blueether Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Had the filter apart today to clean the top sponge and filter wool and decided I'd have a look at how dirty the other two baskets were - they haven't been out of the filter since about the beginning/middle of winter at a guess... Before: After: There was also about 1/2 an inch of crud under the bioballs in the bottom of the canister - that I managed to drop on the concrete drive when cleaning it out, just broke one of the feet luckily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Looks like mine after a week, damn panaques... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calculator Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Hmmmmm, definitely time to clean the filter, maybe a little to late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Looks like mine after a week, damn panaques... Are Panaques that bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 I'm pretty sure mine is that bad after a few weeks too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Looked pretty clean to me. I should have taken pics when I cleaned mine out last week. You couldn't see the foam for the crud, which I scooped out by hand into a bucket so it didn't clog the sink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matto Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 thats nothing! next time i clean out my trickle filter ill take some pics :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 looks like the one I've got in the rasbora tank after a few weeks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 i only clean mine every couple of months, maybe longer as i only clean it when the flow is significantly reduced so mine are much dirtier than that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disgustipated Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 exceptional biological establishment. excellent poop build up, a complexity towards the delicate boquet of aroma. sludge looks high grade. side sticking squiggles are calm and balanced with well defined overtones of oak origins. good weight, sophisticated and harmonious on the palette. i'm picking location to be middle northern to east area. a drop i should love to revisit had i the time or opportunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 :sml1: :sml1: :sml1: :sml1: :sml1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron-Betta Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 I haven't cleaned my HOB filters in almost a year lol, I run sponge filters over the intake pipe which filters most of the crud out before it clogs the filters and just take them off and squeeze out in bucket of waste water while doing water changes when the flow is reduced through the filter. Works out to be fortnightly that the sponge filter begins to cave in showing reduced flow but keeps the internal parts of the filter clean other than a gradual build up of beneficial bacteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnacle Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 I cleaned my filter today, not sure why, it looked pretty clean still, and even the dirtyest parts didnt even smell... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 I cleaned my filter today, not sure why, it looked pretty clean still, and even the dirtyest parts didnt even smell... Because you're sensible and don't want to run the risk of a filthy filter full of sludge turning toxic in the event of a power outage and polluting your tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnacle Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Sure, I'll go with that :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Because you're sensible and don't want to run the risk of a filthy filter full of sludge turning toxic in the event of a power outage and polluting your tank? on that note, when i do a water change, I turn my sump off so's not to run it dry, turn it back on and wham heaps of muck. how can I avoid that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamstar99 Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 put a stocking over the outlet/s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 when i do a water change, I turn my sump off so's not to run it dry, turn it back on and wham heaps of muck. how can I avoid that? Is it coming out of the sump itself or out of the plumbing? I've never figures out how to avoid the "crud" growing inside the plumbing, and subsequently have never really worried about it. Not sure how you could avoid turning the pump off either, you could do a water change via a drain in the sump with the system operating, but you'd need to turn it off to clean out the mechanical filtration at some point. The stocking idea would work, or just hold a fish net in front of the return when you first switch it on? And back on the subject of dirty filters, I've been running a net between the spray bar and filter wool on my sump to catch the sawdust and large waste before it gets to the filter wool so it can easily be rinsed every couple of days. Tank is ~420L and heavily stocked, filtered with the sump plus an Eheim 2223 and ViaAqua 300 canisters. Here is 2.5 days worth of muck; yes that is a small dog turd sized pile of sawdust.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 I think its coming from the plumbing. will put a net around it next time and see how it goes. do you just use a fish net between spray bar and filter wool to catch your saw dust? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Yep, works as a really effective pre-filter if you've got fish producing large waste, certainly easy to clean and infinitely reusable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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