FX5 Filter, Maint questions....

Egrant

Do you have a FX5 Filter? If so how often do you break it down to clean it and what are you useing for media in it? I am asking these questions because i noticed today the flow is not near as strong as it used to be. I do not care if i hcae to clean monthly but I was expecting to only have to tear into it about once every 3 months....

I am useing it on my 125G Cichlid tank with 21 fish in the tank.

My Media;
Of course the foam on the outside of the trays.

Bottom tray = Ceramic Rings
Middle Tray = Filter Fiber
Top Tray = Chemi Pure (will be switching to purigen soon)

So, back to the original question, what are you useing in the trays and how often do you clean it? Should I replace the Filter Fiber/Floss or just keep rinsing it?

jaysee

I don't have an FX5, but I've got some big filtration systems in the 900 - 1000 gph range. I don't open the canisters up more than twice a year (I don't use carbon). I am unfamiliar with the flow of water through the FX5, but my canisters (bottom up flow) all have fluval prefilter ceramic media in the first tray. That does a great job at trapping large particles while not restricting the water flow as much as it does not clog. From there things break down to smaller particles which are caught by the sponges. Some have coarse and fine, others have just one size. The rest is filled with biomax. The filtration system on my 125 holds 4 boxes of ceramic prefilters and 10 boxes of biomax.

I've not had water clarity problems, so I've never used filter floss. I would probably just throw it out and start with new when cleaning the filter - doesn't seem like something that would clean well.

Egrant

I know have small bubble comeing out of the outlet tube in the tank, looks like it is trying to purge... wierd.

Thanks for the advice jaysee

jaysee

every 24 hours, for 2 minutes, the unit is supposed to turn off to expel any gasses that have built up.

Egrant

Thesmall bubbles were before I tore it apart and cleaned it. Everything is pretty clean and back together. by the looks of the filter pads i shouldnt need to tear it apart for a while. they were in pretty good shape. i am thinking i MIGHT use more bio max on the second tray to replace the floss and switch the Chemi-Pure to purigen.

jaysee

The biomax will house a significantly larger bacteria colony than the floss will, increasing the filters bioload capacity and processing efficiency.