Cannister filter help

[user9692]

Hi everyone,

I recently went through extensive construction in my house and had to completely empty my two tanks. I had an Aquaclear 110 for my 60g tank and a FX4 cannister for my 75g tank. I had them both in a shed for around 3 weeks with water in them (not powered on of course). I thought this would be a good idea since I had read that the bacteria can stay alive if it's in water. It was a dumb idea. Now I'm setting up my tanks again and I went to get my filters and noticed a gross smell and green stuff in my filters. I've been reading online that conditions can get toxic fast if filters are left off for even a few hours with water.

I decided to completely empty the Aquaclear 110 and start fresh with that one with new media and sponge. Any tips on really cleaning out the plastic/case of the filter? I'm scared to use bleach on it but maybe vinegar?

I also wanted to know if I should completely throw away all my sponges and media in my cannister as well, or is it okay to just wash them? I'm debating not using the cannister anymore and just use another Aquaclear that I have that's new.

Thanks in advance!

By the way, my axolotls have been safe this whole time, they've been tubbed and getting daily water changes

 

[minorhero]

If you want to wash the filter, a scrubby sponge will be fine. If the bacteria die and go anoxic, it doesn't mean they somehow poison the very plastic of the filter. It just means you need to wash them off.

As for the media in the fx4, just dump the water and wash the sponges like you would if you were cleaning it only do it with fresh tap water. Store it dry, or put it back into service. Obviously both filters lost their cycle, but otherwise they are fine.

 

[user9692]

Gotcha that makes sense. I just got a little paranoid with the idea of the toxicity staying in the crevices or seeping into the plastic lol. Thanks so much

 

[Dan H.]

Hi everyone,

I recently went through extensive construction in my house and had to completely empty my two tanks. I had an Aquaclear 110 for my 60g tank and a FX4 cannister for my 75g tank. I had them both in a shed for around 3 weeks with water in them (not powered on of course). I thought this would be a good idea since I had read that the bacteria can stay alive if it's in water. It was a dumb idea. Now I'm setting up my tanks again and I went to get my filters and noticed a gross smell and green stuff in my filters. I've been reading online that conditions can get toxic fast if filters are left off for even a few hours with water.

I decided to completely empty the Aquaclear 110 and start fresh with that one with new media and sponge. Any tips on really cleaning out the plastic/case of the filter? I'm scared to use bleach on it but maybe vinegar?

I also wanted to know if I should completely throw away all my sponges and media in my cannister as well, or is it okay to just wash them? I'm debating not using the cannister anymore and just use another Aquaclear that I have that's new.

Thanks in advance!

By the way, my axolotls have been safe this whole time, they've been tubbed and getting daily water changes

Avid keeper of fish .. You can take them apart & clean them ; I just do my usual rinse & squeeze the filter mediums & put them back online ; Or run them in a container of clean water for a few days .. when the water smells clean again they are good to go ..