neupane00

i am faily new to this and fishkeeping for just last 8 months or so. but i still havent mastered the skills of cleaning filters. in my smallest tank, i have aquaclear filter. and i usually just wash the sponge and put it back. But doing so always spikes the ammonia. is that normal? whats the right way to clean the filter?
this is what i do:
1) unplug the filter and take it to sink
2) get a half gallon aquarium water in pitcher
3) throw the sponge in the pitcher and clean it there
4) throw away the dirty water from the pitcher and put the sponge back.
--> i dont clean anything else.
does this sound right?
am i losing bacteria in the cleaning process thats why i have spike in ammonia after cleaning?

jdhef

Sounds to me like you are doing everything right. !'m not sure why you'd be getting ammonia spikes with that proceedure.

Shawnie

you are doing things the right way..how did you cycle the tank? how long has the tank been cycled, and how often are you rinsing the filter in the pitcher? tanks that are less than 4-5 months old (cycled) really shouldnt be rinsed until after that time frame...after that , once every other month of rinsing is good..unless you are overstocked or overfeeding ( as i do both) you would want to rinse once a month ...otherwise, I have no clue why you keep getting ammonia

AlyeskaGirl

Do you have the BioMax insert in your filter too?

neupane00

no what is bioMax? do i need it? is it good?

neupane00

another question: when u rinse the sponge filter in that pitcher of aquarium water and throw away the dirty water. doesnt good bacteria get washed away from the sponge (along with dirt?) ?

jdhef

BioMax is those ceramic rings that you can put in your filter.

The bacteria should stick to the filter material when you clean it. You should only swoosh it around to get it clean and not really scrub, else you could scrub off all the bacteria.

aquarist48

Hello Neupane. Hope you're doing well. If your tank has been established for 6 months or so, try adding a layer of filter floss (I use high loft batting material cut to fit, thin layers, from the craft department at WalMart, no additives) to the bottom of the filter under the sponge. This will trap your major waste and you can discard the floss once a week and replace it with fresh floss. In my opinion this helps to keep the fish from swimming in their own waste. Only rinse your sponge in siphoned tank water (as you mentioned) once every month or so. Just a swoosh or a gentle squeeze is all it needs. I have the Aqua Clear (AC) 70 and 2 AC 110's. These 2 filters come with ceramic bio tubes that go on top of the sponge. I don't know if the smaller ones come with them or not, but you can always add them provided there is room. I never rinse them period. The floss on the bottom will keep your sponge and bio tubes much cleaner and may help prevent ammonia spikes as well.
I only suggest changing the floss weekly for well established aquariums/filters.
Ken
I have moved your thread to the "cleaning/Maintenance" section of the forum. Thanks!
Ken