank water from the same tank then there's no issue. Your thinking is right though, if you're running a dual filter setup and ever have to do anything that will negatively impact the bacteria in one filter, it's always better to leave as long a gap as possible before doing the other filter.


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