Help please

[vear]

The day before my water change I take the filter off (HOB) and clean out the filter floss and dump the water out of the filter. Give it a good scrubbing. Then I will change the water the next day. Do only one filter at a time, never both filters at the same time
 

I only use one canister filter. I wash all of it and don't really worry because there's no chlorine in the water. I definitely do not clean it once a week though. Should i be cleaning it once a week? Also should i worry about cleaning the entire filter all at once if I use well water?



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[koko]

3 hours ago, vear said:

I only use one canister filter. I wash all of it and don't really worry because there's no chlorine in the water. I definitely do not clean it once a week though. Should i be cleaning it once a week? Also should i worry about cleaning the entire filter all at once if I use well water?



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What is in your canister? 

[vear]

What is in your canister? 

Sponges, ceramic rings, some other rock looking things also serving as biomedia.

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[shakaho]

I believe strongly in cleaning the filter with each water change.  The idea of not cleaning all filters at the same time protects the nitrifiers from clean freaks who want to scrub everything clean as new.  Rinsing the crud out of the biomedium will not displace nitrifiers which live in a durable biofilm matrix.   Since these guys settle on any surface, scrubbing the interior walls of the filter will displace some of them.  Some will live in the mechanical medium, such as sponges and filter pads, as well, but the bacteria that decompose the collected crud use lots of oxygen, and nitrifiers can't do their work without oxygen.  So clean the mechanical medium vigorously.

[vear]

I believe strongly in cleaning the filter with each water change.  The idea of not cleaning all filters at the same time protects the nitrifiers from clean freaks who want to scrub everything clean as new.  Rinsing the crud out of the biomedium will not displace nitrifiers which live in a durable biofilm matrix.   Since these guys settle on any surface, scrubbing the interior walls of the filter will displace some of them.  Some will live in the mechanical medium, such as sponges and filter pads, as well, but the bacteria that decompose the collected crud use lots of oxygen, and nitrifiers can't do their work without oxygen.  So clean the mechanical medium vigorously.

Thank you so much. I dont scrub the walls of the filter. I do wash and clean the sponges thoroughly though. I will start a better cleaning schedule for the filter. Thank you.

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[vear]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to help. I greatly appreciate it

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[vear]

So guess what? It's raining.... and my tap water reads 5.0ppm of nitrates. I would have never thought of this if you guys hadn't mentioned it.

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[koko]

3 hours ago, vear said:

So guess what? It's raining.... and my tap water reads 5.0ppm of nitrates. I would have never thought of this if you guys hadn't mentioned it.

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Check your ph too  

[koko]

how ya doing?

[vear]

how ya doing?

Hi! She's better just kept doing a whole lot of water changes. She's no longer bottom sitting so I'm happy about that. The lesion is still there but looks better. I've actually been away for a week and my mom has been feeding her. I asked her to please give her very little food. I i was kind of worried about leaving, but I changed most of the water b4 i left and will do so again when i get back tomorrow.

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[DawnMichele]

Glad she is doing better.

[koko]

Awesome