How to properly clean your aquarium filter?

The filter is a must-have aquarium accessory for maintaining the life of fish and providing them with oxygen... You need to be very careful when buying it so that the purchase does not spoil the balance in the aquarium, killing beneficial bacteria, and does not cause the death of your fish. The filter tends to get dirty, so it is important to be able to clean it properly.

Cleaning blocks are now sold in all shapes and sizes, but if the filter is small, then it should be cleaned every week, because dirt accumulates faster, and for a large unit, it can be cleaned once every couple of months. But these recommendations are only superficial, you always need to monitor the state of the apparatus, and if after a couple of weeks it turned green and covered with mud, then it is simply wrong to wait another two months, no matter how big it is.

It is very important to keep an eye on the water flow, and if it is not as strong as before, it is time to cleanse.

There are different ways to clean your aquarium filter.

The simplest method of cleansing, when water passes through a special porous sponge, which does not allow dirt, dead vegetation, feces and feed residues to pass through. It is very important to constantly wash the sponge, because dirt particles are always clogged in it, and over time the filter stops working properly.... Without washing the sponge in a timely manner, the water filtration quality decreases and the water flow also slows down. This filter is not only easy to operate, but also practical - there is no need to replace the sponges.

Biofiltration can be purchased. Its essence in the removal of hazardous substances from waste by decomposition into harmless particles that do not destroy the microflora of fish... The fish themselves, during their life, release biological waste into the water, and everyday food is not always completely absorbed, settling on the bottom and undergoing a decay process.

The aquarium is a limited area, and if in nature the fish can freely move in the water space further from trouble, if necessary, then the aquarium fish are forced to breathe harmful fumes and go through all kinds of torment that the owner may not see.

The biological filter is designed in such a way that the special bacteria that themselves inhabit the filter help to reduce the number of dangerous bacteria, decomposing them in such a way that only safe elements remain from decay.

This is not a filter for every day. It is used only in emergency cases of a sudden illness of fish, poisoning, or when the quality of the water has suddenly changed. For example, a strange film suddenly appeared on the surface, or the water turned green in a matter of hours.

It should be noted that this method of filtering is unacceptable if everything is normal in your aquarium. Many fish holders like to do this "just in case" cleaning method, and often it only hurts.

The filter, in addition to the harmful bacteria that it removes from the aquarium, also cultivates useful ones, and therefore it will be completely irrational to just walk through it with soap and a brush.

Try not to wash the unit when you radically change something in the care or breeding of your pets.

The balance during such machinations immediately changes, and the filter is just the very regulator that creates the harmony of the atmosphere in the aquarium.

All sponges are classified as mechanical filters, as they collect the dirt in the aquarium. Nevertheless, we all understand that in nature fish do not live in crystal clear water, and it is much more important for them that the water does not contain various harmful bacteria, exhaust and decay products.

On the surface of the sponge of your cleaning device, these very harmful bacteria that decompose ammonia live. It is important to properly rinse the filter so that most (but not all) of these bacteria are destroyed.

It is much easier to wash a filter sponge - you just need to rinse it in the same aquarium water (of course, not in the aquarium itself, but in a separate container) until the sponge is visually clean. Sterile conditions are unacceptable: It is vital for your fish to retain some bacteria in order to maintain a healthy balance in the aquarium.

Many manufacturers recommend changing filter sponges with enviable frequency, but this is more of a marketing ploy. In reality, it is necessary to change the sponge only when its appearance loses its original shape, that is, not more often than once a year. As a rule, the sponge is divided into separate parts inside the mechanism, and only one component can be changed at a time, because if only one part is removed for replacement, bacteria will migrate and multiply from the remaining parts, and the balance will not be disturbed.

Change one part every two weeks to completely replace the loofah without harming the fish.

Each filter for an aquarium has an impeller - a magnet in the form of a cylinder with a wheel to create a water current. It itself is attached to a metal base. It is imperative to clean the impeller, as over time algae and other debris gets there, clogging it up, and the part no longer cope with cleaning the aquarium.

Cleaning the impeller is very easy: with simple running water, removing it from the pin on which it is attached, and wiping it with a cloth. Everyone loves to rinse the washcloth, and almost no one remembers the impeller, and it is he who gives the impetus to the entire filter for full operation.

Make yourself a care schedule for your aquarium fish that includes regular filter cleaning, and remember to check the nitrate level in the water, so your fish will be healthy and you will be calm.

How to clean the filter in the aquarium, see below.