How regulary do you clean?

[roadrunner]

How often do you take out your powerheads and skimmer and anything else running in your tank and clean them?
Also, i have a canister filter that a friend gave me...i put in 2 types of filter media...chemi pure and biomax...its been up and running now for almost a month...the LFS told me that i would only need to replace those filter media every 3 months...ture or flase?

 

[houndhome1]

Hello. I have a canister filter, I clean it every two weeks. They can harbor a nitrate load if your not careful. I also clean my powerheads and skimmer every other weekend, The skimmer cup gets washed out every day.

 

[roadrunner]

Houndhome1 what exactly do you clean in your canister filter?

 

[beth]

You need to clean the media that is placed in the canister, and if part of this media is carbon then you need to replace it.
The canister provides two types of filtration: Biological and Mechanical. The Mechanical works at physically blocking debris, while the biological works at breaking the debris down. Unfortunately no man-made filter can complete the nitrogen system, so such filters tend to create nitrate problems unless the hobbyists takes care.
I personally would not use a canister except as a water polisher with fresh carbon. But they are commonly used in FO tanks.
As to when to clean, it depends. If you prefer the biological activity part of the filter, then you can not clean frequently else you will never establish bacteria colonies. If you are like me, however, you are after the mechanical filter only and use the canister just for a quick clean, or water polish.

 

[roadrunner]

i would have to say that im using the filter as a filter...to get rid of what i dont want in my tank...so with that in mind...would it be smart to clean the filter out say every 2 weeks?

 

[jsb]

What methods do you recommend for cleaning out say a AquaC skimmer. They chambers are hard to get to with a brush. Power washer or something? Soaking it?
Thanks!

 

[dr. evil]

i clean my filter pads on my overflow and the top one on my wet dry every three days. and power heads, sump pump, and everything else once a month.

 

[milomlo]

I clean out my filter cartridges for my HOB Penguin biowheel every 2 weeks. I replace the cartridge once a month (unless they are especially nasty). I clean my skimmer cup when I empty it (when it is about 1/2 full). I have only taken my skimmer apart once to clean it. So I would say for me....every 2 months or so. Now if my skimmer isn't bubbling properly and i have to take the powerhead off to clean it - then I will go ahead and clean the entire skimmer and rinse my floss (CPR BAK PAK).
I just got a wavemaker so I won't need to clean it anymore - just the output maybe every two months. Not sure there since I just got it.