Quick Help Needed with Filter Maint

[wilsonriverfish]

Im getting ready to clean my filter and tank right now. Im kinda freaked out about killing off the good bacteria in the filter so should I take a bucket of aquarium water and rinse everything out with that or is my tap water in oregon ok? Also I am planning on doing a BIG water change What level is it safe to take the water down to without streesing the fish. Really just any advice or do nots will help, Ill start tearing it all down and keep checking for responses.

Thanks

 

[Helena21]

I have heard that the chlorine in the tap water will kill all the good bacterica, so i would use tank water or just dechlorinate tap water.

 

[Lotus]

How long is it since you did a water change?

What type of filter is it?

 

[JWright]

Avoid exposing any filter media you plan on putting back in to untreated tap water.

As far as how much you can change... as much as you like, just the higher a percentage you change, the more carefully you have to match temperature and the like.

~JW

 

[wilsonriverfish]

almost 90 percent water changes done monthly and its a fluval 405 also When cleaning it out i found a old plant leaf clogging up the ball valve as soon as i took it out water started really flowing again now I guess its on to the rising and cleaning.

Mike

 

[wilsonriverfish]

matching temperatures???? I usually just fill it up with the hose and throw in some dechlorinator! How do you guys go about it

 

[Rush07]

Couple of points:

-On the 405 I rinse out one of the sponge filters about once a month in the tank water I just removed. You shouldn't really need to clean the BioMax trays very often. If they are really cruddy just rinse them lightly in the removed tank water. You shouldn't have to worry about destroying the bacteria as long as you keep the clorine away and use the tank water.
-You should try and get the temperature of new water close to the temp of the tank. I just test it with my fingers and get it close. I also treat the water before adding it to the tank but I am not sure how other do it.

 

[FroggyFox]

Its a LOT easier in my opinion when you do much smaller changes once a week, say 30-50%? I match the temperature out of my faucet with a python and put dechlor in the tank before I turn the water on.

If you put new water in the tank (esp that large of a quantity) that is drastically different in temperature or chemistry then it'll be a shock to your fish which could cause illness or death.

Like the others said, its safe to rinse your filter media out in used tank water, or at least lukewarm dechlorinated tap water. The chlorine will kill your bacteria.

 

[rohnds]

I match the temperature out of my faucet with a python and put dechlor in the tank before I turn the water on.

I am curious, how do you match the temperature of your water out of the faucet with the tank, when using the python.

Rohn

 

[DclownD]

she puts a snake under it and if it moves its to cold... i was actually thinking she meant a thermometer or sumtin

 

[FroggyFox]

usually just by touch...I turn the water on and wait for the temperature to be steady and then turn the water off, turn the knob that starts the water going into the python (the sink attachment allows water to go both ways in and out while still being attached to the faucet) and turn it on again I usually dip my arm in and test the temperature every oncein awhile on the water coming out of the python and make small adjustments if necessary. It doesn't have to be exact, just not shockingly different.

 

[JWright]

With a Python, you can twist the bottom portion and let the tap water flow out the bottom. If you stick a thermometer in that flow, you can tell what temp it is (or you can just stick your hand in it... after a while you get good enough telling the rough temp by feel)

~JW