Maintenance on AquaClear 70

**ZonkyTheDonkey** · 11-19-2012, 05:03 PM

The title pretty much sums it up. Do I need to add/replace any materials to this filter to keep it running my tank healthily? I've noticed on the inside of my intake tube there is a brownish substance (algae?) building up a good bit. I also have a Penguin 200 bio wheel on my 40g and understand that I need to rinse the pad in tank water during water changes.

Just asking because I plan on getting a really messy fish soon, the hairy puffer.

**Nephalem** · 11-19-2012, 05:39 PM

not really. Don't worry about the algae growth unless it starts to impede the flow. If it does rinse it off in old tank water just like everything else. If you are running any carbon carts in that filter they can eventually go bad after a long time and crash your PH, but it takes a good long while. If you are what would be better is to replace the carbon with some bio sponge or beads as they provide more room for BB. You never have to replace them either, just rinse em out same as everything. If you have a pre-filter on the intake you can swap it out every now and then if you want, but I rinse those too. Clean your impeller off every time you do a water change as well to keep it spinning efficiently. Those ACs are so great because they require very little in the way of maintenance and they are very simple to work on. If you get too much gunk in the unit after adding your dirty fish try adding a pre-filter or some filter floss in the intake tube.

**ijankrom** · 11-19-2012, 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by Nephalem

You never have to replace them either, just rinse em out same as everything. If you have a pre-filter on the intake you can swap it out every now and then if you want, but I rinse those too.

I would recommend only cleaning half of the media in the filter unit, then after a month or so clean the other half. This will allow BB to grow on the rinsed media as you will likely loose some when you rinse it out.

**Nephalem** · 11-19-2012, 05:55 PM

aye good point ^

when you rinse something out you WILL loose some BB. There is no way to avoid that. The trick is to be very gentle. I just lightly squeeze out my sponges under water. Remember that you are dealing with a living organism. If you run the sponge under crazy hot water while ringing it out like crazy they are prob going to die for the most part. Thats why we recommend tank water during WCs, because its the same temp, same PH, same hardness, its already conditioned, and assuming the colony is working right its clean but holding some of the BBs food. All of that gives you the best chance to keep all the little critters alive, but always check your params a day or so after a cleaning to make sure you aren't getting hit by a mini-spike.

**Goes to 11!** · 11-19-2012, 06:38 PM

My routine is a bit different than the above for my AC filters.

I don't run the carbon, Instead I double the Biomax [The home of your BB colony] which as mentioned is rinsed in tank water gently as required.

The sponges I rinse out under hot water in the tub, It's really hard to get them clean otherwise. Yes this kills any BB on the sponges but it is a non-issue because as mentioned the BB live primarily on the Biomax, The sponges are your mechanical filtration and are a supplementary home to BB at best.

I give them a dunk in some dechlor water before I return them to the filter.

I know Hobbs does this too and possibly a few others, I have never had the slightest issue doing it this way.

**ijankrom** · 11-19-2012, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by 850R

Yes this kills any BB on the sponges but it is a non-issue because as mentioned the BB live primarily on the Biomax, The sponges are your mechanical filtration and are a supplementary home to BB at best.

I thought sponges were a good alternative to biomax or bio balls. That they were pores enough to fair just as well. Plus a lot cheaper too. Please someone confirm as I like to use sponges in my future sump tank vs bio media.

**ijankrom** · 11-19-2012, 08:03 PM

Originally Posted by ijankrom

Please someone confirm as I like to use sponges in my future sump tank vs bio media.

Opps I meant to say vs biomax or bio balls.

**Nephalem** · 11-19-2012, 08:04 PM

They are AN alternative, but I dunno if i would say they are a GOOD alternative. As 850 said the biomax has much more room for the BB so if you can fit it you should. However that said I have many filters that only have sponge and they work just fine. Thats mostly in my small filters. Any filter bigger than say a 30g or so I try and cram some ceramic into, but out of my 20 or so tanks maybe 5-8 of them have either ceramic or lava rock? The rest are sponge.

So basically its a trade off:

Ceramic or rock is great at bio filtration, not so great at mechanical.
Sponge is good at mechanical and pretty good at bio.
Floss or cloth is great at mechanical and not so good at biological.

See what I mean? Think of it like stats. That is why sumps or large canisters are built with compartments or modular setups where you can change out sections easy, or designate each section to a type of filtration. that way you get the best of all worlds.

**Goes to 11!** · 11-19-2012, 08:39 PM

They are AN alternative, but I dunno if i would say they are a GOOD alternative.

+1 Except I do know if I would say they are a good alternative... And I wouldn't. :-P.

I am not saying they are useless, But why change to something that isn't as effective at what you are trying to do? Although cheaper, They hold less BB, Are not as durable & are harder to clean as effectively as dedicated biomedia IMO/E.

In your AC filter the sponges are your Mech filtration & the bioax is your BIomedia as mentioned. By replacing my carbon with another bag of Biomax I literally double my BB capacity and this is why I have no dependency on the BB in the sponges and have no issues.

Sponges are one aspect of filtration and have their place, IE: I

Sponge filters. But, When it comes to bio-filtration they are not my first choice at all in HOB filters or sumps.

IMO/E, In a sump/trickle wetdry filter I would use bioballs for biomedia.

**Brhino** · 11-19-2012, 09:41 PM

Another word of warning about carbon: I had a few filters that I used the carbon that came with it to deal with some driftwood tannins (which it's really good at). I left the bags in for a while because what's the harm, right? Well, those bags they pack the carbon in actually rotted away and disintegrated. I had a filter full of loose carbon bits. Didn't really hurt anything but it was a pain to clear out. So don't leave aquaclear carbon bags in unless you need them for a specific reason.