# How do I clean MarineLand C220 Canister



## jbgd99 (Feb 27, 2010)

Probably a dumb question...but, it's my first canister filter, so help an idiot out?

How do I clean the MarineLand C220 Canister Filter? Am petrified that I'm going to spill 45 gallons of water in my living room....once I unplug it and unhook the top, wont I have all that water spilling onto the floor??

:-? :-? :-?


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## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

Not a dumb question if you never did it before. I have a C360. First unplug the unit. On top of the unit is valve between the tubes that you lift up. This shuts the water off from the tubes coming from the tank. Once you have that valve lifted up there is another plastic handle part. Marineland calls it a key. You then turn this "key" to the left and this releases the part that holds the tubes and allows you to remove the canister out from under the tank. (This removes the whole valve piece that is black in color. Not removing the indivdual tubes themselves from their fittings) You might get a couple of drips but the water won't leak.

A reminder when cleaning to make sure you use TANK water to clean your filter media. Tap water will kill your good bacteria. Once clean fill the unit up with tank water and secure the top of the canister. Put the valve/tube unit back on. Be sure to secure it by turning the "key" to the right. Once that is done, you can push that valve level down allowing the tank water to let into the unit.

Now you prime the unit a few times before plugging it in. Adding water in the canister earlier will make the priming easier. The primer is that big black button looking thing that you press down on. Once primed, plug the unit in. You will get some gunk and bubbles shooting out. This is normal. After a few minutes the bubbles will work their way out of the system and it will begin to run normally.

Here use this as a reference plus it has pictures. http://www.marineland.com/sites/Marinel ... esQSUG.pdf

It does take some practice to get good at it but once you do it once, everytime after is easier and easier. Good luck. :thumb:


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

I previously used the C-220 and C-360. Unfortunately, the canisters had some sort of production problem early on and I ended up getting rid of three of these. When they run well, they run well. From a lesson learned perspective, though, make sure you have some sort of pan underneath your filter and after you've opened the filter for cleaning (and reattached it), be sure to check back occassionally to make sure there is no leaking from the valve block. Just an FYI from a hard lesson learned . . .


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