fluval filter blocking and water flow dropping

[barberandbrew]

hi guys i need some advice/help
i have a fluval 305 -4 foot tank and a fluval 204-3 foot tank both with bristlenose in tank and live plants i am finding that everyweek without fail the water flow rate drops to just a trickle and the hoses always seem to be blocked up with brown sludge is this caused by the live plants should i get rid of the live plants to fix the issue
i feed my BN zucini which is always eaten by the end of a day in the tank
i didnt think i needed to clean the filter everyweek
any advise would be great

 

[bigbird]

Hello,

It is my experience that the blockage might be caused because of the filter media being to packed and full of gunk. This can be caused due to overfeeding and leaving food items in the tank too long.

1. How many fish do you have in each tank ?
2. Any chance of photos of the tanks
3. How often do you feed and how long do you leave zuchinni in the tank etc
4. What media do you have in the filters ?

Just need some more info as well to help you more. cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[AusPleco]

I had this problem with one of my canisters on my breeding tank. Over about 4 days it would slowly die down and then one day i was watching it and it stopped and storter went gurgle gurgle gurgle and spat out bits of zuchinni and seeds which had been sucked up. My zuchinni was left in for over 24hrs .

Other times i had to manually open canister and clean it and found brown sludge stuff but nothing to make it stop.

 

[Jackson]

Do you use a long brush to clean the hose sort of like a bottle cleaner?

I do this often. It also helps keep you filters motors alive a lot longer.

You could add a piece of foam to the intake as a pre filter to cut down the maintenance as well.

I would also position you flow so that it does not drive all the debris into the intake. Have it settle in one spot so you can syphon out when need be.

 

[barberandbrew]

i have about 40 sub adults b/n and 6 adults, 3 dwarf gourami and a ghost knife combined across both tanks
i feed everyday a half piece of zuchini about 5cm long leave it in for 24 hours

i use the seachem matrix media about half full each basket
i havent tried using brush to clean nozzle i take hose out and blast it with the hose to clean hoses out

i have pick up one end of tank and outlet at other
how do i attach photos

 

[barberandbrew]

i have approx 40 sub adult bn and 6 adults 3 dwarf gourami and 1 small ghost knife across both tanks

i feed once daily zuchini cut in half about 5cm long left in 24 hours and sprinkle food for gourami/ghost knife
i use seachem matrix in media baskets about half full each basket

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
Definitely keep the plants, they are the single factor that has the greatest effect on water quality.

Jackson wrote

You could add a piece of foam to the intake as a pre filter to cut down the maintenance as well.

I would definitely do this, an easy to clean pre-filter really helps with filter maintenance.

Have a look a this post for some options: <http://www.plecoplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12774>

cheers Darrel

 

[Breamlegend]

Clean the hoses really well and the sponges. My 305 does require regular cleaning but not weekly. Its mostly caused by zucchini. Clean the impellor and passages that go to the inlet and outlet hoses.