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canister filtler question

2K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  noddy 
#1 ·
Hi All,
I just bought an fx6 Filter to aid with mechanical filtration (I run a sump and wave maker)when doing water changes,
So my question is
Can I run the filter on the tank for the day then remove it let the water sit in there NOT RUNNING for 1week-10days then hook it back and go again????
:D
OR
:D
would I have to clean it out and dry all of it and put it back in the box till next time???????
:popcorn:
:popcorn:
:popcorn:
Any advice appreciated =D> =D> =D>
 
#3 ·
If you ever let the filter cycle, as in grow bacteria in there on the sponges and media, then it will die if left unexposed to the air for more than a day or so. If the filter remains sealed, this will happen and it will stink as Noddy says.

It seems to me that it is way overkill for a temporary water polisher. Seems like a pain to hook up and take down, not to mention the risk of causing something to leak. The more you open a canister, the more likely it is to leak.

If I wanted a temporary water polisher, I would buy something that was made to do it. A water polisher usually uses higher pressures to force water through smaller holes, thus capturing smaller things. I used to run a diatom filter on my planted tank years ago. Got the water sparkling clean, and it was handy because I refused to deal with the nutrient imbalance that made my water green. Have you considered trying to just stick a retrofit 200 micron filter sock in the sump that you could put in and take out at your leisure? Seems like that would be way cheaper.
 
#4 ·
I run an FX6 in the sump of my 450gal and an FX4 in the sump of my 180gal. They mainly serve to keep my sumps clean and I leave them running all the time. When I clean my sumps I stir everything up and the canisters suck everything in. I simply remove the canister, clean it, and put it back in place. No reason to ever shut it off.
 
#6 ·
If I had my canister shut off for more than a couple days then yes I would clean it before each use. The way I do things, I clean the canisters about every 8-10 weeks.
 
#7 ·
This is a waste of an FX6 canister filter. Yes you could set up one for pure mechanical filtration. But, they are just not designed to work like that.
For pure water polishing/mechanical filtration service, you need something that will easily outperform a standard, aquarium canister filter.
This is what you need,


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These canister filters utilize a pleated filter internally, to provide a maximum level of mechanical filtration,


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The drawbacks to these kind of 'old-school' canister filters, is that the biological filtration capacity is compromised every time you blow out the pleated filter. Typically, a garden hose with a spray nozzle on it is used for this, so you can see how that would eliminate beneficial bacteria every time you clean the media.
But, these semi-industrial, in-line canister filters, are hard to beat in pure, mechanical filtration capability.

Here is a video with more info regarding how they are set up and utilized.

 
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