Thank you for this easy to follow how to. This tank is my first own since I've moved out so cleaning the filter was never my responsibility, but you helped me learn. Much appreciated.
Thank you for this! I got a canister filter today and I had absolutely no idea how to clean it when it's ready. Do you have a time frame recommendation on when to clean your canister filter? And, thanks for the tip about rinsing filters in tap water - I've been doing it in aquarium water; what you said makes sense.
Excellent video in everyway possible.Not often does one find such a straight forward but comprehensive video which covered and explained everything.Refreshing to see someone do such a helpful video that helps people that may of not known anything about the subject.Very impressed.Thank you.
I agree with you on the part about rinsing the pad in the sink. Best to use clean water, and besides, there’s plenty of beneficial bacteria on every surface in the tank and the bio media. 😉
Clear instructions. The constant change in camera angles is really good. A lot of people carry it or do it all from one angle and it's difficult to follow.
Thank you for this video and for getting straight to the point unlike a lot of RU-vidrs! Straight forward, clear and easy to understand. I'm going to give my filter a clean and as you've explained and see if it improves the performance of my filter.
Great video, I just did my first maintenance today and this video really saved me. I just didn't understand the last part about air being stuck in the canister preventing it from filling up again. My canister filled up completely as soon as I opened the tap. The air inside the canister then got pushed out through the outlet.
I do the same with my magnum 350. Never had any problems with chlorine. Usually I do this after I vacuum and do a small water change. Prime is already being added to the water of the tank, and I sure there is enough left over in the water column to treat the 1 liter of tap water I have in the filter. I dont was my ceramic media in tap water though. They get set to the side, I also notice I have a colony of mts living in my filter at all times. I believe they help to keep excess waster from clogging the system.
Sorry for the typos. I didn't proof read and have fat fingers on a small keyboard. I agree no swearing either. Check out FROM GOOGLE for that. Great video Jacob
I agree with about cleaning the filter pads in tap water. Cleaning the in aquarium water was an OLD school thing back before the ceramic and sintered glass media got good. What I do is have two sets of pads clean and completely dry the dirty pad and replace with a new one. The keep rotating ever month.
Thanks so much for posting such an easy to follow video. After cleaning my XL Pro canister filter with no trouble before, this time it was clear that the pump wasn't primed. I tried pushing down on the pump button to prime it, it wouldn't depress. I tried filling the canister with water. Still didn't work. Your tip to unlock 1 clamp did the trick! I'd like to share a tip that works for me - I always put the canister filter inside a large clean bucket to avoid any spills when removing the hoses or any accidental damage when taking the filter to and from the kitchen sink. It keeps the plug and cord nice and dry, too. No spills!
Ahh thanks for making this video! Personally searching how go clean a canister filter was hard. There was no video that was the right one and im happy because you saved me and my mom from dying of stress hehe. Great job smart fish canister dude!
I've used canister filters for several years now and I do mine the exact same way, usually in the bath tub though, bigger space and I'm not getting fish gunk where I do dishes and cook. All the negative feedback about the chlorine tap water how you did it, you explained it exactly right. Sure theres beneficial bacteria on those sponge BUT thats not what they are intended for. What is intended to house a lot of the good bacteria you were careful with. And just like you said by simple squeezing them in some already gunky aquarium water is not going to do you any good. I like the tap water pressure and really get it clean. Awesome video! I would like to add at the end when you leave the clip open, I used to do that with the fluval and my eheim and I could never get them closed in time because of the pressure and water would come flowing out, so be careful people!
Jacob could you please do a video on how to clean the canister filter tubing? Mine are pretty scary looking and I don't have a clue how to get all the gunk out.
raulporter1 I haven't greased my o ring in the two years I've owned my canister filter and it runs as if it is brand new. I really don't see the point in that. Thanks for watching.
Hey Jacob have you ever tried closeing the inlet valve while the filter was on then the outlet valve then unplugging the filter I tried it that way and had NP water come out when detatching the hoses and I have the professional 600 from hydor
Cleaned my canister filter for the first time today. Not only did a little water come out, but it basically flooded part of my (carpet) bedroom floor 🙃
Yep i always rinse filter pads under tap water too, bio media in a bucket with aquarium water. I also clean the filter hoses at the same time as quite abit of gunk builds up in them too & can restrict flow. Great videos & keep em coming!
I bought a canister filter like urs but the pro 150 one...coz i got 100l aquarium...but i need to ask this coz when i get mine the filter pads was on the bottom then on the mid lvl are my media..is that wrong? Coz i saw ur vedeo was the filter pod is in the top. Tbx for reply
Turn the input valve off and wait about three seconds before unplugging it. Now the filter is not 100% full and will not leak when you take the hoses or motor housing off. Great video and correct about cleaning the filter pads.
Oh mercy....I think you just sold me on another canister filter. I used one with my 75 gallon initially, unfortunately, it was a huge pain and extremely messy. I'm looking to start over with another to hook up my new UV sterilizer. I'm gathering all the info I can and oh, I agree with how you clean your filter pads too. I too, have done it this way for years and have had not 1 single issue. I have a happy, healthy tank of sharks :) Thanks again!
Hey jacob I just bought a 75 gallon tank with a cascade 1000 canister filter. I put some rosie reds in there as starter fish then i will put some AFRICAN cichlids in there. Right now I am having a problem nitrite and i used nite out 2 and its going down a little. But at petco they have told me that if im going to buy african cichlids i cant just buy 1 or 2 every week or so they told me i either have to buy atleast 20 of them at a time or 5 or 6 every week. is this true or are they trying to make me spend money? Please reply, Thanks , Ben
Thanks for the information. Does the hydro Professional 600 quiet in operation? How many kilo of bio media can take? Is it good for 450 L aquarium heavenly stock
Very useful videa dude....Im 100% agree to what you say about cleaning the media in tap water...I have been since now breeding koi fish and i ahven't met any problem when cleaning my medias with tap water... Great vid!!
Haha! I thought so ;D I used to work at Coca~Cola and they had these 1980 edition bottles ;) Also, I've never seen a Hydor cannister before, I mean, I've seen them for sale, not installed or anything ;D
What chemicals do you put in your tank when you’re cleaning your tank or is there any Pacific ones that you really like I’ve had a fish tank now for about five years but when I clean my fish tank always have one or two fish that I can you give us a hint maybe what I’m doing wrong
Good movie! In my cannister filter ( AquaOne), I never wash the coarse blue pads. White and black pads are wash in my laundry' s sink. When ceramic rings are exausted, ( covered by muck- brown-dirt), I boiled them and back to the canister. I have an extra backup rings. It's important to discard the dirt water from the canister. I wash the filter fortnightly because my tank is overpopulated. Cheers
Hello . I have the same filter. Have you had a problem with low pressure, coming from the outlet. When I first got this filter my outlet had a strong flow. Now I would say half. I'm also using a co2 distributer just like yours. Could that be why
Rick Bolster anything inline on a canister filter will reduce the flow due to the restrictions in the fittings. if you've had the reactor inline since new it may be from dirty filter media, dirty hoses, or even a dirty impeller. the first thing I'd do is give the hoses and canister a good cleaning and that should restore the flow.
Im with Jacob on this issue. But a compromise I recently tried is getting a good quality spray bottle and use clean aquarium water in it so you get some pressure ti spray the gunk out of the filter media.
Jacob thank you SO MUCH - for some reason I am always scared that I am going to get water everywhere as I am not used to my canister filter - I have always used HOB. You made me feel way more comfortable.
Great video man I've been a sub a long time . Don't listen to these guys I rinse my filter pads and such just like you did in the video. I've never had a tank crash on me and I absolutely love your videos man . Haha post more of your tank and how to vids. Keep doing what you do bro
Gotta agree with you Jacob. I clean all my pads the same way. I have a hydor filter and a fx6. Not to mention all my hob filters. Cleaning the sponges this way has never caused a problem.
I have the Hydor 250. How do you go about cleaning the hoses? Mine have become completely brown from algae and Diatoms it looks like. I was considering just buying a bunch of pipe cleaners and connecting them to make one big enough to fill the hose.
The best thing you can do is throw that hydor piece of crap out I own one is constantly leaking I've replace the O-rings then it starts leaking shortly after that again hydor are junk
Expensive yes, but easier to maintain than fiddle with aquarium filters inside the tank plus gives neater/cleaner look to the aquarium. So expensive aside, you save money on how much time you invest on cleaning :) Assuming you don't have a planted tank, because then you need to maintain the plants of course and other necessities.
thanks for the video. I have the Hydor Professional 250 Canister Filter on the way to me now. So I need to know all you know about them. Question, do you rinse your biological media with tap water or leave it alone?
help...i cant get my filter (hydor 250) to start again after cleaning. i tried lifting up the front as you did at the end of this video, to allow the canister to fill with water but i dont think it did (i cant see-through mine-its black). Thanks Lydia
I normally rinse my sponges in tank water. After watching your video, I tried it your way running it through tap water. I have my fingers crossed as my tank is stocked with some expensive fish.
agreed, tap water for filter media other than biological media. Any other media does not store nearly enough beneficial bacteria to make a drastic impact, as long as your biological media stays healthy its all good. Cleaning other media with high pressure water helps unclog pads, and other mechanical filtration as well to allow for cleaner water. So I agree with you, just my opinion
Thank you sir,i hope to get more,also you need to get some pics up on the plant site so we can see the other goodies.Have a good day sir and keep rocking the tanks.
I wish my cannister filter can be started back as quick as two three pumps. I'm getting arthritis just by pumping mine too many times. Sometimes I feel like quitting, rest for a bit and start again 😂
Somebody got it right! I am sorry will change it to stubborn people, and rookies and people who never really thought about it :P and starters will argue about rinsing sponge in tap water. Everybody should want the bacteria building up in your biological media. You can replace small amounts of damaged useless biological media once in a while, but if you are congregating WAY too much of bacteria on your sponges, flosses and it is time to replace them.... - Now that is a recipe for disaster and excess nutrients and poisonous water qualities XD. Also, a cleaner canister will live longer and function better. And yeah I want my filter Floss do the job that it is meant to do!
CreamOf Weber Aquarium hobby is relatively young. Besides AdA doesn't even keep biological media, NOR sponge. Better than removing 1-2 years of bacteria growth at once. Either congregate your bacteria on in tank rocks substrate etc (Like ADA), or on in tank objects and biological media only (like TGM). I guess you should start making calls to them and argue with the biggest names in the business XD. They ARE changing what they themselves used to say. Old time habits are not necessarily good. Just about 15 years ago they used to think CO2 injection is harmful. 6-7 years ago close to nobody cared for LeD lights, The first canisters on the market got attacked that they WILL ruin tanks, just because people couldn't believe that 20 years of having a sump is not the way, Liquid ferts were VERY toxic at first (decades ago), but people who used it swore they are not for 30-40 years, Now they advertise against DIY chems, ADA used to talk against ferts in their early years!!! In the early years 1960-70 they made a lot of 100% sealed tanks with a small opening that you can screw a cap on, just to waterproof aquariums. It took them a decade to discover that that is wrong!!! LOL Before 1980s saltwater tanks were considered close to impossible to have on a personal level (there was no wet-dry filter!!!. When canisters came on the market they said that it will KILL everything in a salt water tank. They were wrong! XD) Just a few. And people used to be the same as you are about changes. The funny thing is, lately big names go against the rule you are fighting for.
The two newest changes are about filter pad cleaning, and the elimination of UV filters from professional freshwater setups, and use them only when disaster brakes out. NOT ALGAE disaster!!! That is the aquarists fault XD Almost all of the big names out there condemned UV filters for planted tanks...
CreamOf Weber Without explanation calling people idiots? And why would you diminish filtration by not cleaning your sponges as much as it is possible? Also making your canister die faster cause of extra bacteria growth in the housing. Just saying. All of my canisters are over 4-7 years old and they are dead quiet and 100% functional. I want to keep them that way. Anyway, I think he said that bio media is cleaned with aquarium water (or Ro/DI) and only the rest are cleaned with tap water. And I never thought about "quote" this: "You can replace small amounts of damaged useless biological media once in a while, but if you are congregating WAY too much of bacteria on your sponges, flosses and it is time to replace them...." LOL Yeah If you do that, since sponges congregate a ton of waste and food and organic material in your tank, MOST OF YOUR BACTERIA population will be on that sponge XD. What on earth will you do when it is time to replace that? And sponges are anyway for pre-filtering before floss filtration. I guess yours doesn't do much of that either. I like to keep my media gunk free, and my sponges 100% clean so water can pass through them and through the media which is necessary for my eco balance. When I used to clean my filter in a bucket, I didn't know how much more gunk I can remove with high pressure water. You wouldn't believe it. Anyway ton of bacteria on sponges that will catch a lot of food and/or waste will clog your filter pad really fast, and you will have a lot of bypass preventing as much water as possible going through your necessary media... I also don't want my chemical and natural media being clogged by gunk, cause that will diminish their effectiveness or destroy them. Once I started properly cleaning my filter pads, I noticed improved bio media bacteria growth, less bypass (which can be visible with clear filters), and more water pressure at the outflow even after 2 weeks.
Shephard K Without explanation eh? Listen, champ, I didn't make any of the claims you're throwing out there. I simply said that "Reptile Corner" is coming off like an idiot. And he is. His opening line of "Actually only idiot rookies and starters will argue about rinsing sponge in tap water" makes HIM come off like an idiot. The end.
I think you knew you would stir up a fuss with this video. I gota disagree with your method, but if you never had a problem then go with it. You might have low chlorine in your water. A hint of chlorine can fuck your tank, I know as iv done it. I only ever cleaned my canister filter out once it slows. Hate messing with it too much.
I'd appreciate it if you do not use curse words in your comments, thank you. In response to your post, there is no chlorine in my tank, if I did a water test right after cleaning my canister filter, it would show zero chlorine as it has when I've actually tested it. I don't understand the confusion here, tap water does not come in contact with the biological media. The media that holds probably 99% of the filters beneficial bacteria. Its not something that just works for me and me only, allot of people do it this way without any problems. Even people that own wet dry sump filters spray out there micron socks with tap water to clean them. If it was so bad to do this, why is this method being used in other forms of the hobby like marine tanks? Lastly, only cleaning a canister filter as it slows as you mentioned in your comment, is very harmful to your tank. Canister filters are known to be nitrate factories when left uncleaned for prolonged periods of time. Not to mention the stress you're putting on your motor to work through all that dirt and slimy fish waste that has collected on the impeller. I know everyone has their own method of cleaning a filter, but there is a way if done right that works best and I along with many others feel that cleaning a filter this way gets the most dirt and fish waste out to promote healthy water and a cleaner environment for aquarium inhabitants. I think we just have a respectful disagreement about this subject and we should leave it at that. But I just wanted to give you my thoughts. I appreciate your insight and thank you for watching my videos, it really means allot to me. Have fun with your tank and if you post a couple videos tell me, I'd love to check them out :) Thanks again.
