Canister filter media pros/cons

eug

I mainly bought EhiFix becaues the LFS didn't have the blue pads in stock for my filter, but yeah it seems coarser than the blue pad so I put it first. I'm sure another blue pad would do just as well here.

eli2k

Thanks for the reply. I've never worked with a canister system before, and was wondering when you do cleaning, which parts do you change? Assuming pre-filter > coarse filter > bio > fine filter. Do you only replace the fine filter each time? I assume the pre-filter material can be washed, as can the coarse filter. How often do they get "washed"?

eug

The way I understand it yes, apart from the fine filtration, the media very rarely requires replacement, and some rinsing in old tank water is sufficient every now and again - frequency depending on bioload.

jaysee

Thats a good understanding and is the consensus almost everywhere you look.

eli2k

How often would you rinse the lower media, aside from decreased flow? Most of the large gunk will be stuck in the lower media, since its purpose is to get rid of the largest particulates in the first place. I assume it is dependent on tank size and fish load, too.

jaysee

I don't clean my filters more than twice a year, but I have huge filtration systems so I can go longer. Others are quite adement that that is terrible though, and say to do it every month.

Yes, it depends on the specifics of your tank. You will know how often you need to by examining te condition of the media when you clean the filter. I didn't start out going 6 months between cleanings. I used to clean them every month, but found it to be unnecessary so I stretched it out until the media could actually use a cleaning. Like I said earlier, if you clean the filter and the media is all gunked up and nasty, then you waited too long. If its fairly clean, then you could have left it longer.