Help cleaning filter

[lamonsas]

hey everyone, i have had my aquaclear filter(10-30gal) running for over a year now, i never cleaned it since i ran it the first time, my water stoped being like crystal clear anymore, so i think it needs cleaning? i added my Undergravel in conjunction aswell so now i have 2 filters, just for the sake of it.. Anyway, how do i clean the aquaclear filter without clouding my water? i dont know how to even start, do i turn the filter off first? i dont want to think i cleaned the filter and what not and then when i connect it back to the tank it will release these nasty cloudy gases into the water, because the water looks near crystal clear right now with me running 2 filters.

Btw, just yesterday i added ANOTHER FOAM layer into my aquaclear filter , so in the cartridges right now i have 2 foams(1 very old one from a year ago, and the fresh one i just put ) and of course i have the biomax layer, no carbon, theres no need for carbon iv been told. Anyway, the new foam layer that i just put a day ago into the aquaclear filter already got brown.

So yea, how do i clean it?

thanks

[rich311k]

Take it off the tank. Rinse the sponges and bio media in old tank water or dechlorinated tap. Rinse off the filter, take off the motor and clean the impellor etc. Put it back together, put it on the tank and start it back up. Be sue to add some water to it to prime it.

[Neon]

One of these should help. I do my filter cleaning once a month.

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...rch_type=&aq=f

Do not use UN-conditioned tap water to clean it , you need to use dechlorinated water or better use water from the aquarium otherwise u risk to kill bacteria living in the filter !!!!

[Northernguy]

How often do you do your water changes?
I rinse out at least one filter every w/c.
You should remove the under gravel filter if you do not have the proper power heads to run it.All they do is collect a lot of debris that cannot be removed without reverse flow power heads.They cause more problems this way.

[lamonsas]

i do a waterchange every week.if i clean the filter, when im done and when i start it up, it wont release gasses and cloud the water?

[Northernguy]

No! It should just start to filter the water again.
I remove my filter after unplugging it and and pour it into my bucket.I toss the used cotton floss that I use to polish the water.I remove the sponge and media bag and rinse them in the bucket,giving the sponge a few good squeezes.
I rinse out the filter body and remove the moter.I pull the impellor out and clean the port with a few q-tips.Put It back together,hang it,prime it by filling it up and plug it back in.I also add some more cotton floss to polish the water.That usually has to be removed after a day or two.

[VIP]

what is cotton floss Notherguy?...What does it do for the water?

[lamonsas]

OKay, thanks guys. ill defintley clean it. its important right? but why should i remove my underwater filter? it has ammochips in it and it removes ammonia so i have 2 filters running, btw guys, i can put like 3 layers in my filter cartidges, so i have 2 foams , and 1 net with biomax . should i put some of these polyster fiber too for day or 2 to polish the water?

my question is, how will i wash my filter with the tank water? or should i just fill a bucket with tap water and put stress coat in it to dechloriate it and use that water to wash the whole fiter and everything?

[MonkeyPox]

You don't need ammo chips- your biomax houses the environment for the bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate.

[lamonsas]

Yes but just for extra protection of any ammonia spikes for whatever reason, does it hurt having the undergravel filter with ammochips(and sponge of course(the filter fiber thingie ) running too?