Eheim filter - 10 months in

[Sly1461]

Hi everyone,

I have been running an Eheim professional 3 filter for 10 months now (30g tank), I rinse it out every 2-3 months with RO water and make sure its clean but I haven't changed any of the contents of the filter trays or media. I've read differing opinions from various people saying you can simply just leave it for good and it will be fine to some people saying you need to change everything but the biological filtration every 6 months.

Would be interested to know the opinion on here,

Thanks in advance.

 

[fishkeeprian]

I have a fluval unit and i only change the carbon & gfo every three months. Everyting else just gets rinsed in tank water every week and reused. I would only change the sponges if they are falling apart.

IMO a 2-3 month clean out isnt enough. I do mine every week whilst doing my water changes. This may seem a bit over the top but it only takes 10 mins extra to do and you ensure tip top filter performance.

Keeping excess nutrients down in tanks is hard enough so keep top side of your husbandary like cleaning your filter regularly helps keep things in check.

 

[scelona]

Hi everyone,

I have been running an Eheim professional 3 filter for 10 months now (30g tank), I rinse it out every 2-3 months with RO water and make sure its clean but I haven't changed any of the contents of the filter trays or media. I've read differing opinions from various people saying you can simply just leave it for good and it will be fine to some people saying you need to change everything but the biological filtration every 6 months.

Would be interested to know the opinion on here,

Thanks in advance.

What are your nitrates? Is this a fish only system or do you have corals? There are not a lot of people who run canister filters on a saltwater aquarium because they tend to lead to nitrate issues unless they are cleaned religiously. Sounds like you have had success with your setup though so if it's working for you then continue what you are doing. I would personally clean the thing at least weekly with my water changes.

 

[scelona]

I have a fluval unit and i only change the carbon & gfo every three months. Everyting else just gets rinsed in tank water every week and reused. I would only change the sponges if they are falling apart.

IMO a 2-3 month clean out isnt enough. I do mine every week whilst doing my water changes.

Just an FYI, typical useful lifespan of carbon is around 2 weeks and GFO can last about a month. If this is working for you then that is great but these additive get depleted way before 2-3 months.

 

[fishkeeprian]

My phosphates are undectectable and my nitrates are at 1ppm. I do not suffer with any algae at all. I had one breakout of hair algae during the cycle but thats it. I have also stuck to three month change of carbon and gfo. I do not carbon dose my tank they are my tanks natural levels.

 

[scelona]

My phosphates are undectectable and my nitrates are at 1ppm. I do not suffer with any algae at all. I had one breakout of hair algae during the cycle but thats it. I have also stuck to three month change of carbon and gfo.

That's awesome, that is a whole lot better then most people can say about their tank. Like I said, if it's not broken then don't fix it.

 

[Sly1461]

What are your nitrates? Is this a fish only system or do you have corals? There are not a lot of people who run canister filters on a saltwater aquarium because they tend to lead to nitrate issues unless they are cleaned religiously. Sounds like you have had success with your setup though so if it's working for you then continue what you are doing. I would personally clean the thing at least weekly with my water changes.

Hello!

My Nitrates range between 5-10ppm and my system has a sandbed with live rock and coral (couple of torch corals, Ricordea, BTA anemone and some Zoanthids all doing well). I currently have a couple of clowns, a cleaner shrimp and a watchman Goby). I did have Xenia's which were doing well then suddenly shrivelled up and disappeared.

The main reason I asked about the filter is I've noticed my sand becoming more prone to blotches and red slime. I've just had to kill the lights for the second time in 5 weeks to stop it re-appearing. I don't currently run any Carbon in the filter, doing some quick research it would appear that I need to do this ASAP - https://joejaworski.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/does-a-reef-tank-need-carbon/

Still learning!!

 

[Wilrok_1]

I failed with a canister filter in past on a large system , everything leveled out as soon as I added a wet dry sump .

 

[ReefsandGeeks]

I've been using canister filters since I got into saltwater (3 years) and I've been able to keep undetectable nitrates and very low phosphates by carbon dosing and running a bag of GFO in the canister. I do clean the canister every 2-3 weeks, rinsing each layer of filter floss and sponge, replacing GFO and carbon every other filter cleaning. The only thing I don't clean is the liter of matrix I have for denitrification. It's a lot of work, and the wife is never happy when I tel her I'm gonna clean the fitler because it does take me a little while to do, but every time I do, I get lots of slimy bacteria growth out which I assume is from carbon dosing. I do have a heavy fish load and still keep a mixed reef tank with SPS doing well. Just a lot of work.

Wish I had a sump, and when I upgrade my tank again I woun't go without one. mostly for ease of maintanence, but also to keep equipment out of the display tank, and more options for filtration.

 

[Sly1461]

I've been using canister filters since I got into saltwater (3 years) and I've been able to keep undetectable nitrates and very low phosphates by carbon dosing and running a bag of GFO in the canister. I do clean the canister every 2-3 weeks, rinsing each layer of filter floss and sponge, replacing GFO and carbon every other filter cleaning. The only thing I don't clean is the liter of matrix I have for denitrification. It's a lot of work, and the wife is never happy when I tel her I'm gonna clean the fitler because it does take me a little while to do, but every time I do, I get lots of slimy bacteria growth out which I assume is from carbon dosing. I do have a heavy fish load and still keep a mixed reef tank with SPS doing well. Just a lot of work.

Wish I had a sump, and when I upgrade my tank again I woun't go without one. mostly for ease of maintanence, but also to keep equipment out of the display tank, and more options for filtration.

Seconded with the sump!! Right I'm off to the LFS to replace my mechanical filtration, GFO and add carbon. So hopefully I can put an end to slimy blotchy sand.

Thanks all.

 

[Ou8me2]

Clearly, you can do it. I think the question is how stable is the tank? How much maintenance do you want to do? You'll find all types of setups on this forum. You'll find people who run canisters, you'll find people who choose not to run skimmers. You'll find people who don't run calcium reactors etc.

It's no secret that canister filters can be troublesome and require a fair amount of maintenance compared to vs having a sump and other gadgets. It's about how much time do I wanna spend doing maintenance vs enjoying the tank? I don't buy into all the hype you need this gadget or that to be successful.

Some people prefer the challenge of a less technical setup, while others prefer the most technical amount of gadgets. Obviously, stability in the tank offers great benefits. No one likes to struggle maintaining a tank or losing fish or corals.