Canister Filter Cleaning, How Often? Options

[max]

Hi, can you gentlemen kindly tell me how often do you need to clean-up your canister filter? I'm using a Ehiem 6668 on a 4x2x2 tank feeding moderately twice a day with 5 goldfish approximately 7" each.

[void]

hehehe... eheim 6668 looks like what ah?

anyway, it's all depend on the filter media you use and how you position your filter intake...

for my case, i will position my canister filter intake at the middle or 3/4 of the water level... this to ensure that the canister filter will just filter the water and some particles... but not too much of goldfish shit... this way, the canister will last longer too...

to suck the goldfish shit, i will use an extra OHF... the intake now can put below/botton leow... and becos goldfish shit alots, you just need to change the wool regularly...

hope this helps...

[max]

Same, same, I oso put my inlet just 2.5 inches from the base but still it get dirty veri fast. It is due to the floating particles, quite alot of them. For the goldfish shit I scoop them up with a net 2 times a day.

I remember cleaning it b4 xmas now it gets dirty again, the indication is thru the increase in floating particles. Btw ehiem 6668 is a 3 layers type & I organised it according to the ehiem's recommendation.

Feels like switching to internal overflow system, what do you think?

[HappyBuddha]

Is the Ehiem 6668 a canister filter? It's probably a 2228?

Although the instructions/advertising materials probably imply you need only maintain the canister once every 4-6 month, the maker probably have low waste producing fish such little guppies in mind or meant it for a planted tank (itself a closed eco system that the canister need to do little to filter the water.)

When I was using a canister filter, I have to clean it thoroughly once a month. Weekly I need to remove the baskets to reach the mechanical filtration section to dispose the accumulated waste.

[HappyBuddha]

for my case, i will position my canister filter intake at the middle or 3/4 of the water level... this to ensure that the canister filter will just filter the water and some particles... but not too much of goldfish shit... this way, the canister will last longer too... 

I have a better idea - just wrap a sponge around the inlet funnel. Large debris are thus trapped outside the canister.

You can then lower the funnel to reach the floor, and continue to run the canister even when you are siphoning the water out. Placing it high means you need to prime the filter after water change which can be troublesome.

[HappyBuddha]

Feels like switching to internal overflow system, what do you think?

My first IOUS (over and underflow) is about 1 month old and barely a week into it I ordered another one to replace a bare tank that ran on canisters.

Likes:

Easy daily disposal of trapped poos.
Does not creates waves
Very little strong current
Despite above 2 points, it keeps the tank squeaky clean

Dislikes:

Need to top up about a small pail worth of water daily
Dries up and stop working if I forget to top up
The narrow gap of the underflow section is tricky to keep clean

All in all I like my IOUS.

Ask bro mountain about IOUS; he hates his.

[max]

, you're right it is 2228.

Your idea of putting a sponge around the inlet might prevent particles from entering the canister but will the restriction cause a reduction in flow rate?

My goldfish kaki told me that IOF system does has it setback, especially when you do a routine cleaning of the top layer mechanical filter, according to him the poos will slip out of the filter section into the tank once the switch if off, it is true?

[HappyBuddha]

, you're right it is 2228.

Your idea of putting a sponge around the inlet might prevent particles from entering the canister but will the restriction cause a reduction in flow rate?

The sponge I selected and use is a coarse one. Fine particles flows through and it does not reduce the water flow noticably until it's clogged up. With the coarse sponge, the canister is significantly cleaner as far as the mechanical section within it is concerned since majority of the waste are trapped externally.

BTW, "wrapping" the sponge is not the correct description. The sponge you see is a block. I slit it and inserted the filter's inlet funnel into the middle.

My goldfish kaki told me that IOF system does has it setback, especially when you do a routine cleaning of the top layer mechanical filter, according to him the poos will slip out of the filter section into the tank once the switch if off, it is true?

As seen above, I have not one sponge but a blue wool (I have since replaced it with another black sponge) and a finer sponge underneath the first layer. When I remove the first layer to clean, a few poos et al will inevitably drop onto the 2nd layer if I'm careless. But it's no big deal; most of the trapped particles are still on the 1st layer to be disposed.

[Inxs]

The sponge I selected and use is a coarse one.  Fine particles flows through and it does not reduce the water flow noticably until it's clogged up.  With the coarse sponge, the canister is significantly cleaner as far as the mechanical section within it is concerned since majority of the waste are trapped externally.

BTW, "wrapping" the sponge is not the correct description.  The sponge you see is a block.  I slit it and inserted the filter's inlet funnel into the middle.



User Posted Image

As seen above, I have not one sponge but a blue wool (I have since replaced it with another black sponge) and a finer sponge underneath the first layer.  When I remove the first layer to clean, a few poos et al will inevitably drop onto the 2nd layer if I'm careless.  But it's no big deal; most of the trapped particles are still on the 1st layer to be disposed.

Uncle! you have wrong arrangement for sponge lah! Blue one on top of black one.
Hai yah! headache man!

[HappyBuddha]

Uncle! you have wrong arrangement for sponge lah! Blue one on top of black one.
Hai yah! headache man!

Take panador take panador, my dear sifu.

You long time no come in to advise your students here in RG... see lah... now I stupid stupid anyhow setup my tank leow.

But sifu, I wash the mechanical filtration sponges everyday under running tap water because my goldfish poos a lot. If I use and wash the blue kalor wool everyday hor, it become giam cai leh.

May I have your blessing to continue to use the black sponge? I'll find a blue sponge if you insist the colour combination should be like dat. Better feng shui is it?

[CyberET]

the coarse one remove majority first
fine one remove the rest
like that it won't get clogged up too fast

[mountain]

errrr.....

does it really matter?? 69 or 96 position all the same result wat ..






it actually matters. I rather not keep the blue one below. the blue wools are not meant to be kept over (long) period. Its so call washable is also too lame. the same applies to your black coarse wools. over a while your blue wool's efficiency will decrease and cause clots, and i will bet my last dollar u are gonna get poos all over your bio-materials afte a while, imagine yur fish spawn ... . why not try using blue wool ontop, turn it ard 180 degree to maximised the surface area. after a while .. dump it ..

[Inxs]

Take panador take panador, my dear sifu.  

You long time no come in to advise your students here in RG... see lah... now I stupid stupid anyhow setup my tank leow.

But sifu, I wash the mechanical filtration sponges everyday under running tap water because my goldfish poos a lot.  If I use and wash the blue kalor wool everyday hor, it become giam cai leh.

May I have your blessing to continue to use the black sponge?  I'll find a blue sponge if you insist the colour combination should be like dat.    Better feng shui is it? 

The black wool is not for filtering. it more for bio-bacteria and circulating water flow. Can keep up to 3 to 6 month depend on how you use it. This blue wool are more expensive type than the normal one. can collect more waste material, but need to be replace after 2 to 3 weeks. Normal type will be weekly.

Headache and toothache now!

[HappyBuddha]

errrr.....

does it really matter?? 69 or 96 position all the same result wat ..

I beg to differ. 69 is definitely more satisfying then 96. Actually I don't even know how to do 96. Can PM me or got video to see?

it actually matters. I rather not keep the blue one below. the blue wools are not meant to be kept over (long) period. Its so call washable is also too lame. the same applies to your black coarse wools. over a while your blue wool's efficiency will decrease and cause clots, and i will bet my last dollar u are gonna get poos all over your bio-materials afte a while, imagine yur fish spawn ... . why not try using blue wool ontop, turn it ard 180 degree to maximised the surface area. after a while .. dump it ..

Now I'm really confused. Wouldn't turning the blue wool 180 degrees gets me the other side which... has the same amount of surface area?

Actually, underneath that blue wool you see another black sponge (it's not a wool) but this piece is really fine. If I don't wash it once every two days (I wash the top most coarse sponge daily), it will clog. This shows it's good in trapping very fine particles.

After this fine black sponge, water free fall into the wet chamber.



Here again you see coarse sponge, nearly 7 inches thick.

The sinter glass are hidden deep down near the tank floor. When I dig it out two days ago, they are still as clean as new.

See ah, I use BioHome and Ehfisubtrats as the media to house BB. All the sponges I mentioned may be good for culivating BB too but to me they are secondary. I happily kill those BB in the sponge whenever I want to wash the sponge. I can afford to do that becoz I've lots of sinter glass with BB that are well shield from even fine particles are working for me.

[HappyBuddha]

The hidden army of BB exposed.

350 grams worth of Biohome is lined up neatly underneath the bag of Ehfisubstrat (about half a litres). The sponge surronding the sinter glass acts as a curtain to block light from entering the cavity. I don't use Omaya paper to cover up the wet chamber as I find it's ugly.

I so smart.