General Care Discussion :: Filter Cleaning Question

[Amg81083]

Hi I just had a question- I just bought my turts a new tank & filter, but I got a canister filter. I was curious how often you all clean your filters out if you have a canister filter. I had a submergeable in their previous set-up and I cleaned it once a week... Would that be sufficient with a 75 gallon tank and a canister filter, or should i do it more or less frequently? Thank you for your time!

[grey goose]

What type of canister filter do you have? I usually clean mine once a month, sometimes three weeks, make sure to clean the sponges and bio-rings in a bucket of old tank water or dechlorinated water.
For turts, canister filters are the best!

[SpotsMama]

I have a canister and clean it once a month. I agee with goose - canisters rock!

[marisa]

How big is your turtle? How much water do you have in the tank? Do you feed your turtle in the tank or in a separate container? Do you have other creatures (fish, etc.) in the tank as well? These are some factors that can affect how often you clean the filter.

I cleaned my canister every 4-5 weeks. What brand of canister did you get?

[Bascomb]

amg 81083-- You can clean your filter too much. Your canister filter functions in three ways. They are physical for particles and debris, a biological for the bacteria to consume itself and chemical to take out chemicals in the water. The biological is the most important and takes a while to get going in the nitrification process. The heterotropic bacteria and the turts give off Amonia or NH3, which is toxic to turts and fish. The nitrosomas bacteria consumes the ammonia and and gives off NO2, which is nitrite, which is also toxic to fish and turtles. In this process the nitrobacter bacteria comes along and consumes the nitrosomes and gives off Nitrate which you dilute when you make a 50 percent water change. The nitrate is less toxic and your water change keeps it down. Getting this process going takes a little time and sometimes causes the tank to get a little cloudy. You do not make a 100 percent water change, as that would weaken the process. The chemical filtration would occur if you used carbon in the filter. I think I have this process correct and if anyone wishes to expound I would be appreciative. In my opinion your canister filter should turn you water at least five times an hour. If I can be of any other help let me know. B.

[Amg81083]

Oh ok thanks! The filter is a cascade 700, I feed them in the tank, two of them won't eat anywhere else.. they're just to nervous. Two of them are 2", and my third is 1". As for water I have a 75 gallon tank about 2/3 full so idk...I just dont have much of a clue when it comes to tanks, my babies are the aquatic animals I've ever owned. Thank you so much for your help!

[Bascomb]

Your cascade 700 canister pumps 185 gph. If you have about 50 gallons of water that is about 3.7 times per hour. b.

[mikee]

Bascomb -- You have that filtration down. What you are trying to do with the filtration is balance your tank. It is very difficult to do and you just have to keep working at it. What I do is keep a test kit to check the ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, etc. I have a regiment of changing 50% of the water every other week even if it is clear, but that depends on the condition of the tank. Sometimes, it gets out of balance or cloudy and I have to change it right away. I make it a habit to not change the filter and the water change the same day as I do not want to upset the biological part.