Crosstown Delivery that's one of the best compliments I've received to date and I'm humbled by it. thank you sir! I love viewer questions as I view them just as much a chance to learn just as much as paying forward what others have given to me previously! cheers amigo!
I normally toss my polishing filters, rinse the other filters and make sure the motor is working. I also like to use Boyd Chemi-Pure Blue for the media
I haven't maintained the canister filter since install, (that's what 4-5 years?! SMH Face Palm Moment) Well.. I have tons of live plants to help with the filter in a 40 gallon. Fish have been happy without issue. I'll start to do a quarterly check on this canister from now on. Thanks for your video.
SUPER CRUSADER COMBO BREAKER Haha yeah wow! it really is easy to let it go another month...or year! plants do a LOT of the heavy lifting in the filtration process. if your water is balanced then things should be pretty good. I've noticed my mechanical filtration starting to get a touch worse so I think I'm due again to help improve the turbidity. thanks for watching!
an important thing to keep in mind is that the filter must be placed below the aquarium in order for the gravity to create suction to activate/jumpstart the filtration system. hope this helps someone bc my dumbass spent like 20 mins trying to figure it out lol
Just scrapped the crappy TopFin filter that came with my 37 gal for a Fluval 206 today! Hoping for the best. Banking on substrate and water having enough bio material that the filter swap won’t cause issues. Thanks for the video, I’ll be keeping this in mind. Anyone know about how often these need cleaning? I have about 10 African cichlids in a 37 gal tall.
I rarely clean my filter. Probably needs it again but I'm moving and shutting the tank down and minimizing now that I have babies in the family! Planted tanks do a great job filtering themselves so your filtration system requires less maintenance in my opinion. I usually watch to see when my flow from the filter starts getting too low and I know it's time.
Crosstown Delivery thanks for the question! I got that from my LFS...just ask if they stock phosphate pads. Amazon sells them too. just search for phosphate reducing pads for aquariums...should be able to get for roughly 10 bucks!
There's no specific way per se...just try to ensure it goes mechanical, biological and then chemical filtration last in that order. That's the order i have it here.
You know it's unfortunate that I don't. I didn't think of starting a channel until after I set it up. It's too bad! But straight forward. Thing to remember is to know how the flow is moving through it and always go mechanical biological then chemical filtration in that order! Chemical only if you need it!
have you looked into biohome media offered by greatwave engineering? I also have a 206 but i dont belive they have enough media how many boxes did you need to buy to fill your trays?
Crosstown Delivery no I haven't looked at Biohome but I just pulled it up on Google and it looks like solid stuff. I'm having some nitrate issues so am looking for a product to help me with that. Thanks for the tip! as for the 206, that's a good question. I don't think I've had any issues to speak of from the original starter media, but could it have been better? possibly. but I don't have enough history yet to say for certain! all I can say is that it took a long time for my tank to cycle and when it did everything turned out fine and things remain in balance.
Iv got. 206 fluval but haven’t used it yet I have a few bits to get to complete my tank iv got a new tank and changing everything over got an internal filter at the moment but switching to an external one is the media tha comes standerd with fluval any good?is all 3 good to keep using?
Yes it's sand. Thanks for the compliment but frankly it's not that clean. I do have bottom feeders [Cory cats] that do a good job and then I just do a regular vacuum. That's all I do!
That really depends on a lot of variables. I can go quite a long time because I have a planted tank and it does a lot of the scrubbing for me. Also depends on how many fish you have. The more waste the more to filter. My recommendation is to monitor the water quality and output flow. If it starts changing, consider a clean!
@@stevenmills1820 well I am close to 12 months without a filter clean haha ...probably not the best idea but so long as your water isn't spiking with nitrites and nitrates you are probably ok. The water flow is an indicator that your mechanical filtering is getting choked up with crud!
nah, if your test are fine it ok. The bacteria loves it. Id say only clean it once every month. I use mine for a 20 gal reef with a hang on back fuge to grow cheato. Never had an issue, In my canister its only bio media, the intake has a filter over it to prevent food from going in.
damn that took you long. you shuld have 2x buckets of watter clean in one and keep the media and pads in the other bucket so that nothing drys out. if it drys out ur bacteria is dead. just a tip
It's a decent tip if you have a couple buckets. The pads stay wet long enough though at least. I would not let this process go overnight or something. But so long as you finish it when you start you should be ok
That's a good question--your definitely thinking about the problem correctly! Unfortunately, I have not heard of anyone selling media that already comes with established bacterial colonies. I don't think that would be practical for a couple reasons: 1) Keeping said colonies alive on the store shelves without adding to the cost of materials and packaging; and 2) everyone has different forms of bacteria that may or may not perform well given water chemistry and aquatic life. For this reason, it is recommended you NEVER replace 100% of your filter media when you do a filter clean. By replacing only half your media, this ensures that the half that remains has enough of a bacterial colony to continue doing the work until it grows out to the new media. It is a good idea to test your water regularly after the media change and do your water changes, even perhaps more frequently, to ensure that your ammonia levels don't spike in the process. However, if you have a cycled tank already and you've taken care of washing your permanent filters out with the aquarium water (as opposed to tap water) and replacing only half of the replaceable media, you shouldn't have a problem quickly recolonizing your filter!! Great question!!
magzire I do a 25 percent water change every week but I own piranha which are very messy so I do it more than most people.. with normal fish that are hardy you can do a 25 to 50 percent change every 3 weeks
Only when I get it in a new filter. Nothing wrong with it but it stops working once it has taken out any chemicals in the water. I prefer to use the space for more biological or mechanical filtration media. Usually in a planted tank there is less of a need for chemical filtration and the plants do a great job keeping the water clear!
@@gerardocarrillo2548not at all amigo! It's a preference thing. It becomes inert after awhile so you have to change it out and it will also remove any medicine or chemical dosing you may use so just be aware of that. Some people swear by it!
![Fluval 306 [Priming Fix/Teardown]](/img/n.gif)
sorry about all the questions just learning myself and so far your videos are the most down to earth for us simple people
Crosstown Delivery that's one of the best compliments I've received to date and I'm humbled by it. thank you sir! I love viewer questions as I view them just as much a chance to learn just as much as paying forward what others have given to me previously! cheers amigo!
Good demo. Straightforward and less talking.
Thanks!
good explanation...I installed it previously a month and now need to move the tank to different location in the house so helpful video!
jpthsd awesome thanks.and good luck!
I normally toss my polishing filters, rinse the other filters and make sure the motor is working. I also like to use Boyd Chemi-Pure Blue for the media
I haven't maintained the canister filter since install, (that's what 4-5 years?! SMH Face Palm Moment) Well.. I have tons of live plants to help with the filter in a 40 gallon. Fish have been happy without issue. I'll start to do a quarterly check on this canister from now on. Thanks for your video.
SUPER CRUSADER COMBO BREAKER Haha yeah wow! it really is easy to let it go another month...or year! plants do a LOT of the heavy lifting in the filtration process. if your water is balanced then things should be pretty good. I've noticed my mechanical filtration starting to get a touch worse so I think I'm due again to help improve the turbidity. thanks for watching!
thanks for the video simple and to the point thanks. A buddy told me about you thanks crosstown!
an important thing to keep in mind is that the filter must be placed below the aquarium in order for the gravity to create suction to activate/jumpstart the filtration system. hope this helps someone bc my dumbass spent like 20 mins trying to figure it out lol
I would like help with hooking the canister back up in more detail and did you need to prime it?
well done. simple and to the point. I have to 306 but same process. now, go Cowboys lol. playing your seahawks tonight
Ooh a Cowboys fan! May the best team win!
Just scrapped the crappy TopFin filter that came with my 37 gal for a Fluval 206 today! Hoping for the best. Banking on substrate and water having enough bio material that the filter swap won’t cause issues. Thanks for the video, I’ll be keeping this in mind. Anyone know about how often these need cleaning? I have about 10 African cichlids in a 37 gal tall.
I rarely clean my filter. Probably needs it again but I'm moving and shutting the tank down and minimizing now that I have babies in the family! Planted tanks do a great job filtering themselves so your filtration system requires less maintenance in my opinion. I usually watch to see when my flow from the filter starts getting too low and I know it's time.
Any idea why my return is not working at all after a cleaning? I pumped it but nothing.
Dang you had me subbed then your ending killed it for me 😪 jk now I really want the fluval 206!!! Looks simple enough to maintain!
always do water change on its own ..clean filter different day
Interesting thought. What's the rationale there?
AquaristApprentice you're losing most of your beneficial bacteria.
@@aquaristapprentice3810 its less stress on the benefical bacteria that way ur keeping most of the good stuff
Appreciate the feedback guys. Good to know!
I wonder if the 306/406 media bakers will fit the 206?
where did you pick up the large green filter scrub?
Crosstown Delivery thanks for the question! I got that from my LFS...just ask if they stock phosphate pads. Amazon sells them too. just search for phosphate reducing pads for aquariums...should be able to get for roughly 10 bucks!
I woke up this morning and I had water all over my fool my tank had less then HALF of water in it can you tell me what the problem is ? I have the 205
BY the looks of it. you didn't place the filters as directed from the Fluval Company. Is there a certain way to place them back??
There's no specific way per se...just try to ensure it goes mechanical, biological and then chemical filtration last in that order. That's the order i have it here.
Have you got a video on setting it up the 206
You know it's unfortunate that I don't. I didn't think of starting a channel until after I set it up. It's too bad! But straight forward. Thing to remember is to know how the flow is moving through it and always go mechanical biological then chemical filtration in that order! Chemical only if you need it!
Does the output need to be under the water or just on top?inhave same filter
have you looked into biohome media offered by greatwave engineering? I also have a 206 but i dont belive they have enough media how many boxes did you need to buy to fill your trays?
Crosstown Delivery no I haven't looked at Biohome but I just pulled it up on Google and it looks like solid stuff. I'm having some nitrate issues so am looking for a product to help me with that. Thanks for the tip! as for the 206, that's a good question. I don't think I've had any issues to speak of from the original starter media, but could it have been better? possibly. but I don't have enough history yet to say for certain! all I can say is that it took a long time for my tank to cycle and when it did everything turned out fine and things remain in balance.
Iv got. 206 fluval but haven’t used it yet I have a few bits to get to complete my tank iv got a new tank and changing everything over got an internal filter at the moment but switching to an external one is the media tha comes standerd with fluval any good?is all 3 good to keep using?
Check out the pondguru,, he will teach you his ways
Best comment 😉. Setting any canister in the proper way is the key to success, and pondguru knows it all..
happyads exactly. Foams in the wrong place and not nearly enough bio media in there.
Are you using sand for your gravel? If you are, how do you keep it so clean? Thx
Yes it's sand. Thanks for the compliment but frankly it's not that clean. I do have bottom feeders [Cory cats] that do a good job and then I just do a regular vacuum. That's all I do!
How often do you need to clean the filter?i have chiclids
That really depends on a lot of variables. I can go quite a long time because I have a planted tank and it does a lot of the scrubbing for me. Also depends on how many fish you have. The more waste the more to filter. My recommendation is to monitor the water quality and output flow. If it starts changing, consider a clean!
Ok cheers so if the water flow if slowing down then do a clean?on average how often do you clean it in a month?
@@stevenmills1820 well I am close to 12 months without a filter clean haha ...probably not the best idea but so long as your water isn't spiking with nitrites and nitrates you are probably ok. The water flow is an indicator that your mechanical filtering is getting choked up with crud!
Ok cheers 👍🏻
Need to clean your filter more often. That was nasty haha.
nah, if your test are fine it ok. The bacteria loves it. Id say only clean it once every month. I use mine for a 20 gal reef with a hang on back fuge to grow cheato. Never had an issue, In my canister its only bio media, the intake has a filter over it to prevent food from going in.
damn that took you long. you shuld have 2x buckets of watter clean in one and keep the media and pads in the other bucket so that nothing drys out. if it drys out ur bacteria is dead. just a tip
It's a decent tip if you have a couple buckets. The pads stay wet long enough though at least. I would not let this process go overnight or something. But so long as you finish it when you start you should be ok
Does fluval sell already cycled media?because if the media is brand new then wouldn't u still have to cycle it again before use?im a bit confused
That's a good question--your definitely thinking about the problem correctly! Unfortunately, I have not heard of anyone selling media that already comes with established bacterial colonies. I don't think that would be practical for a couple reasons: 1) Keeping said colonies alive on the store shelves without adding to the cost of materials and packaging; and 2) everyone has different forms of bacteria that may or may not perform well given water chemistry and aquatic life. For this reason, it is recommended you NEVER replace 100% of your filter media when you do a filter clean. By replacing only half your media, this ensures that the half that remains has enough of a bacterial colony to continue doing the work until it grows out to the new media. It is a good idea to test your water regularly after the media change and do your water changes, even perhaps more frequently, to ensure that your ammonia levels don't spike in the process. However, if you have a cycled tank already and you've taken care of washing your permanent filters out with the aquarium water (as opposed to tap water) and replacing only half of the replaceable media, you shouldn't have a problem quickly recolonizing your filter!! Great question!!
AquaristApprentice Oh I thought u cleared everything.Thanks for the great reply though!Really helped
Asher Chong just add bio balls and do small water changes each day for 1 week. I never waited and no issues ever
How offen do you do water changes?
magzire I do a 25 percent water change every week but I own piranha which are very messy so I do it more than most people.. with normal fish that are hardy you can do a 25 to 50 percent change every 3 weeks
I have African chiclids so water changes once a week
Do you use carbon?
Only when I get it in a new filter. Nothing wrong with it but it stops working once it has taken out any chemicals in the water. I prefer to use the space for more biological or mechanical filtration media. Usually in a planted tank there is less of a need for chemical filtration and the plants do a great job keeping the water clear!
AquaristApprentice would it harm my plants
@@gerardocarrillo2548not at all amigo! It's a preference thing. It becomes inert after awhile so you have to change it out and it will also remove any medicine or chemical dosing you may use so just be aware of that. Some people swear by it!
Awesome video! I was going to subscribe until you said go SEA HAWKS now im just SMH. lol just kidding I went ahead and subscribed.
Crosstown Delivery haha well thanks! what team? if you say Patriots may have to get you blocked! KIDDING