How do I clean my filter media?

[RockingCricket]

The parts for my fluval arrived today which brigns me here with the question of 'How do I clean the media that has sat in salt water in the filter for the last 5 months? It's Bio Matrix rocks and I don't wantr to replace it if I don't have to (funds are v. tight) Or do I even need to clean them? Wouldn't they still be loaded with benefitial bacteria? The water wasn't stagnant or green.

I fast reply would be really appreciated because I'm eager to get to work on this.

 

[FroggyFox]

confused. Did I miss a thread about the fluval breaking...or are you switching it to FW or why do you need to clean the media? I dont know any reason you can't just rinse them in dechlorinated water (SW with the right SG if its staying salt)...

 

[OCCFan023]

Are you looking to clear it off for flow reasons or are you switching it to a different tank? If its just for flow you can just clean it in tank water (from water changes) and just do it that way

 

[RockingCricket]

OK. My fluval went out of action a good few months ago, and when it did I just turned it off and removed it from the system while I ordered the parts to fix it. I didn't remove any of the media or water from the filter and it has sat like that since. I had just cleaned the filter the day I broke it, so that water that has sat in it was freshly made SW. As I said, it doesn't appear stagnant, green or smell bad.

So now that I have the parts to fix it, do I need to do anything with the filter media that has sat in the water for 4 or 5 months, or can I just fill her up and plug her in?

Hope this makes sense, and thanks already for the quick replies.

 

[FroggyFox]

I'd definitely rinse it all off before putting it on a tank. There's probably no bacteria alive on it still because there hasn't been any water movement which means no oxygen or food delivered to the bacteria...

 

[RockingCricket]

Thanks Foxy. I impatiently figured the same thing. I've cleaned the inside of the filter, and all the baskets and everything and I'm now running it using a bucket and some SW from the water change I'm doing. I think it should be ok. My tank going downhill has been a big niggle in the back of my mind. I'm so pleased to be getting back on the right track.

 

[KahluaZzZ]

anyways you bio-media will give you the nitrifying bacteria, so less ammonia and nitrite but at the end it's gonna give you a nitrate reactor. Is that what you want ? I had some when my tank had not much live rock in it..just in case, just to help...but always had 15+ ppm of nitrates. When i added some rock, bye bye bio-media and bye bye nitrates.
The LR alone should ive you both nitrifying bacteria AND de-nitrifying

 

[RockingCricket]

Thanks Kahlua. I think I need it at the moment. I'm still pretty much live rock-less. Everything is getting a good clean. When it builds up to be a nitrate factory, I'll remove a few bits and pieces. Thanks for the warning *thumbsups

 

[KahluaZzZ]

your fishies can be ok but the inverts will not like it. But hey wet/dry do the same thing and they work in FOWLR

 

[RockingCricket]

Things are looking much much better already. With the fluval parts that came today, it is operational again. I'm still using it as a return from the sump which is now also up and running. I'll have to invest in a pump at some point but I don't think I'm causing the fluval any damage. I've replaced the carbon (thanks Wayne - I swear I can see the water getting cleaner as I type) and I've given some more rockwork a scrub. I've also used a powerhead to manually blow any remaining detritus from the rocks so that my filters can do their work. I haven't done much of a water change yet. I've taken 5 gallons out and added about 17 gallons back in, and now I'm out of salt. Ugggh!
It's such a cleaner look with everything in the sump and out of the sight. Tomorrow will be much of the same I think, along with aquascaping. I need to ask about moving my anenome but I'll do that in a new thread.