# Canister Maintenance Help



## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

If 4-month filter maintenance time! I have an Aquatop cf500uv canister filter and I have a few questions about cleaning it and filter media. I will use pictures so you can better understand what I'm talking about









1. My first question this, what do you recommend for cleaning the inside of the filter? As you can see, its pretty dirty and stained. Would it be ok to use vinegar as long as I rinse it out thoroughly?









2. Right now I just have the seachem matrix sitting in two of the trays on top of filter pads and it makes cleaning it a bit of a mess. Is there a better way of doing this? Should I use media bags?









3. As you can see, I am using the white filter pads that came with the canister in each tray. Is there a better option than these?

4. Finally, I would like some help with my media placement. Here is what I have from top to bottom in each tray. 
1. white filter pad
2. white filter pad and matrix
3. white filter pad and matrix
4. whit filter pad, blue filter pad and a few bio balls in a media bag
Is this the best media arrangement? Does it alowl for optimal flow through the canister?


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## b3w4r3 (Dec 14, 2012)

Answer for question one is don't worry about the staining. Most of that is just bacteria layers and possibly some small pieces of solid organics. Rinsing it out with water is all you want to do.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

i havent used the aqua top personally, but i have ehiem, rena, and cascade canisters. i put blue filter pad(for large debri) in line first. then i put all my media next in line(balls,stones,etc). finally i put my white filter pad(forfine debris and polishing) last. if u have multiple white pads i would put in order of course to fine. some canisters inflow to bottom and work water up through pads and media. other filters inflow to top and work water down through pads and media. depending on how your operates depends on how to line up your pads and media. thats how i set up my canisters, others may do it different. u can rinse pads and canister in tap water. rinse media(stones) in tank water so u dont lose bio


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## marius432 (Aug 13, 2012)

never seen such clean canister on the inside! 
once i ran out of the aqua top white pads. i bought the cheaper batting filter floss and just shoved it in there
its good not to touch the matrix for the first six months or longer so that bio can be established properly, but sometimes you cant wait that long


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## marius432 (Aug 13, 2012)

dont let the matrix dry out either


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

Great, thanks for all the input!

This filter has been running for about a year now. This is the third time I've cleaned it out. I make sure the matrix stays wet. I just rinse it a couple of times to get some of the debris off of it.

I may do some media rearrangement next time and pick up some filter floss!


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

Oh, and trust me, the filter looks worse in person than in that pic. I will just do the rinsing and leave it alone otherwise.


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

First things first. You should be cleaning your canister at least once a month. That being said.
1) If you clean more often you wouldn't get the staining.
2), 3) Throw the filter pads away. They are a pain to clean
4) If you buy some Fluval prefilter media. This goes in tray #1 and filters most of the crude. It's very easy to clean. Just rinse.
Put Seachem matrix in trays 3 and 4. Also easy to clean. Just rinse. Tray 2 leave empty in case you have to use any carbon or other material not normally used. :fish:


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

smitty814 said:


> First things first. You should be cleaning your canister at least once a month. That being said.
> 1) If you clean more often you wouldn't get the staining.
> 2), 3) Throw the filter pads away. They are a pain to clean
> 4) If you buy some Fluval prefilter media. This goes in tray #1 and filters most of the crude. It's very easy to clean. Just rinse.
> Put Seachem matrix in trays 3 and 4. Also easy to clean. Just rinse. Tray 2 leave empty in case you have to use any carbon or other material not normally used. :fish:


Once a month seems a bit excessive. I only have 11 fish in this tank and most of them are less than 3". I thought recommended cleaning schedule for canisters is every 3-4 months?

I will look into the fluval pre-filter media.


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

Canisters can become nitrate "factorys". That's why I recommend more frequent cleanings.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

pads are very easy to clean. just rinse. u can get a lot of life out of a pad. if u throw away every time it can get expensive.


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

sumthinfishy said:


> pads are very easy to clean. just rinse. u can get a lot of life out of a pad. if u throw away every time it can get expensive.


What I meant was.....don't use them. :dancing:


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## walzon1 (Jun 17, 2013)

You should clean the mechanical every month but just the mechanical that way there is not too much detritus buildup. And you need mechanical filtration before the Matrix so that the pores in the Matrix don't get clogged with dirt and detritus.

Once detritus gets stuck in your mechanical filtration this doesn't stop it from being broken down by bacteria and turning into nitrate, this is in essence where the term "nitrate factory" comes from. With good flow and trapped debris this is a perfect recipe for excessive nitrates and the need for more water changes. by removing the detritus bi-weekly/monthly it never gets the chance to break down and become nitrates, hence less nitrates in your system.


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

walzon1 said:


> You should clean the mechanical every month but just the mechanical that way there is not too much detritus buildup. And you need mechanical filtration before the Matrix so that the pores in the Matrix don't get clogged with dirt and detritus.
> 
> Once detritus gets stuck in your mechanical filtration this doesn't stop it from being broken down by bacteria and turning into nitrate, this is in essence where the term "nitrate factory" comes from. With good flow and trapped debris this is a perfect recipe for excessive nitrates and the need for more water changes. by removing the detritus bi-weekly/monthly it never gets the chance to break down and become nitrates, hence less nitrates in your system.


So should I not use the filter pads in the trays with the matrix. In order to rinse the pads in those trays I would have to take the matrix out and I might as well rinse it too at that point.

If I'm understanding correctly the best setup would be:
top tray-course filter pad
2nd tray-matrix
3rd tray-matrix
bottom tray-fine filter pad and whatever else i might want to add in later like carbon or filter floss


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

The bottom is tray #1. The Aquatop canisters filter from bottom to top. You want the mechanical portion before the matrix or bio portion.


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

smitty814 said:


> The bottom is tray #1. The Aquatop canisters filter from bottom to top. You want the mechanical portion before the matrix or bio portion.


Ok, so it this is how it works: the water enter the canister and shoots downward and then heads back up through the media to the outlet. Correct?


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

thats what i said. go back and read my post. set it up that way and u will be fine.


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

sumthinfishy said:


> thats what i said. go back and read my post. set it up that way and u will be fine.


I know, just clarifying.


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## walzon1 (Jun 17, 2013)

Since you have no bags for your matrix the setup sumthinfishy said will work best. If your media was bagged then I would put the fine filter floss right after the medium, so your media stays as clean as possible.

BTW I know you said how good you are doing with the aquatop, I noticed that there is no flow control on these models, have you had any problems with this at all??


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

walzon1 said:


> Since you have no bags for your matrix the setup sumthinfishy said will work best. If your media was bagged then I would put the fine filter floss right after the medium, so your media stays as clean as possible.
> 
> BTW I know you said how good you are doing with the aquatop, I noticed that there is no flow control on these models, have you had any problems with this at all??


Ok, sounds like a good media setup!

I have had no issues with flow on this unit. I would actually prefer the flow be a faster, but its pretty good. On my 75G I don't find a need for flow control, maybe on a smaller tank.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

walzon1 said:


> Since you have no bags for your matrix the setup sumthinfishy said will work best. If your media was bagged then I would put the fine filter floss right after the medium, so your media stays as clean as possible.
> 
> BTW I know you said how good you are doing with the aquatop, I noticed that there is no flow control on these models, have you had any problems with this at all??


I don't use Aquatops, but am curious to why flow control might be a desirable option. I'm running Eheim's currently, and in the past ran Fluvals, and I don't recall any flow control option on these. My filters run 100% all the time, save for if I let them get too clogged up.


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## walzon1 (Jun 17, 2013)

nodima said:


> walzon1 said:
> 
> 
> > Since you have no bags for your matrix the setup sumthinfishy said will work best. If your media was bagged then I would put the fine filter floss right after the medium, so your media stays as clean as possible.
> ...


Fluval you can slow the flow by lifting the disconnect lever, Eheim have the disconnect valves that can be turned slightly to slow flow.

In my planted tanks I always would keep my flow half of what the fluval was capable of, plants don't look so good getting blown all over. The reason I asked is because I was looking at the almost 400GPH model with UV, I currently have 300 GPH in my 40g. I feel it would be a bit too much for 40g with 700 GPH, the model below doesn't have UV.

Also personally I don't like a lot of flow in my tanks, I don't like to see the fish fighting against the water flow. Most cichlids are from lakes not streams and IMO it doesn't look natural.


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

walzon1 said:


> nodima said:
> 
> 
> > walzon1 said:
> ...


OH, ok. If that's what you mean by 'flow control' than the aquatops do have that. You could adjust the flow by using the disconnect valve. I just don't know why u would be a canister rated for a certain GPH and then turn it down. Unless you want the larger filter volume of the cf400uv with less than 360GPH.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

walzon1 said:


> nodima said:
> 
> 
> > walzon1 said:
> ...


The planted tank makes sense on one hand, but on the other, a lot of flow is needed to ensure nutrients are distributed throughout the tank. I've never purposely reduced the flow through the filter to accomplish this, but rather split the output, sometimes into a long spray bar, other times to power UGJ's. My 75 gal heavily planted tank is currently running 2 Eheim 2128's, one through a spray bar, the other just as an outlet. Even with this set up, I'm still getting some very slow spots where CO2 is not adequate, judging by the BBA growing there.

Just another thought on how to accomplish the same thing.


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## walzon1 (Jun 17, 2013)

Yea I actually forgot the Aquatops come with spraybars.


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## b3w4r3 (Dec 14, 2012)

walzon1 said:


> Also personally I don't like a lot of flow in my tanks, I don't like to see the fish fighting against the water flow. Most cichlids are from lakes not streams and IMO it doesn't look natural.


While this is true these fish are not from small bodies of water containing a few hundred gallons or in most cases much less in an aquarium. You can have proper water movement without blowing everything around. Filter outputs and circulation pumps below the surface angled slightly up get the upper levels moving enough to stir the whole tank as the flow hits the glass and pushes down. CO2 is a trace element in the air, so even planted tanks need good water movement to ensure proper gas exchange.


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

b3w4r3 said:


> walzon1 said:
> 
> 
> > Also personally I don't like a lot of flow in my tanks, I don't like to see the fish fighting against the water flow. Most cichlids are from lakes not streams and IMO it doesn't look natural.
> ...


I've heard that lake Malawi is a pretty still lake, but it still must have a little current otherwise it would become stagnate an unable to support much life.

My fish don't see to mind the current and I've even seen the playing in it.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

the op just wanted to know what order to put his filter media in. geeez


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