Quote:
Originally Posted by
Superman http:///t/390521/maintaning-fluval-405-filter#post_3459036
Recently I upgraded to a fluval 405 filter and I love it. However, it has come time to do some maintenance (cleaning etc.) and I wanted to get some advice. What should I do with the media inside? I've heard to clean the sponges with tank water, and I've also heard to use RO water. Is either acceptable? Also, should I completely replace the carbon, part of the carbon, none of the carbon? How long does the carbon last? Lastly, do I need to do any major disassembly for cleaning smaller parts? Thanks for the help.
Well I'm going to have to disagree with GeoJ to a point.
The sponges in a fluval have good bacteria growing on them and if you clean it too well, then you lose that colony and might even see an ammonia spike afterwards. The good bacteria in a fish tank only grows proportionate to the bioload. If you over clean the sponges with freshwater, you kill an impotant part of the nitrogen cycle you have developed.
That's why you either clean only 1/2 of the sponges (according to their instructions) at any one time, or just rinse them all in old saltwarer as you do your water changes. That way you unclog the sponges and still keep the colony of good bacteria in tact. I liked to clean my canister the way GeoJ said (if I have to clean it I wanted to really clean it)...soooo...I got two canisters and alternated cleaning each one once a month.
I also rinsed the white beads in saltwater...I used a nylon stocking tied off for that media to make it easier to rinse off. I also removed the old carbon and replaced it. I used the nylon stocking for the carbon as well...much cheaper than the mesh bags they sell, and it's easier to just toss the carbon out that way then to try and keep the bag, and dump it.
I used plain old tap water to wash the container but not the media. I really like my 405 canister, and still have it handy for emergencies. I have sumps on my tanks now.
