RE: [APD] Cleaning filter tubes for canister?

["Graham Broadbridge" <graham at peachy_org>]

FYI, I make pipe cleaning a part of my regular maintenance schedule.

Dirty pipes can easily reduce the flow through the filter by 50%, and
although that does not make much difference to the biological cleaning
capacity of the filter, it can make a huge difference to the mechanical
filtration.

I clean the pipes (Eheim 13mm) approximately every two months, or when I
see the filter output is significantly reduced.

Regards
Graham.


-----Original Message-----
From: aquatic-plants-bounces+graham=peachy_org at actwin.com
[mailto:aquatic-plants-bounces+graham=peachy_org at actwin.com] On Behalf
Of S. Hieber
Sent: Friday, 25 June 2004 8:34 PM
To: aquatic plants digest
Subject: Re: [APD] Cleaning filter tubes for canister?

Unless your setup is extraordinarily strange, the gunk in the tubes is
the same stuff that you culture in the biomedia, in other words,
biofilm, which comprises certain types of bacteria and the
polysaccharide film that they make, which holds them to surfaces.

As it builds up, it substantially reduces the water flow of the filter,
which is to be expected, and all the tubes should be cleaned every so
often with an appropriate brush.
How often depends on how fast and thickly it builds.

Imo, if it's thick enough to repeatedly and often break off in chunks,
then the tubes probably need to be cleaned -- at least due it as often
as you change the filter media.

A short bottle brush fastened to a loop on the end of some weed-whacker
nylon string/cord makes a great inexpensive tube brush.

Canisster filters don't really like much gas in them but they are
usually designed so that, if small amounts enter of develop in the
cannister, it will tend to leak out through the pump (the hiccupping you
mentioned). So long as your filter continues to pump water after the
hiccup, the gas should not be causing any harm to the filter.

When the media becomes very clogged, the pump will tend to pull gasses
out of solution and that too will cause bubbles just when the water flow
is getting slow. So if you notice a large increase in the hiccupping,
that can be a sign that you need to change the fine filtering media in
the filter.

As a rule, I find that canisters are the lowest maintenance filters of
all, skimming apparatus notwithstanding.
 
Good luck, good fun,
Scott H.

--- Walter Igharas <walterigharas at hotmail_com> wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am new to using cannister filters.
> 
> I have noticed that my filter tubes have a lot gunk in them and I 
> think it contributing to my cloudy water. I use this filter as a 
> skimmer. Every so often the cannister get some air in it and does a 
> 'hiccup' and pushes some of the gunk in the output tube into the 
> aquarium and produces a white haze.
> Sometimes some of the gunk gets stuck in the bar spray.
> 
> Question: Should I clean out the tubing on both the input and output 
> tubes?
> Also what is that gunk in the tubes?  Also how often should I clean 
> out the tubes?


=====
-  -   -   -   -   -   -   -
Tired of filling that aquarium all the way to the top? Ready to try
something a little different? Think less water, more options. Think
paludarium.

Aquarium Design Group's Mike Senske raised paludariums to a whole other
level. SEE Senske paludariums at 

http://www.aquariumdesigngroup.com/aquascapes/aquascapes_paludariums.htm

SEE the Senske submissons to the AGA Annual Aquascaping Contests at
http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2004.cgi

HEAR and SEE Mike talk about paludarium design at The 5th AGA Annual
Convention. Details/Registration at www.aquatic-gardeners.org &
www.gwapa.org
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