# Aquaclear 110 filter



## uncleholmes (May 10, 2010)

Have a AC 110 filter on 75 g tank with solo red devil. Usually feed pellets once a day. Water changes every week. I don't use carbon. How often should I change foam filter insert and biomax insert?


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## CaCichilds (Apr 10, 2012)

I would add a small canister just for extra quite filtering, and then i would rinse them every other week in tank water, to just remove some sludge is there is build up. I would never swap the ceramic media till it looks like its losing integrity. I let my canister run for a while because I run 2 Fluval c4's on both my tanks with a canister for just biological filtering. I dont like just 1 filter because on the chance you screw up and wipe out to much bacteria it helps avoid a spike when you alternate cleaning. I don't run carbon unless I need too, i.e emergency, 50%+ changes, new structures, or driftwood. And I just drop 1 bag of Chemi pure elite in if so. The foam, once you feel the rising isn't cleaning them enough, swap it. It varies by bio load.

Oscar > RD > JD ect ect.

Gl


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

The foam inserts will last for many years, and clean them vigorously, don't just rinse them in old tank water. Get the solids out, which will take some squeezing. The beauty of the AC is that you don't have to turn the filter off to clean it, unless you have a large buildup beneath the foam. Don't allow the solid material to build up to the point of compaction in the foam, and it will be much easier to clean. The bio rings should last pretty much forever.


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## CaCichilds (Apr 10, 2012)

sorry billd, i respectfully disagree, you always wanna rinse filter media in bucket of tank water, on the odd chance there is a buildup for metals in you tap waters faucet, better safe than sorry, but you're right in the sense 95% of the time you could wash it in the sink sure. but i'd rather be safe personally.


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## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

The length of time you wait before cleaning your filters really depends on how high your bioload is and how much filtration you have on that particular tank. I don't feel there is a set length of time, it will vary from tank to tank. My AC500 needs a good cleaning probably once every 2 weeks. I just keep an eye on it and clean it when I see the flow has diminished. When cleaning, I thoroughly rinse the foam inserts (I have my AC setup using only 2 foam inserts). When cleaning biomedia such as the rings you have, I too feel the best/safest method is to dunk them in some tank water in a bucket and "swish" the bag around to rinse out any loose debris.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

CaCichilds said:


> sorry billd, i respectfully disagree, you always wanna rinse filter media in bucket of tank water, on the odd chance there is a buildup for metals in you tap waters faucet, better safe than sorry, but you're right in the sense 95% of the time you could wash it in the sink sure. but i'd rather be safe personally.


My comment wasn't about the tank water, but rather rinsing versus squeezing. If the foam gets clogged, the first few squeezes will not move much material. This , of course needs to be done with tank water or at least dechlorinated water. it was more a response to the statement about replacing the sponge insert when it couldn't be easily cleaned. AC sponge inserts don't need to be changed until they lose their integrity and start to crumble, and they can be cleaned quite thoroughly with a little effort.


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## Mr.Dempsey (Jan 4, 2012)

I just use the garden hose to clean the sponges in all of my ACs, gets them really clean and works great havnt had a problem. I clean the BIO max every 3 weeks and just shake it around in tank water to get the build up off of it.


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## cosmiccow (Jun 10, 2007)

I bought a spare sponge that I rotate when cleaning my 110's. This way I have a clean sponge that is dry and void of any chlorine. I then wash out the dirty sponge with my garden hose, then let it dry out to be next in the rotation. This really makes filter cleaning a snap.


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## Mr.Dempsey (Jan 4, 2012)

cosmiccow said:


> I bought a spare sponge that I rotate when cleaning my 110's. This way I have a clean sponge that is dry and void of any chlorine. I then wash out the dirty sponge with my garden hose, then let it dry out to be next in the rotation. This really makes filter cleaning a snap.


Thats a good idea.


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## deaver (Apr 23, 2011)

is it a good idea to use the fluval sponge filter cut to fit of course in place of the aquaclear sponge.


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## Mr.Dempsey (Jan 4, 2012)

I dont see why not as long as it fits.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

cosmiccow said:


> I bought a spare sponge that I rotate when cleaning my 110's. This way I have a clean sponge that is dry and void of any chlorine. I then wash out the dirty sponge with my garden hose, then let it dry out to be next in the rotation. This really makes filter cleaning a snap.


This is actually not a good idea. The foam is an integral and major part of the biofiltration, and prior to the name change from AC 500 to AC110, it was the only bio media in an AC filter.


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