I have a 60 gal tank with a Fluval 404 canister with a protein skimmer. I have two false perculas, two cleaner shrimp, 5 hermit crabs and one snail, the tank is two months old. I have two fish in quarantine because their new I'm getting ready to put in. How often should I clean the canister, the filter pads and media. I have active carbon in the bottom basket, phosphate media in the middle and biomax in the top. Should I drain the water in the canister and replace with new and clean the housing. I also have a couple soft corals.
2006-10-27 06:47:01 · 5 answers · asked by David G 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
Don't get too aggressive with the cleaning on the filter. The Fluvals operate by sending dirty water to the bottom, and then it flows upward through each container.
The bottom container, then, will collect the most debris and detritus. This is the one to clean out on a more regular basis. Use a bucket full of tank water to "swish" the container out and release debris. This prevents as much damage as possible to the bacteria doing the work in your filter.
Replacing carbon is up to you -- having it there in the first place is not relaly necessary. It's good for removing colors and odors from the water, but in a properly loaded and maintained tank, you shouldn't have these problems. Over time, even as the carbon loses it's potency, the nooks and crannies of the media fill up with the beneficial bacteria, which means you should just clean them gently, not replace them.
The same concept applies with the other two media, the phospates and the biomax media. Whatever you do, you should not use fresh water to clean the filter, or you'll kill the bacteria you want -- and don't worry, provided you don't overfeed things, the tank size and the inhabitants you listed should make cleaning the filter an infrequent task.
Hope it helps!
2006-10-27 07:00:15 · answer #1 · answered by lucid696 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have a fluval 404 on my tank as well. Here is what I do. In the media baskets I put the biostars (purchased separately) in the bottom basket (the live rock does most of the bio filtering in my tank now) I used to have it in both. I put the charcoal in the top 2 baskets.
I clean my fluval every 4 weeks by changing the carbon and 2 of the sponges. Make sure that you wipe out the impeller compartment. I empty the fluval into the sink (plugged off) so that I can rinse parts and the new carbon before it goes back in. The water gets pretty cruddy so I hope your not squeamish.
Always have extra seals on hand (learned that the hard way).
I have had my fluval running for about 3 years now.
Good Luck.
2006-10-27 08:40:14 · answer #2 · answered by tinar92 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sorry, I have never kept marine fish. But check out "About.com" and follow their links to maintaining a marine tank. They have tons of information on that site.
You could also google "Fluval 404" and probably find what you are looking for... or at least find a number to contact the factory to talk to a rep that could counsel you.
2006-10-27 07:02:45 · answer #3 · answered by 8 In the corner 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i have that filter and i change the media about every 4-5 months i love it!
2006-10-27 07:36:18 · answer #4 · answered by howie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
and your question iz?
2006-10-27 06:56:14 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋