Top Fin 30

[surfsk869]

I have a top fin 30 hang on back filter. it is second hand and had been running for quite some time without being cleaned. i have googled on how to clean it and it was to no avail. how do i go about cleaning/ possibly replacing the carbon. i have a bunch of carbon i could add to teh existing carbon. also, should cleaning the foam filtery stuff be enough to make it work 100 percent, or do i need to replace it all together?

- i have a separate filter foam pouch, could i just dump teh charcoal from the old filter in there and start it up?

[tomchartjr]

I don't know that exact filter but generally you can clean filters with a bleach solution just be sure to rinse well. Avoid using soaps and detergents they may leave harmful residue. I would generally buy new filter media, but you could probably get away with rinsing off the carbon bag and refilling it with new carbon.

You should try going to the manufacturer website and finding a downloadable manual. You might want to think about breaking it down and cleaning the impellers and intake tubes.

My telepathy is telling me that rather than answer the question some people will to ask you what size tank you are going to use it on and try to talk you into buying a new filter larger filter.

[bushwhacker]

how long has the filter been out of water? lol tom. no i just want to know if the filter was kept wet

[surfsk869]

filter was only kept out of water for a few days. regardless, it hasnt been cleaned in quite some time. i took it out last night and rinsed the filter media in aquarium water and there still is some nearly microscopic "stuff" floating around in the tank ( fwiw, the filter was nasty, turned the water i washed it in dark brown) im just worried that ill hurt the bacteria colony if i add/remove charcoal

[Gramazing]

Is it in use right now? Cause if it is I wouldn't use a bleach solution.

[surfsk869]

yea, it is in use . actually looking at it right now ha. i opted to not clean with bleach just to err on the safe side. however, there is still tiny stuff floating around in the tank even after cleaning.

[toddnbecka]

If the filter media has been dried out the bacteria are dead. Might as well replace it completely. IMO that's a cheap filter, I prefer aquaclear hob's for a variety of reasons. Aside from the lifetime guarantee, they're much more versatile regarding media. Carbon is useful for removing meds, but not necessary for normal mechanical or biological filtration.

[aspects]

If the filter media has been dried out the bacteria are dead. Might as well replace it completely. IMO that's a cheap filter, I prefer aquaclear hob's for a variety of reasons. Aside from the lifetime guarantee, they're much more versatile regarding media. Carbon is useful for removing meds, but not necessary for normal mechanical or biological filtration.


good post!
+111

[Gramazing]

I use a Whisper HOB with those Top Fin cartridges. I have just replaced a cartridge for the first time in the 6 months I have had my aquarium running. (I have 2 cartridges).

I usually take one out every 2-3 weeks, open the top and slide the sleeve off the frame, empty the carbon out, rinse the sleeve in tank or dechlorinated water several times, then put some new rinsed carbon in there and reassemble the whole thing and put it back. I replaced the whole cartridge because after 6 months the sleeve was starting to lose its shape from all the rinsing and squeezing I had given it. I could probably have put a new sleeve on the old frame but I was too lazy(blush). Those frames are supposedly etched to give them more surface area so it would have had some useful bacteria on it. But with 2 cartridges I can totally change one out and it makes no difference to my levels.

As far as cleaning the whole thing is concerned, that's not hard to do. You could lift the filter out into your sink or a big tote and give the thing a rub down with some nylon mesh or a brush. Just use dechlorinated water. You can disassemble them pretty easily, the intake tube usually lifts straight off and the motor comes off from underneath with a quarter turn.

I've used this kind of filter for 6 months and it seems to work fine. My ammonia and nitrite levels are always 0.0. From everything I have read about filters on this forum, it seems that the consensus is that no one filter is the best on its own, except maybe those Aquaclear HOBs.