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Cleaning filter hoses/loss of flow.

Dr. White

Dr. White

Member
Joined
26 Jul 2023
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73
Location
Swindon
I've had my 60l cube aquarium set up for four months now and it is the first time for me using an external canister filter (Oase Thermofilter 100).

I noticed about a month ago that the flow rate had really deteriorated. I tried a few things, cleaning the foam filters etc and no joy. About three weeks ago I decided to clean the hoses and a LOT of gunk came out. Boom! The flow rate was back to how it should have been. By that I mean I can see a air being pulled down the overflow a good inch and a half, and the surface is rippling nicely again, causing wonderful shimmer from the Kessil. However, the flow rate in the last few days was looking decidedly poor again. It couldn't be the hoses again already, I thought? Gave them another clean, but little gunk came out. But remarkably, the flow picked up markedly and it was back to normal. It goes to show that just a little biofilm in the hoses can really drag on the water.

The downside of all this is that it looks like I'll be needing to clean those hoses about every fortnight to keep the flow optimal. It is somewhat of a PITA to do, with my tank close to the wall in a corner and the hoses running behind the tank.

I have read that hoses should be cleaned every couple of months, not every couple of weeks! Does anyone else have this issue?
 
One thing that I do that helps on one of my filters is to have a medium sponge filter on the inlet, it does need cleaning weekly and a fine amount of detritus comes out of it when i squeeze it out, its quick and easy to clean (or have two and just swap them over, then the internal filter and pipework/hoses doesn't need cleaning as often and it prevents RCS getting sucked into the filter also. Plus I find the RCS on the sponge filter on the inlet grazing on it.
 
I can’t say I’ve noticed it, I clean my hoses about every six months. Double taps make the job easier. What size hoses are you using?
 
Aqua sobriquet said:
I can’t say I’ve noticed it, I clean my hoses about every six months. Double taps make the job easier. What size hoses are you using?
Click to expand...
The 12mm ones, so the narrower type. I would assume the wider hoses would be less susceptible to flow loss.
 
Zeus. said:
One thing that I do that helps on one of my filters is to have a medium sponge filter on the inlet, it does need cleaning weekly and a fine amount of detritus comes out of it when i squeeze it out, its quick and easy to clean (or have two and just swap them over, then the internal filter and pipework/hoses doesn't need cleaning as often and it prevents RCS getting sucked into the filter also. Plus I find the RCS on the sponge filter on the inlet grazing on it.
Click to expand...
I may try that, especially if my RCS ever decide to breed - still waiting! Thing is, I bought a lily pipe set as I wanted the surface skimmed as I have an open top tank. So I would have to do away with that. But, the idea of having a prefilter on the inlet is very appealing for many reasons, not least, it will keep the hoses and filter cleaner.
 
The 16/22 hoses on one tank are fairly dirty but it doesn’t seem to affect the flow too much. The 12/16 hoses on another tank has a sponge pre filter like Zeus so the hoses do stay a bit cleaner.
 
Hi
I find that the housing and the impeller need cleaning just as much as the pipes, to keep output forceful!
You will be surprised how much gunk/crud builds up in there.
 
GHNelson said:
Hi
I find that the housing that holds the impeller and the impeller needs cleaning just as much as the pipes to keep flow up to best results!
You will be surprised how much gunk/crud builds up in there.
Click to expand...
Every time I do a clean of the internal filters I clean the impeller esp on my 50L, on my fluval FX6/500litre no as often - as with lager pies/impeller a little detritus isn't as critical as smaller hoses/impellors
 
Hi all,
GHNelson said:
I find that the housing and the impeller need cleaning just as much as the pipes, to keep output forceful!
Click to expand...
Aqua sobriquet said:
Double taps make the job easier.
Click to expand...
Zeus. said:
One thing that I do that helps on one of my filters is to have a medium sponge filter on the inlet, it does need cleaning weekly and a fine amount of detritus comes out of it when i squeeze it out, its quick and easy to clean (or have two and just swap them over, then the internal filter and pipework/hoses doesn't need cleaning as often
Click to expand...
Same for me, double taps <"are really useful"> and I'd regard an inlet pre-filter sponge <"as essential">

cheers Darrel
 
Okay, I might go with removing the glass overflow pipe and replacing with a normal inpipe with a filter sponge on it. I have had to recover several shrimp from the canister filter, so it would also cure that problem. But I do get issues with surface oils/biofilms, so would need to buy a skimmer to keep on top of that. Actually, I get that problem with the overflow, so losing it won't hurt. Hmm, more things to buy! Any recommendations for a compact surface skimmer gratefully received. That set up would also be good in that I would not be afraid to use floating food that otherwise gets sucked into the overflow, I could just turn the skimmer off, and still keep the filter on to move the food around for the fish to chase. I'm glad I bought the lily pipe set even if I get rid of one half of it, however, as the lily pipe creates a really nice flow.
 
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