Cleaning filter material

[Scoffer]

how often should I clean my filter media? the blue and white material in my wet/dry??

I rarely see anthing in it, but didnt know if I should wash it out, or just leave it in...

TIA

Scoffer

[tmgrash]

I am a newbie to reefs but have plenty of freshwater experience, and here is what I have learned- clean it when its dirty, j/k kinda What has worked for me over the years is when I clean them off I try to just get the big nasty junk off the outside of the filter media and not do too much thourough cleaning. The reason why is because your filter media contains a lot of the biological filtration for your tank and you dont want to get rid of all that at one time. On the other hand all the detris removed from your display into your filter media is still in your tank/water circulation, so you want to get it out just dont go crazy with the cleaning of it.


whats worked for me
Travis

[nemo79]

Rinse Your Filter Media 1 To 2 Times A Week Depending On Your Buildup. I Do Mine Once A Week Because It Doesn't Get Really Dirty. If You Don't Clean The Media It Will Cause Nitrate Problems. Aslo Replace The Media Frequently...every Few Weeks.

[bouraganes]

I'm the do it when it needs it type-I usually rinse and reuse mine a couple of times- as tmrash stated you get the benefits of biofiltration from your filter media

[milesm4]

I clean mine on Wednesdays and Saturdays and replace it every other week. It starts to feel soft and "mushy" when it needs replacing and doesn't seem to be as fluffed up.