How often do I clean Aquaclear 110 filter?

I was wondering how often Aquaclear filters (I have 2xAquaclear 110's) need to be changed/cleaned?

And what part of the filter media would you replace? Sponge, Activated Charcoal or BioMax balls?

Since I have two filters I have the luxury of having enough filter media.

 

The only thing you could replace is your carbon about every 4-6 weeks. Some people do not use carbon ( its a matter of personal preference )

The other parts ( sponge and biomax ) you just rinse out in used tank water.

I usually rinse my media about once every 2 weeks in my hob and every 3 months in my canister.
I would say in yours, maybe check it every 2 weeks or so.

 

Great...thanks jwebbe!

 

I used all sponges in my 110, with the exception of 1/4 cup of biomax and a small bag or carbon. I never changed any of it, just squeezed them all out every month or so.

 

Yeah....thinking of taking out the charcoal. Seems like the sponge and biomax are better

 

Carbon really doesn't much in the case of regular water changes.

 

If you plan on taking out the carbon, you could put the sponge in first, then add 2 bags of biomax on top. The biomax will hold more of the bb

 

I like that idea jwebbe....I think I will do that. Thanks

 

Good morning,

When I was using Aqua Clear 110's, I only did filter maintenance when I saw a reduced flow from the output area or if the top lid of the filter popped up. At this point you know the media is clogged and needs to be rinsed in siphoned tank water. It would be anywhere from 1 to 3 months before I saw a reduced flow or had the lids to pop up.

If you choose to use carbon and personally I love it and use it around the clock in all of my tanks, the carbon only needs to be in 1 filter and not both. The other you can add another sponge or bio max in place of the carbon. (Carbon...your tank, your call here). I suggest changing the carbon out for fresh every 3 to 4 weeks. After this period, it looses its effectiveness.

Keep in mind you do not want to over clean your filter media. Using siphoned tank water and not tap water will help to preserve the beneficial bacteria needed to sustain the tanks cycle. A few gentle squeezes in the siphoned tank water and you should be just fine. If you over clean then you may remove beneficial bacteria the cycle needs and you may see a rise in Ammonia levels, not good.

Ken

 

I use AC. I rinse out the media in used tank water weekly (with every water change). I replace the sponges about once every 3 months or so. I take the entire filter housing off and clean it and the impeller about once per month.