Maintenance to Cannister Filter?

[Meadowlark]

I have an Odyssea CFS4 cannister filter. What kind of maintenance will I need to do to it? Will I need to replace whats inside and how often? Also how do I shut these off before opening it up?

 

[smac]

This may not be the answer you're looking for, but you may want to consider the "berlin method" with live rock, a protein skimmer, and water changes. You'll probably find that a good deal of people here don't use canister filters, since they can cause more problems than they solve (see your predicament). Google is your friend.

 

[drummereef]

If you have at least 1lb/gallon of live rock then you don't need the bio media. I would also ditch the mechanical media as it will trap detritus and cause nitrate issues eventually. Ideally you want to use it only for flow and chemical media, such as carbon and phosphate medias. In any event I would plan on cleaning it out weekly when you do your water changes.

 

[Meadowlark]

What do you mean by mechanical media and bio media? LFS didn't include a manual for the filter.

 

[drummereef]

Inside the canister you will likely find baskets that hold the media of choice. There will be a sponge used for mechanical filtration. As well, you will likely find some kind of bio media, such as ceramic media. Like I said before, if you have enough live rock for your system then you don't need to run the mechanical or bio medias. Just use it for flow and carbon. Here's a link for more info.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equipment/12028-equipment-review-jebo-828-canister-filter.html

 

[Meadowlark]

So the only source of media I will leave in there is the carbon? Thanks for the link

 

[Meadowlark]

Should I clean it out using saltwater or is fresh water ok for just cleaning?

 

[jimbo78]

i generally use the water that i remove from the tank during water changes to clean with and then rinse with fresh ro/di water

 

[miatawnt2b]

It will burn your house down.


I have the same filter, and for the price I'd say it was a pretty good purchase. I don't run mine all the time though. I use it as a vacuum during water changes. I buy a bag of polyester fiber fill from the sewing department at WalMart. I then fill all the baskets with the fill and start vacuuming. waste gets trapped and crystal clear water comes out. Then I just throw away the floss, rinse the baskets, pump, container with fresh water and store it another 2 weeks till I vacuum again. One bag of fill lasts about 5 cleanings and costs a whopping $2.50.

-J