Cleaning an Aquarium Filter

Like any other equipment, your aquarium also needs regular maintenance and proper upkeep. Generally, once the entire setup starts running properly, and fish and plants get stabilized people don’t give heed to maintaining the aquarium.

Good ambiance helps fish to flourish. Changing the water after regular intervals is something that no one forgets. The major reason behind it is the water itself that starts becoming milky after sometime telling that it needs a change. However, for healthy growth of the fish, only changing the water is not sufficient.

The equipment that needs a proper lookout is aquarium filter. The filter is one of the most important equipment in the aquarium that helps the fish to thrive better. It not only filters the water and make it healthy but is also a reservoir of beneficial bacteria that assist fish in surviving.

It implies that maintaining the filter properly and cleaning it after regular intervals is something which should not be taken lightly. Therefore here we will discuss how to clean a filter without disturbing the bacterial colonies that make the filter more effective.

When you should clean the aquarium filter

Generally, it is little tricky to know the exact time to clean the filter.  However, here we will tell certain points keeping an eye on which can provide you the idea as for when there is the need of cleaning the filter.

• How heavy is your stock (Heavier the stock, more frequent cleaning will be required)
• How powerful is your filter
• How much filter material is present in your aquarium
• What is the rate of outflow (less outflow indicates clogging and thereby requirement of cleaning)

If you keep a close eye to all the points above, you would be able to predict when your filter requires a thorough cleaning.

How to clean the filter

The one thing that keeps the aquarium stable is the beneficial bacteria present in the aquarium filter. Therefore, first of all, whenever you are performing the cleaning task make sure you know the bacterial colony present in it. Secondly, you must ensure that cleaning should be done with utmost care to prevent swings in the quality of water.

Generally, it is advised by the aquarium store owners to replace the filter’s cartridge.  But the thing that you should keep in mind is never replacing the entire cartridge in one go with an attempt of cleaning. You should never replace the entire cartridge unless it becomes so dirty that it can’t be cleaned.  In such cases, the filter sponge pad can be used.

At the same time, it is important to make sure that you don’t shock the beneficial bacteria present in the aquarium filter all of a sudden. Removing the filter sponge and rinsing it with the cold water might change the temperature and quality of water. It will lead some of the bacteria to die off. Therefore, whenever you need to do this process, take a bucket of water from the aquarium itself and use only that for cleaning.

With this basic knowledge in mind, let us find out how to clean different filter materials.

Filter Floss

Filter floss is the dirtiest part of the filter. The major reason behind is the function it performs. Filter floss is meant to trap the small particles so that the rest of the filter does not get clogged. It takes most of the dirt and decayed parts, therefore, is the dirtiest of all. It is also one of those filter parts that doesn’t need cleaning but replacement.

You must discard filter floss after every six months. However, it depends on how dirty it is. If you see less dirt on the floss, take it out of the filter and squeeze and roll it between your hands. Make sure your hands are dipped in the bucket of aquarium water. Get all the dirt out by constant rolling and squeezing. If you find that the floss is not getting clean by squeezing, probably this is the time for filter floss replacement.

Filter Sponge

The next part just after the filter floss is the filter sponge. In the case of small filters, filter sponge is the only part that performs all the activities of purifying the water.  It contains a lot of bacterial colonies which are essential for the well-being of aquarium creatures.

For cleaning the filter sponge, take it out from the filter and squeeze it with your hands inside the bucket with aquarium water. Squeeze and roll until the dirt stops coming out from it. Once you see that clear water is coming out while squeezing, your filter sponge is clean. You may fit it again in the filter.

Biological filter materials

Aquarium filters are also equipped with some biological filters. Although they are called biological filters, their work is more related to providing more surface area for beneficial bacteria to latch. So they act as an anchor for the bacteria.

Since their primary function is to provide surface area for bacteria, one needs to handle them gently. If the biological filter doesn’t seem very dirty, leave it as such. However, if it is dirty take it out and swish it in the bucket containing aquarium water. Continue the process gently until the dirt is removed completely from the surface.

Always remember that this is that part of the aquarium filter which doesn’t require deep cleaning. So do not use sponges or brushes.

Once you have cleaned all these three major parts of the filter, scrub out the dirt and filth from the rest of the filter. There could be algae growth on the filter which might need a vigorous brushing for complete removal.

Now place all the parts and media in the correct order and install the filter back inside the aquarium. There should be a very little gap between the removal of media and re-installation to prevent dying of beneficial bacteria. If you feel that while cleaning the bacterial population is damaged, try adding some bottled bacteria.

So now you are all set to run the aquarium again with a fresh and clean aquarium filter.