# How to clean filter without killing bacteria?



## rgr555 (Jul 31, 2011)

I have a fluval edge, it comes with the Aquaclear 20.

What's the proper way, if any, to clean the filter? Do I rinse the Biomax on top? The sponge? Or is this detrimental to the beneficial bacteria?

Please let me know, thanks.


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

Just squeeze and rinse the sponge and bio max in water change tank water. Replace fine media and your good to go!


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## rgr555 (Jul 31, 2011)

Ahh. LOADS of algae or some other brown material came out of my filter after cleaning the Biomax. My water is completely brown now with things floating in it. I'm afraid everything will die.

Someone please give me advice on cleaning filters.


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## rgr555 (Jul 31, 2011)

mott said:


> Just squeeze and rinse the sponge and bio max in water change tank water. Replace fine media and your good to go!


I can take out the catridge from the filter without worrying about killing the beneficial bacteria? Do I leave the filter running while doing so?


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## iKine (Aug 4, 2011)

rgr555 said:


> I can take out the catridge from the filter without worrying about killing the beneficial bacteria? Do I leave the filter running while doing so?


Just dont wash it in tap water, the chlorine will kill the bacteria.


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## Elrodg (Sep 14, 2011)

Ok so first off. That brown junk in your tank will be nothing to fear. It will eventually clear up and it will not hurt your fish. They might eat it but it won't kill them. 


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## hassan_ars (Jan 11, 2010)

Here's how i clean my aqua clear filter media. I set aside about 2 gallons of the water from my tank as I'm doing a water change. I then turn off the filter, and then take out the media from the filter and rinse it off in the tank water i had set aside. You can shake the biomax around pretty good to get all the crap out of it. I also take the sponge and I squeeze it in and out several times to get all the crap out of it. You dont really have to be that gentle, just shake it around squeeze it out until it looks clean. There will be all kinds of brown stuff and debris floating in the water you cleaned it in. The main thing is you dont want to leave the media out of the water for too long. As soon as your done cleaning, put it all back in the filter and get the filter going again. You will have no problems with loss of bacteria. Be sure to fill the reservoir part of the filter with tank water before you start your filter back up so it doesnt burn out the impeller. Its not really as scary as youd think. Those bacteria are pretty tough.


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## rgr555 (Jul 31, 2011)

hassan_ars said:


> Here's how i clean my aqua clear filter media. I set aside about 2 gallons of the water from my tank as I'm doing a water change. I then turn off the filter, and then take out the media from the filter and rinse it off in the tank water i had set aside. You can shake the biomax around pretty good to get all the crap out of it. I also take the sponge and I squeeze it in and out several times to get all the crap out of it. You dont really have to be that gentle, just shake it around squeeze it out until it looks clean. There will be all kinds of brown stuff and debris floating in the water you cleaned it in. The main thing is you dont want to leave the media out of the water for too long. As soon as your done cleaning, put it all back in the filter and get the filter going again. You will have no problems with loss of bacteria. Be sure to fill the reservoir part of the filter with tank water before you start your filter back up so it doesnt burn out the impeller. Its not really as scary as youd think. Those bacteria are pretty tough.


I wish I read this before doing what I did.

Haha, I just spent 1 hour doing everything weird. Even my galaxy rasbora got sucked up in the filter after cleaning it (the current was so much stronger after cleaning). 

Thanks for the help guys.


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## rgr555 (Jul 31, 2011)

iKine said:


> Just dont wash it in tap water, the chlorine will kill the bacteria.


Wish I read this earlier. Too late.. :frown:

I added some bacteria supplement after the water change to make up for it. Hopefully my fish will be ok.


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## Optix (May 31, 2011)

i rinse my canisters in room temp tap (chlorine and chloramine) everytime...a quick rinse may kill some, but it wont destroy your colony


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

I always have 2 filters, either (in the past) 2 HOBs or 2 Canisters.

Clean one COMPLETELY, change media and everything, and leave the other alone. In about 2 months CLEAN the other one COMPLETELY.


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## Elrodg (Sep 14, 2011)

Even if you did kill 90% of the bacteria it is still in the tank and will recolonize very quickly. 


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.615616,-88.302898


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

i have a few 5 gallon buckets.. my method every month now is...
siphon my normal 50% into five gallon buckets

that tank water is safe to rinse ur media with. i have 4 trays in my cannister
i have 4 5 gallon buckets with 4 gallons of water in them (roughly 50%)

one tray per bucket.. dip, squeeze, shake, squeeze put media back in tray
fill cannister back with media
fill tank i used to rinse it all with one bucket.. my filter floss is the one that needs rinsing the most.. it gets full of brown dissolved organics

ceramic media and coarse pads just get a rinse and quick squeeze


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

Elrodg said:


> Even if you did kill 90% of the bacteria it is still in the tank and will recolonize very quickly.
> 
> 
> ---
> I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.615616,-88.302898


 
Someone correct me if I am wrong but beneifitial bacteria is not in the water column.


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## RandomMan (May 31, 2011)

Optix said:


> i rinse my canisters in room temp tap (chlorine and chloramine) everytime...a quick rinse may kill some, but it wont destroy your colony


THIS. Personally I use RODI water to rinse out my filters, but a little tap water won't kill off all the bacteria. The bacteria are more resilient than most people give them credit for, and a quick rinse in tap water won't kill them all.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

JasonG75 said:


> Someone correct me if I am wrong but beneifitial bacteria is not in the water column.


 
for the most part no. but beneficial bacteria covers all the surfaces in the aquarium and can reproduce every 16-20 hours.. so once a decent amount is there. it doesn't take long to have a full level of BB


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## BlueJack (Apr 15, 2011)

HD Blazingwolf said:


> for the most part no. but beneficial bacteria covers all the surfaces in the aquarium and can reproduce every 16-20 hours.. so once a decent amount is there. it doesn't take long to have a full level of BB


^ +1

Most of your beneficial bacteria is growing in your tank, on the substrate, on the plants, etc. Compare the surface area of that stuff to the surface area of your aquaclear filter and you'll notice that most (>80%) of beneficial bacteria is in your tank and not in your filter. And like HD said, it reproduces extremely fast. It's not something you need to worry about when doing your maintenance. :icon_wink


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

I agree with the above statements, that its on the substrate, rocks glass.. BUT the idea that I can take WATER from one tank and add it to another is FALSE? Correct!! that's what I mean by Water Column.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

not false.. just not very helpful. there are some free floating BB.. just not enough to make a difference... if had to get into your tank somehow............................. and then populate an area... so yes you can take some water and transfer some.. just not enough to make a difference.. now then.. squeeze ur filter pads, scrape the glass and move ur substrate and now ur water column is full of free floating BB... it'll just be brown and icky looking


as for filter media.. it has tremendous surface area.. even coarse pads have probably more surface area than all the glass, substrate and decor in ur tank.. it doesn't look like it.. but every nook and cranny, and thin filament is home to BB glass isn't very porous
so doesn't have a high surface area


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## Elrodg (Sep 14, 2011)

Well I certainly didn't mean that it was ALL in your tank but the fact that there is bb in the water column (even small amounts) would cause the filter to recolonize within a week or so. Much faster than if you had a stripped clean tank and filter. 


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.615609,-88.302868


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## wendyjo (Feb 20, 2009)

Also if you need to use fresh water to clean the filter (say, if you use a python and your old tank water goes down the drain) you can just add a bit of dechlor to it if you're worried about the chlorine killing the bacteria.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

I rinse the biomedia in a bit of tank water and take my showerhead to the sponges and all my sponge filters on powerhead mode. I find sponges never get clean enough just with a rinsing and squeezing. Try it sometime. Take one, rinse it while squeezing until you think its fully clean. Then take a hose to it and watch how much extra crap you get out of it.

As said before, one bacteria is a lot more resilient that people give it credit for. The more established it is, the harder it becomes to kill with a little bit of chlorine, and as said, even if you kill off 95% of it, the 5% can rebuild really quick. I just don't find rinsing cleans a sponge enough. My prefilters, I rinse, they are clogged again in a month. Wash with the shower, they can go weeks-a month.


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