I can’t possibly thank you enough for this excellent, clearly presented, easy to understand video. I have been avoiding the first cleaning of my canister filter since I got it because I’ve been intimidated and worried about doing it… I kept your video next to me as I went through the process and I couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Thanks x 1000!
Some things to note: 1.) Don't wash your pump and filter with tap water unless you're on well water. The chlorine will kill your bacteria. 2.) Leave the media alone. That gunk is good. 3.) Leaving the lid open when its filling is asking for trouble (water on the floor). Just put your lid on secure, open both valves and prime it. The air will exhaust out the return and break up any loose debris in the line.
I cannot get my filter to fill unless I break the seal. I've tried every other way. Now I put a thick towel under it and use this method. Prevents a lot of swearing and wasted time. I'm glad your system works for you
The disconnect instructions given here are not consistent with the instructions supplied with the filter, which state: 1) Close and remove the intake (blue) valve while the motor is running; 2) close the output valve (black); 3) unplug the filter; 4) disconnect the output valve.
yup, that instruction is correct. By keeping the pump going with the outflow valve open + intake off while taking off the intake hose allows air to go into the canister which inturn drives the excess body of water that were enabled by the vacuum to leave the canister through the outtake into the aquarium. From that point, you can turn off the outflow valve and unplug the filter to proceed with cleaning out the canister without fearing THE FLOOD.
Have a 1200 also. When bubbles or air becomes an issue I place a book or something antiquite under the outgoing valve side of the unit raising it about 11/2 inch. Got this tip from their service representative and it works getting the air out. Leave it there until it's done. If you shut off the intake when feeding fish turn it off slowly and back on slowly. I found this helps. Back when I just flipped it off and on quickly, got like millions of very tiny bubbles throughout the tank.
do you have well water? I would never rinse the media in tap water that has any chance of it having chlorine in it - most of the beneficial bacteria would be killed off Always rinse media in drained tank water!
If a rinse with tap water with chlorine killed bacteria there would be no need for doctors to do a 10 minute scrub with a antibacterial soap before surgery, they could just rinse under tap water and the bacteria would be killed. A quick rinse with tap water will not kill off your bio filter. If you filled your tank with untreated tap water that would be a different story because it could take hours for the chlorine to be removed, that could harm your fish and kill off your bio filter.
Michael Dillon the bacteria in bio filters is worlds apart in difference to the bacteria that Drs are cleaning away before surgery. It's true that many bacterium can survive a soak in chlorinated water, but many, included the beneficial bacteria in bio filters can't, and won't survive. Not all bacteria are born equal!
Not all tap water is created equal either. I would never rinse my bio media with tap water (I swish quickly in a bucket of tank water), but rinsing the impeller and housing? I doubt there would be enough residual chlorine left to do any damage at that point. I clean mine almost exactly the same way, but haven't removed my impeller in 7 years of service. I have found that taking them out usually causes them to fail for some reason. My filter is also not ever as dirty as this one as I clean it monthly, so that could be why.
by the way I meant to tell yah I bought a used tank and stand that came with a large CASCADE filter and it has served it's purpose. I rarely clean it 3 times a year its just full of small crushed lava porous stone...works well...continued good luck with your system...
It's always good practice to clean your filter media with water from the tank as to keep the beneficial bacteria and nutrients otherwise your rinsing it all away in the sink and could possibly shock your fish
I have a two compartment 50 it has floss and Sponge in 1 and floss and charcoal in the other. I want a bio media in it can it be done with only a 2 compartment filter.
I also only clean my canister every one to two months. I turn the intake first. This prevents the continuation of more water cycling through the system. I give it a minute or so, then shut off the outtake valve so it release what’s left in most of the system. Carefully cleaning the delicate motor is also a good move. It’ll be less slimey and grip water on its surface more efficiently. I clean efficiently all inside parts, not spotless, too much wasted time and completely sterile parts aren’t really necessary. Too much gunk and very quick cleaning can cause and heavier bio load (poop, debris, etc) and cleaning more often and may cause issues. Bacteria, “good bacteria” attaches to EVERYTHING! If it’s not a new tank, you already have healthy bacteria on decor, gravel/sand (substrate), plants, basically any surface. This will help keep your parameters (water chemical content levels) at a healthy level. I’m not doubting this gentleman’s technique, just offering another that may save you time in between cleanings. But of course, water changes (not cleanings) are necessary more frequently as is water testings. Helpful vid, btw :)
So Pennplex cascade 1000/1200/1500 is a better filter than Fluval F×4 or ×6 ?. The assembly section is no doubt much easier and less complicated than Fluval...the vid is proving that point but in effectively is it better than Fluval or Fluval is just a hyped up advertising campaign for the general public. I am mentioning Fluval because Fluval is much readily available in any location of the globe... Pennplex isn't.
Thank you for this! Very helpful! Are there any plants you would recommend for goldfish? I have a pair of mature, large (6+ inches) goldfish that I rescued and would love some live plants for them. I do not heat the tank, so need plants that can tolerate colder conditions during New England winters, when my home can get pretty chilly, as well as hot summers (no AC).
I have a 65G planted tank with three comet goldfish. As long as your light can grow the plants fast enough, you can have plants living happily with your goldfish. I have a few Anubias, java ferns, a water lillie, and some serious jungle vals. Sometimes, in winter months, my plants don't love the airtemp tank water, but my goldfish LOVE their planted tank so that's ok with me.
There are some plants that Goldfish won't eat. They leave my anubias and java fern alone. I have a type of grass (I forget the name) and they did rip those out by the roots but I just kept replanting them until they got big enough to have a strong root system. Now I have to trim them with almost every water change, they grow so fast!
What if I have a really badly contaminated tank that has fungus spores in it that kills any fish in one day. And the water from it was flowing and cycling in a cascade canister filter?
my advice, you may need to do a total tear down and clean everything in tap water and try to kill everything bad in the tank,,,even the rocks and gravel will need a good cleaning or you may need to get new
I would NOT rinse any media with tap water. That will kill beneficial bacteria. I always do a water change at the same time I clean my filter and I use aquarium water to rinse media. I also think it's best to throw the filter floss away and replace it with new stuff, it's super cheap so not a problem.
You never want to turn off the outtake valve before you either A: shut it off or B: close the intake valve, it creates unneeded pressure buildup in the canister itself.
You may not notice the effects, but you're putting incredible strain on the motor because it is continuing to pump at full power with nowhere for that flow to go. Imagine you're blowing through a straw as hard as you can and then you quickly put your finger over the end of the straw but continue to blow as hard as you can. Much more violent than if you stop blowing first and then out your finger over the end of the straw. Incremental damage over time. Sort of like if you floored the gas and held it there a few seconds every time you parked your car before you turned it off. You might not blow your motor the first day, or the first thousand days. You could even say you had never noticed any negative effects. But eventually the motor will show signs of premature wear and it will die sooner. Same thing with your filter. It's added strain and it's completely avoidable by simply flipping those 2 steps. Also, the pump will become weaker and weaker as time goes on and you won't notice it. Hope that might better explain why most folks, in my experience, turn the motor off before closing the either valve. Cheers!
Mark Marshall you're saying, "I completely ignored the instructions that came with the filter cause I know better than the folks who built it." Sorry, dude. If the choices are physics and manufacturers instructtions verses dude who ignores instruction manuals, I'm gonna go with physics and manufacturers instructions.
not trying to be a karen im just genuinely wondering.. i thought it was bad to rinse the filter media bc it needs the bacteria? or does it not matter? jw i’m a new turtle mom and want my baby to be healthy
Penn plax instructions are this: with the filter runing and both valves open, shut off the intake valve and remove it. Next, shut off the out going valve and remove it. Next unplug the filter. They say its important to do it exactly that way but do not remember why.
always try to fill the body of the filter with water before you strap down the pump on top...that should help. I sent you a video because it should help you get the filter going
1: close your intake first let it run for a few seconds 2: close your out valve 3: unplug 4: put your mechanical filtration at the bottom of your canister (it keeps debris from clogging up your bio and chemical filtration). Best order of filtration: Mechanical, Bio, and then Chemical. 5: I don't recommend hooking your hoses back up to the filter without the top sealed. These filters can have leaking issues after a year or so and you want to make sure that seal is solid before you hook it up. I also recommend putting the filter in a plastic box of some sort that will catch any water that leaks. I use a cat litter box and have both my external filters sitting in it. They sit inside my cabinet and out of view but I can easily check for any water in the bottom of the litter box if one of them develops a slow leak. This could save you a lot of money in damage to your carpeting or subflooring.
Super helpful. But what the Fuck with the music 😂. I felt like you were about to ask us for just a measly 10 cents a day, to keep dogs in foreign countries fed.
I took apart the top as recommended but not in the video to check impeller. Impossible to get that part snapped back in place. By the way the impeller was FINE. I do not recommend it. I've been trying to get it back on for an hour.
I guess you could do it this way. Or you could follow the manufacturers instructions which are inconsistent with this method. But it works for you, so no worries. Apparently your tap water is not chlorinated as you have good results even after such a thorough rinsing. You might want to make that clear in the video. If it is chlorinated, that's contrary to the advice you see almost everywhere else to rinse in non-chlorinated water to avoid killing your bacteria. But if it works for you...
The very first steps you took are not how the manufacturer says it should be shut down. And the whole reason I wanted to watch this was to see how to get into the impeller to clean it, which is part of standard regular maintenance, and you didnt do that. :/
Man I really hope that water is at least declorinated! Never rinse anything in tap water that you are going to reuse. If you do make this mistake then afterwards get a bucket with water that has been primed (seachem prime works best) or at least de- chlorinated and put the filters on that water before putting back! He is worried about killing his beneficial bacteria yet he just rinsed it in tap water and if it was chlorinated guess what? Bacteria is gone! Luckily you ain’t cleaning the bio balls that’s good advice HOWEVER DO NOT KEEP YOUR CANNISTER FILTER IN THE SAME TUB YOU ARE RINSING STUFF OUT IN! Did you not see how much water splatter fell right back in the cannister? All that tap water just went in and possibly did damage to any bacteria that was on there!
@@autumnm.1458 Most ppl who keep planted tanks add essential fertilizers like Seachem Flourish to the water, so we don't use activated charcoal in our filters bc it will remove those fertilizers from the tank causing plant deficiencies & wasting the money we spent on the fertilizers & the plants. He stated that he had a planted tank so that's y no charcoal was in his filter.
