# Routine cleaning for a Magnum 350?



## teqvet (Mar 24, 2008)

How do I go about cleaning a Magnum routine 350 for routine maintenance? The filter has been running since april and has not ben touched since then. The blue foam piece is absolutely disgusting looking, which is good - those are the bacteria colonies, I understand that much. My want for cleaning it out some, or at least de-clogging it is that the outflow from the filter seems quite reduced from when I initially set it up. Now I know you're gonna have some decrease in GPH filtered on it once the filter becomes full, but it looks like it's much less than it should be.


----------



## RyanR (Apr 29, 2008)

If you don't have the BioWheel from the 350 "Pro" model, then indeed, the good bacteria are in the filter. Do you have a secondary filter?

I find that our Magnum 350's are pretty gunked up after just a month, so you'll likely need to really put some elbow grease in there. I've been cleaning ours out every 2-3 weeks.

After 6 months untouched, I'd say your filter sock is toast. Perhaps cut off a little to help seed a new filter sock. Save the old filter sock in a bucket with some tank water.

Pull the entire filter apart (hoses and all), and drag it to your kitchen sink. You'll need an old towel and some long scrubby aquarium filter brushy things. Did your Magnum come with the brush on the end of a 6' plastic cord?

Disassemble the filter, dump all of the contents (not the electric base!) in the sink, and scrub away. Clean *everything*. Run the brush on the plastic cord through all of the hoses. You'll probably pull all kinds of yuk out of the hoses.

Reassemble the filter with a new sock, put a small square clipping of the old filter sock in there, then set it back up and run. It's worth it to have the return hose spit into a bucket for a little bit before having it dump back into the tank. This way, all of that loosened slime doesn't wind up in the tank. I learned this lesson the hard way! :lol:

Good luck!
-Ryan


----------



## teqvet (Mar 24, 2008)

I do have an emperor 400 running as well, the tank is pretty well filtered. Any loss in biomedia via the canister can be taken on by the emperor, I just wanted to minimalize as much loss as possible.

I was under the impression you weren't supposed to 'thoroughly' clean it out?


----------



## RyanR (Apr 29, 2008)

Sounds like your setup is just like ours. Both of our 75g tanks have an Emp 400 and a Magnum 350.

The reason you shouldn't get a filter squeaky clean is so you don't lose the beneficial bacteria in the filters, but with the Emperor up and running, that should be moot.

I wouldn't worry about maintaining the bio filtration in the Magnum. The BioWheels on the Emperor can hold the fort for a while, and the magnum will quickly get reestablished. I'd just pull the Magnum apart and scrub it clean. Get all of the crud out of there. It'll be more effective in the long run since it will easily move a whole lot more water.

-Ryan


----------



## teqvet (Mar 24, 2008)

Great, thanks for the clarification.


----------



## natalie559 (Dec 6, 2007)

Cleaning a filter does not mean you will lose all the good bacteria. I always clean mine in old tank water as to not kill the good bacteria. The 'dirtier the filter' doesn't mean 'more bacteria'. It simply means you need to clean it more often. This doesn't mean sterilize it either. Just try to find a happy medium.

I like Ryan's 2-3 week cleaning approach, although I usually go 4.


----------



## teqvet (Mar 24, 2008)

With my HoB filters, the extent of my cleaning is taking the sponges out, swashing them in the old tank water I just took out, and replacing them. This relieves enough of the gunk to keep things going again.

Does this sound good enough?

*A(week one)* Take out 1 HoB fillter and replace with brand new sponge/media material {}repeat in 4 weeks{}

*B(week 2)* Take out canister sponge and rinse/replace with new sponge {}repeat in 4 weeks{}

*C(week 3)* Take out 2nd HoB filter and replace with brand new sponge/media material {}repeat in 4 weeks{}
*
D(week 4)* Do nothing

*E (reapeat A)*

*F (repeat B)*

*G (repeat C)*

*H (repeat D)*


----------



## natalie559 (Dec 6, 2007)

Your weekly routine, which would be repeated monthly, looks great!

Two suggestions though,

#1 would be to not replace the sponges, but to rinse and reuse them. Sponges last for years if they are rinsed properly,

#2 on occasion completely take off the HOB/canister and clean the tubes, inside of the filters housing, impeller area, etc.


----------



## RyanR (Apr 29, 2008)

I like your plan to "stagger" filter maintenance.

Basically, slime and algae not on a sponge is "bad slime" in my book.  That's the gunk that slows down flow and offers little benefit.

For the Emperors, I just use bulk filter pads instead of the expensive "official" carbon filled cartridges. (if you do need carbon, just buy bulk and dump it into the Magnum) For maintenance, I just I just swish the pads around in old tank water, and replace periodically. A filter pad that doesn't "rebound" after squishing is bad in my book. The intake tubes on the emperors need probably bi-weekly cleaning (I've been too lax here). Also, the tubes that spray water on the BioWheels should be checked weekly, and removed and cleaned if they clog... once a month, I'd say. I have never done any maintenance to the biowheels themselves

I still have the clear tubing that our Magnums came with, so when I can't see through them anymore, I know it's time to clean. That's seems to be around 2-4 weeks. Once a month is probably just fine. When I do clean them, a LOT of gunk comes out, and when I'm done, the flow is noticeably increased.

Our Magnum's are set up with just the blue filter sock around the media basket. I tend to not use any charcoal in the media basket, and I rarely use the micron cartridge. The blue filter socks seem to have a life span of about three months. After that, they seem to not flow well. I actually had a media basket "implode" because the four month old sock had no life left to it.. That was an $8 whoopsie. :lol: Now I buy the filter socks in bulk from Foster and Smith, and replace them every two months.

I've been meaning to get a notebook to keep track of things.

-Ryan


----------



## Markolodeon (Nov 4, 2007)

Kid you not I've had one running ten years and the only maintenance has benn the odd rinsing of the impeller and cleaning the filter media every six months or so.


----------

