[AquaticLife] filter
Hi Shari, I must start by saying I do not have one of the brand of filters you have but I have been doing canister filters for many years. A filter like you have is a closed system. That means that anywhere you break a water tight seal out will come water! This is how I handle mine and most all of mine are Fluval of various years. First you need to get some buckets. Usually a small manageable one will do and then a larger one for your first time. Step one turn off the pump- usually done by unplugging it. Step two is pull out of the tank the tube that take the water out of the tank and place that in the larger bucket- water will always run down hill. So it may partially drain. 3rd take the return tube- hose and allow it to drain into the bucket. When most all of the water is drained out by holding the output hose section down low, I usually either dump that water out and come back with the bucket empty because of weight. 4th, With both intake and output hose up high Pick up the pump and transport to the washtub or where you clean them. Once in the wash tub I usually open the pump quickly because I have small fish and usually there are some babies in the bottom of the water that is left in the canister. That is when I get the media out and look in the bottom of the canister with a bright light and use a small net to fish out babies and put into the tank again near the bottom so they can hide. If all your fish are large without little ones, you can skip this step. Some pumps have turnoff valves in the hose just above the canister section to hold the water in the hose until you clean the filter. It may be a good idea but my hoses usually need cleaning as well anyway. Keep in mind as you clean this to see if you can try and keep bacteria in the lower section that eats ammonia and turns it into Nitrite. Otherwise unless you have two filters, you might end up fresh cycling your tank which is not desirable.
After I do all the cleaning,including the inpellor and all the stuff used for the pump. I put the new media back into the canister and fill with water. Then put the cover on and fill the hoses until the water in the intake hose is seen and the exit hose is near full too. by tipping the canister in a pitch so the output is higher the bubble that are in it will be removed or escape. When you have inspected the canister for leaks in that the O rind is not seated right or other reasons, if there are no leaks you are ready to put back to the tank. Keep both hoses high. Hook the intake hose or place it onto the tube in the tank. Now comes a bucket again- take the exit hose and allow the water to drain a little into the bucket starting a siphon. This will dump some of the new media carbon or other stuff into the first water coming out as well as get bubbles out of the canister. When you are satisfied- a few inches of water in the bucket, you can stop the water flow with your finger and hook the exit hose to the sprayer or return tube to the tank. At this point if everything is secure and no leaks are showing, then you can plug in the pump and the filter will start to filter again. Once you have done this a few times it will be easy. Thinks to watch out for- If you use a spray return like I do (these are tubes with little holes drilled in them 1 inch apart), make sure they are aimed into the tank as it can be a big surprise to have them aimed the wrong way and power up the filter pump. It is best to alternate month of filter cleaning on two filters per tank. This way there is no shock to the system when one is cleaned too well and has no more bacteria in it. It will regenerate quickly as the other filter and the tank system will get bacteria that you need back in that filter in a few days.
If you have any questions, I can tell you how I handle them. I have two 55 gallon and a pond outside 17X10 feet 48″ deep.
Best regards,
Sam Palermo, Chief Engineer Skywave Broadcast Engineering, Chicago (708)334-2260 Past Teac/Tascam Service Technician still doing repairs.
shari rivenburg wrote: > > I have an eheim classic cannister and I’ve had my tank up and running > for about 2 months now. When I assembled the cannister materials there > is a carbon pad that goes inside that’s supposed to be removed after 2 > weeks (according to the directions) - my dilemma is I’ve checked my > Eheim instructions, but it doesn’t tell you how to go about actually > turning the filter off to service it. Once I turn it off, will the > water automatically drain from the hose? When I try to open the > cannister will water come spewing out? Will it be a big ordeal to turn > it back on and get it running? ACK! Help! As you can see, I’m a > little hesitant to perform this feat for the first time…..any help, > suggestion are kindly needed and appreciated! > > Shari > >
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
