Most fish keepers have a weekly maintenance program on their aquariums. It can include temperature adjustments, vacuuming of gravel, and washing the aquarium glass. There is also another critical aspect of the system that you should continuously be cleaning up. This is your filter, the core of good bacteria in your fish tank. That’s why it’s essential to know how to clean the aquarium filter. But washing your filter can differ based on several factors. These involve:
- How stocked your aquarium
- How powerful your filter
- How much filter material your device has
The outflow will be a clear sign your filter requires cleaning. When this happens, your filter may appear clogged and water running out of it is broken, it’s time to clean it out.
Things To Consider Before Cleaning Aquarium Filter
It is necessary to note three points before you start cleaning your tank.
- Your filter media contains microorganisms that keep water fresh in your aquarium. That ensures any filter-related maintenance should be performed carefully to prevent harm to the consistency of your water.
- Never drain any of a filter cartridge at once because that would kill the healthy bacteria.
- Never pressure your water filter media. By pressure, we say killing microbes through using intense cold or hot water to flush it up. Instead, you can buy and use a bucket full of tank water, which you can drain even after a water shift.
Before washing the filter, you must keep in mind that filters are not all made equal. Look at your container’s manual, or read the instruction on how to clean aquarium filter to be sure there are no different cleaning guidelines for your specific filter model.
How To Clean Aquarium Filter: Mechanical Filters
If you’ve got a mechanical device, you’ll most definitely have a sponge or pad inside. It is the filter’s vital part, which you need to clean.
- Siphon or scoop out some water
You’ll require about two cups of tank water to use to rinse the sponge of the filter media. You’ll want to use real tank water for the good of your fishes, not freshwater or bottled water. Sure the filter may not feel as nice and new, but the adjustment should make the fish less responsive. To extract as much water as you think you’ll like, using your siphon, plastic cup, etc. Drain it into a container of medium scale, like a tiny mixing pot, or in a bucket. - Unplug the filter
Unplug the water filter media, and it won’t disturb you when you vacuum it, when you may otherwise remove that off your tank. That is going to make your life much simpler. To save your board, you’ll want a tub, bucket, or sink waiting for you. - Clean the sponge or pad
Since your bowl of water has already been installed, this move will be fairly fast and painless, which is nice as you don’t want your fishes to be filterless for long. Squeezing the sponge out of the gunk won’t kill all the protective bacteria on the sponge that protects the fish from ammonia in the water, but feel sure to scrub the sponge before the water runs clear. - Scrub the casing and tubes
You should scrub the casing and tube of the filter media using the remaining water in the bucket, or get a little bit more from the tank. Using a filter cleaning tool, which you can buy at most pet supplies shops, you can scrub some hard-to-reach areas. - Put the sponge and pad back
Now add to the filter the sponge or pad, and attach the filter to your fish tank. Pour some leftover water inside of your cleaning bowl, if it’s not filled with gunk, then switch the machine on again.
How To Clean Aquarium Filter: Chemical Filters
Unless you have a chemical filter on your container, the only maintenance you will need is to change the carbon periodically, either every week or if the water seems dirty. From the above steps, follow one, two, and four. Remove the carbon when you begin step one and bring it back with new carbon when you are done before you attach the filter to the tank
How To Clean Aquarium Filter: Biological Filters
Because you want to fill your biological toilet with loads of tasty sifting bacteria and tanks, you don’t have to scrub it too much. If you have to clean it, just give it water from the tank quickly once. From the above instructions, follow steps one, two, and four and set the filter on.
How Often To Clean The Aquarium Filter
As a rule, aquarium filters simply don’t remain healthy because they remove the gunk and waste from your fish tank. Hence they would still need daily cleaning.
- Mechanical Filters
From the three types of aquarium filters, this one ought to clean most frequently, at least once every four weeks. You’ll want to arrange your filter cleaning days so they’ll be removed from your standard tank cleaning weekly or biweekly for several days. - Chemical Filters
Remove carbon anytime the water from the tank is stagnant, or at least once in two months. - Biological Filters
When a biological filter happens to be clogged, malfunctioning, or running quite slowly, give the filter a thorough wash out.
If your fish gets ill, more regular cleanings can be required. Ask a veterinarian or aquarium shop employee for guidance on how to clean aquarium filter during these periods. Find out more about aquarium care.
Conclusion
We hope you learned much about how to clean the aquarium filter. If you’re fish tank needs cleaning, don’t neglect to follow these steps. Incorrect cleaning of your tank may cause disaster to your aquarium. Nevertheless, as we’ve shown you, clean it right, and you’ll have a beautiful aquarium packed with healthy, living fish.