# White floaty stuff coming out of canister filter



## ScoobyDoo27 (Jan 5, 2014)

Today, I took my canister filter out to clean it and noticed that the hoses had some algae or slime looking stuff growing inside them. So I started cleaning the hoses that are attached to the filter itself but the hoses that hang on the tank are also caked with this stuff. It comes off really easy. All I have to do is pinch the hose together and the suction sucks it right off and shoots it into my tank. What is this stuff and how do I get rid of it? I have noticed over the past 2 weeks or so that the water has been somewhat cloudy. I do weekly water changes of about 30%. Ammonia and Nitrite are at 0 while Nitrates are somewhere in the range of 20-40 (I don't get much better than that out of my tap).

Here is a picture of what it looks like. It makes my tank look like it's snowing.


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## Kanorin (Apr 8, 2008)

Do you have hard water? At least some of this could be calcium carbonate deposits (the white crusty stuff that often deposits on filters or around the rim of your tank).


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

Let me guess... a fluval canister with the ribbed hose? I get the stuff too, but over the years it has steadily reduced. I have never removed my hoses to clean them, I dread disturbing them for fear of leaks etc. I've recently started probiotics in the hopes it will reduce the stuff too.


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## ScoobyDoo27 (Jan 5, 2014)

I do have hard water but this isn't the same white buildup you see from hard water. It almost seems like an algae of some sort. It's very easy to clean off unlike hard water buildup.

It's actually an Eheim 2217 canister filter. I've had it on my tank since the beginning of January and cleaned it maybe a month ago. There was nothing building up then. Then just yesterday I grabbed it again to clean and the hoses were caked with white slimy-ish stuff. All the way from the intake to the spray bar.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

It is probably a build up of bacterial slime, not harmful , just unsightly and very common in filter plumbing. I get it with my filter hoses also. Some people suggest placing a fine net or pad over the outflow pipe when starting the filter back up after cleaning to catch the stuff. I find that quarterly cleaning of the hoses reduces the amount of gunk dispersed back into the tank.


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## SWD40 (Mar 17, 2014)

I have the same stuff build up on my canister hoses. Some is discharged into my 55 gal. tank upon restart after filter maintenance. It cleans up and breaks down fairly quickly. I have cleaned the hoses several times just to keep the stuff under control. Has not affected the health of my fish, some which I have had for 4+ years. Bottom line, it's a little unsightly for a short time after canister restart but is harmless.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

Clean the hoses when you clean the filter. I used a bamboo garden stake and a piece of paper towel, like cleaning a rifle. That build up will affect the flow rate of the filter, even though it may not be visible.


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## ScoobyDoo27 (Jan 5, 2014)

Good deal. Thanks for all the replies. I will keep them all in mind during my next cleaning.


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