How often to clean filters?

[narwal]

Hi,

I have 2 Eheim filters and was wondering how often they need to be cleaned (roughly speaking).

On one hand I guess you need to clean them, but on the other hand I reason that you don't want to destroy the biological action going on inside them. So what's the trick?

I have an Eheim 2215 Classic which is very basic. I also have an Ehiem 2028 Professional II, which has a flow indicator. Obviously, you are supposed to clean it when the flow is reduced (there are markings to indicate the flow).

I suppose I could just clean them both when the 2028 indicates cleaning is needed. But would it be better to alternate the cleanings so as not to lose all the live biological organisms which filter out nasty stuff?

Thanks

 

[jenglish]

If this is a reeftank, then weekly would be the bare minimum if there is mechanical or biological media in there. Stuff gets caught and breaks down quickly. Honestly I don't use mechanical filters for more than an hour at a time because of this.

 

[bradbmbj]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14734159#post14734159 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jenglish
If this is a reeftank, then weekly would be the bare minimum if there is mechanical or biological media in there. Stuff gets caught and breaks down quickly. Honestly I don't use mechanical filters for more than an hour at a time because of this.

What makes fish waste, uneaten food, detritus, etc. breaking down in the mechanical filter any worse than letting it sit in the bottom of a sump or in the sandbed?

 

[jenglish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14734436#post14734436 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bradbmbj
What makes fish waste, uneaten food, detritus, etc. breaking down in the mechanical filter any worse than letting it sit in the bottom of a sump or in the sandbed?

Flow and oxygenation mainly. You have a constant stream of oxygenated water pushing against the detritus to help break it down faster than sitting on sand or a sump. Whenever you maintain bacterial populations in areas that have no access to low oxygen zones, you break ammonia down to nitrate far from anything capable of breaking nitrate down to nitrogen gas and releasing it into the air.

 

[crvz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14734436#post14734436 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bradbmbj
What makes fish waste, uneaten food, detritus, etc. breaking down in the mechanical filter any worse than letting it sit in the bottom of a sump or in the sandbed?

mostly the higher flowrate of highly oxygenated water. bottom of the sump is similar if left for a long time, and a sandbed if left for much longer, but in a filter like this nitrates can form very quickly.

to be honest, if you want to eliminate risk of elevated nitrates, you can't clean it often enough. weekly could be the hairy edge of long term problems.

 

[jenglish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14734504#post14734504 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crvz
mostly the higher flowrate of highly oxygenated water. bottom of the sump is similar if left for a long time, and a sandbed if left for much longer, but in a filter like this nitrates can form very quickly.

to be honest, if you want to eliminate risk of elevated nitrates, you can't clean it often enough. weekly could be the hairy edge of long term problems.

Too slow grasshoppah

 

[bradbmbj]

So, the abundant aerobic bacteria breaks the waste down much quicker than the low levels of the anaerobic bacteria will break down the nitrates, but what about other nutrients like P04? They stay the same right?

 

[jenglish]

You may possibly have an increase in PO4 due to poo being physically broken down into smaller parts for bacteria to break it down from large skimmable organics to PO4. I really could not say for sure one way or the other

 

[narwal]

What I have:

What I have:

60 gallon tank with DSB/LR, wreath, inverts and lawn gnomes.
Ehiem 2028 Pro II with skimming and Eheim 2015 Filters
UV Sterilizer, Red Sea Prizm Skimmer, HOT Refugium with LR/LS and tumbling Cheato.
Lighting: 2x 65 watt 10,000K Daylight, two x 65 watt True Actinic 4x 3/4 watt Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow LED lamps. Koralia 1, 3 powerheads, Maxi-Jet 600 PH with Hydor oscillator.