How to clean a Fluval 406 canister aquarium filter
Вставка
- Опубліковано 16 жов 2024
- This is a full step by step guide on how to clean a Fluval 406 canister filter.
Always buy filter media in bulk if possible to save money in the long run.
Fluval 406: amzn.to/2XCOO38
Fluval Biomax: amzn.to/2JCYHDW
Maryland Activated Carbon: amzn.to/2JzxwKq
Reusable media bags: amzn.to/2LMecMy
Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase, thank you for your support.
Thanks for watching!
Please support my channel by subscribing and enjoying more helpful videos like this.
Some of the items I purchased and used in this video can be found here:
Fluval 406: amzn.to/2XCOO38
Fluval Biomax: amzn.to/2JCYHDW
Maryland Activated Carbon: amzn.to/2JzxwKq
Reusable media bags: amzn.to/2LMecMy
Great commentary, I am a Newby with fluval 406 canister, I enjoyed your pointers and operation did help me understand my system better
You're welcome
Thanks for taking the time to do thid, just boight a second hand 406 and didnt have a clue, now i have ! Great vid
You're welcome
Although he may have got it wrong with how to clean the sponges, he still provided a very in depth explanation of the components and how to remove them. I thank him for this and hope as a community we can share tips with each other, instead of just criticising. Thank you.
Thanks!
I fill a bucket of tank water and rise all sponges in there. I don't even touch the ceramic rings. I would also consider loading that ceramic ring tray to the top.
Agree - rinsing those in tap water is prob going to kill the bacteria growth a bit. I went with Matrix in mine.
Thanks for the advice!
Great video and info about this canister filter. I've been trying to decide on which one to get and I like the ease of setting up and cleaning this one. By the way you have a great soothing voice that's easy to listen to and understand. Your tank looks amazing. The plants are incredible. Do you use any additives or fertilizers to help them look so wonderful? The only thing I would add is with the other brands of canister filters I've used, I've always rinsed the filter media in tank water which preserves any beneficial bacterial that are present. Excellent video. Looking forward to watching more. Now a new subscriber.
Thank you! Also, thanks for the additional insight about the beneficial bacteria. I have started rinsing with tank water instead of tap water.
1st of all, I'm only 11 with a 20-gallon fish tank with a 207. First off, if you have plants, The activated carbon will absorb the nutrients that the plants need to live. 2nd, I don't touch my bio rings/ ceramic rings. I just lightly soak them in dechlorinated water/ tank water. The BB will die if the ceramic rings get dry. ALWAYS use aquarium water when cleaning your filters!
Thanks for the tip!
Thank you, you're video was great. I bought a secondhand fluval 406 and set it up tonight. My only concern is that it randomly splurging but no leaks.... I used the primer and did not fill up canister first........watched your video too late!I'm thinking there may be some air in it. Again, thanks.carrie
You're welcome!
good video on what not to do. I use a bucket and old aquarium water or pretreated water...
Thanks ks for the insight!
Yet another "experienced" fish keeper rinsing their BB down the drain. Oh my God
Hey, at least he didn't run the ceramic media under hot tap water!
When i saw it in the sink i was like NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0
right?! just because it "looks" dirty, doesn't mean it is. i wanna cry. lol unless my fish are being treated for something (which has never happened ever, thank dog), i rinse/wash EVERYTHING in tank water.
Just wondering. Did any of you, that posted before me, see how good of condition his plants and fish are! I Noticed! and though you think rinsing BB's off is a Noooooooo. He seems to do it and yet, his tank flourishes! Imagine that! Why, Because rinsing them doesn't kill every biological bacteria on the BB's. It does some, but not alllllllllllll. Meaning, there is always enough bio in the BB's left to re-establish themselves quite quickly. And considering his substrate! even if he did manage to kill it all off of his BB's, there is still enough biomass in his substrate to quickly re-establish his BB's. So it's not a NOOOOOOO. It is in fact and truth, ok to rinse Bio-Beads. What! You think your BB's come pre-loaded! I don't use Bio beads in a fresh water gravel bottom planted aquarium and never have. Why! Because as stated, there is enough bacteria/ biomass in the aquarium substrate after it's established. In fact! when I set up a fresh aquarium, I don't use 100% fresh gravel either. I add gravel from one of my established aquariums, so the new tank can cycle faster and get a push from the biomass present in the older gravel. Seems none typing here before me, knows much of anything about freshwater aquariums. Saltwater BB's in a non substrate tank (like a live rock reef type tank) is different and it is a; noooooo don't do that and I wouldn't wash them either. But in a tank such as this guys! There is no reason one can't wash them. It's not like it'll hurt anything if a person does. Study up on freshwater biomass . You'll be quite surprised at how wrong your statements have been.
It was definitely time for those sponges to be cleaned with Tap water, theres enough bb in the tank and rings to handle the load until the sponge recycled, You need to dip it in tank water after to insure no chlorine is left in the sponge and dont clean anything in the tank for the next week. I myself would add another canister filter to that tank and alternate cleansing..
Tank looks beautiful and fish seem lively and his system works for him, Everybody's A Critic
hi, my electricity is going off for 5 hours from hydro,i want to know should I unplug my 306,do I need to lift the aqua stop,etc what are your thoughts
Unfortunately, not sure
At first I was like, cleaning sponges is fine he has his media cycled it's fine people hating as usual in the comments..... then he rinsed the media :O this is a tutorial on how not to clean a filter!
Yup :) ... Have learned from my mistakes
If I planned to use mine in a 29 gal or 75 gal reef system... what would I use to replace the activated carbon? I have a container of Matrix "pomus stones" and also some other items avail. such as packs of purigen and matrix carbon ?? And what should be the stacking order procedure for reef systems? (bottom tray) foam, ceramics, matrix "pomus stones" in (top tray)? Should I add any packs of purigen and/or matrix carbon packs to lay cross the top before sealing up head? WWYD? Thanks and enjoyed the video ; . )
You're welcome!
By the way, Chris, can you still get parts for the 406? Mine leaks in the impeller housing.
I'm not sure :/
This system of washing filter with tap water is only okay with well water so I hope you have well water since city or town water contains chlorine
Thanks for the insight
Did u just kill all your beneficial bacteria by rinsing your bio max in your chlorinated tap water??? or do u have some type of whole house dechlorinator???
+T-Man 428 So I read some more about it, your right, not good to clean in tap-water. Will definitely stop doing that.
+Chris Asipyan cool, I thought maybe u had a piece of equipment that dechlorinates... the planted tank looks great👌👌👌
how to solve the dirty stuff coming out with the bubbles on start up? help please.....
I usually just let that part go.
Thank You ! Are these real plants ? I have a 30 Gallon tank with Malawi Cichlids. The plant thing has never worked for me. Its not that the fishes attack plants , but the green plants just turn yellow and die after one week. I am using a 10 watt Led Philips tube, which i keep turned on for 10 to 12 hrs. Is something wrong ?
Yup you will need plenty of correct plant specific lighting and possibly even CO2 depending on the specific plants you're trying to keep. And of course, a source of plant food.
Thank you, great video. Much appreciated Chris! (Tanks, a lot...ha)
You're welcome!
Thanks I am doing this the first time tonight.
You're welcome
Lavas los canutillos con agua del grifo? 😫😫😫😫
:) si
@@ChrisAsipyan pues el error es de campeonato. Destrozas las bacterias buenas y por tanto el ciclado.
The first you have to is get some decent media and where is the white polishing pads that belong in the bottom tray? Get rid of those crappy bio rings. I strongly suggest you watch the Pondguru videos labeled Pimp My Filter series #35 where he talks about the 406 filter.
Nice! Thanks for the insight
Also, the carbon is useless after a week of water flow. It's really designed to removed chemicals and medication from your tank. Kind of a, use as needed. I would take the carbon out and use seachem purigen or filter floss.
mike mj84
mike mj84
hello there I've also heard that carbon is useless but my question is how much purigen do I use for a 46 gallon tank? (I have a 306) and how often would I change it? thanks in advance
chemipure is good for 5 to 6 months
Thanks for the advice!
Thanks, great video!
You're welcome!
No polishing pad?
Eh :)
do you still need air stones? I use the filters that hang on the sides which seems to make enough O2 in the water. but i am wanting to switch to this canister.
+vicky riccio if there is enough water movement and agitation.. you don't need to add oxygen it will mix in from the surface naturally.
The outflow from my canister filter makes enough movement in my 60 gal tank to agitate the water near the surface and below as well for oxygen to mix in.
thanks
QUICK UPDATE: I just ran a genetic analysis of my fish in the tap water tank, and some have begun replacing the bromine in their cartilaginous tissues with the chlorine from the tap water. AMAZING! New form of life!
False. I've done this for years, as far back as I can remember since the days I owned an Aquarium shop, You wash everything in the canister under tap water to get rid of diseases thriving in there and rinse well to make sure no snails, eggs, other pathogen and diseases live in the filters. You have nothing to fear or worry about biological bacteria because the tank itself has a goldmine of this bacteria everywhere, under the rocks, ornaments, around and under the roots of plants, in the substrate gravel, in the in-tank sponge filters, in fact the whole tank is full of it. Removing the bacteria from the canister doesn't affect it one bit. In fact it help bacteria to breed and thrive in the cleaned cannister. The moment the filter is cleaned and sterilized properly and then started, the bacteria in the tank quickly get sucked in the canister and establish a colony like it always had. I don't know where did you hear some scary things that aren't even scary. When some bacteria is removed, it is more beneficial for it to start a new colony by breeding and thriving where there are new places to do so. Just like human population explosion. Too many people, and they have to live in high rise buildings once the population is high. Less population... what happens? They move to new estates, by purchasing new land and building homes and so forth, the good life, until that area is choc-a-block with people, what happens next? They start building high rise in areas that was a peaceful suburb. Bacteria is like the fish, it also need space to thrive and survive, or else they end up like the Carp in muddy waters. So, don't listen to these know-how bullshit artists, clean the canister filters under running water (clean them well) and return it to the canister to the tank, switch it on and go read a good book on 'Raising Biological Bacteria for Dummies'. Chris is doing the correct method.
Thanks for the insight!
"You don't want to kill your bacteria" What do you think you just did?
Thanks for the insight. I have since realized my mistake and have been using tank water.
Yeah there is nothing your beni bac likes more than a good old rinse in chlorine and fluoride, well the suicidal stuff will be happy.
Unless you are having problems with pollutants in your tank ac' carbon is a waste of space in the filter.
Your filter should be set up like this sponge on the bottom, fine sponge and floss in the middle then bio home media on the top. Ceramic rings are a waste of money so are plastic bio balls (bio bull)
Go with bio home or bio home ultimate this stuff is more expensive but it is far better in the long run.
Thanks for all the insight
Seriously, what are you doing posting a how to video when you clearly have no idea
Instead of making a video on how to clean your filter properly, you should be watching one. Don't be trying to teach people how to do something that you don't know how to do yourself. You just killed all of your BB and will have to cycle your tank all over again, what a freakin' nightmare.
Thanks for the feedback
Rinse the rings in a bucket of tank water and never remover them u should honistly fill the rings to the top the more u have the better I have like 16 bio balls and 2 packs of the rings it comes with also rince the sponges in tank water to u will need a few extra buckets but that's ok cause ur gonna do a good sized water change anaways u should add some filter floss to just sayin.
Yea he has a giant tank with huge plants n tons of fish, I think he’s doing just fine. Clearly his method works too, if it was that easy to kill bacteria with tap water we wouldn’t need antibiotics
Thanks for the insight
if you use the old filter water to rinse the pads out. and try this_ pat your pads on the side of your sink so you hit them flat the crap comes out so so easy better and far quicker remembering to dip them in your old filter water keeping the bacteria intact.
Nice, thanks for the suggestion 👍
You're suppose to rinse with tank water
True
Been keeping fish for three months now and even I gasped when he started running everything under the tap
:)
"you don't want to kill the bacteria" rinses in tap water...
Might not contain chlorine.
True
how quiet is this? I'm tired of hearing the waterfall.
+NYGfan122191 Canister filters are generally much more quieter than the hang-on filters ... And filter the water better too. If your getting one, try to get one that has an adjustable flow rate
Also don’t use carbon if your using fertiliser it removes ther fertiliser
Thanks for the knowledge!
Rinsing with chlorine water 😂
😄
You should never rinse your filter with tap water!
Thanks for the insight. I have since realized my mistake and have been using tank water.
Looking at your bio media and the quantity, there might be more bacteria in that sponge.
😂
Perfecto
Thanks!
OUCHH!!! cleaning your filter media under tap water (unless it is well water - but then again...hmm!) is a BIGGG NO NO!! ...unless of course you don't care for beneficial bacteria in your filter. USE the Aquarium water - in a bucket!
Thanks for the insight. I have since realized my mistake and have been using tank water.
No mention of the jankey gasket....
Hmm, true
Everything about this video is wrong. Everything. I'm not hating, just letting beginners know. DO NOT follow this.
Thanks ks for sharing
And that's exactly how you don't want to do it.
:)
Chris ur a shoemaker at keeping fish.
:)
That’s exactly how I clean my filter, but I don’t use carbon but maybe once a year for 1 month. I keep my biological media in tank water while I clean, and never touch it with tap water
Thanks for the insight. I have since realized my mistake and have been using tank water.
Using tap water on ceramic rings can kill the bacteria u supposed to use tank water 😳
Thanks for the insight. I have since realized my mistake and have been using tank water.
Great way to destroy bacteria. If you dont know wtf your doing, dont mislead people with noob advice. Never rinse of media under tapwater. Also your carbon looks months old. Epic fail
Yup, had a lot to learn. Thanks for the input.
Killing good bacteria and using carbon in a planted tank are rookie mistakes .
Thanks for the insight. I have since realized my mistake and have been using tank water.
dude! you're killing your BB....do some research. 3 months between cleaning your canister? yikes!
I had the fluval fx6. Easy 6 months with out cleaning. But defo do not rins your sponges in tap water. Defo NO NO on that
I have since learned from my mistakes... Thanks
I'm giggling at the opening of the canister.
:)
none amateur follow the instructions in this video because the filter is not washed with tap water but with the same water from the aquarium to avoid killing good bacteria, please always inform yourself well before making these videos
I agree, fixed my mistake. Thanks for the insight
Never use tap water kills the cycle
I corrected my mistakes. Thanks for the comments!
Bacterias should be above of carbon filter.
Thanks for the heads up!
Rinsing with tap water? Bad advice!
True
Your method of cleaning goes against what I was taught, let me not be judgmental or jump to conclusions, did you wash the components with chlorinated water????
The correct way to do it is to use the tank water ... I have since changed my method
top up your media there half full
Thanks for the suggestion
Bye bye beneficial bacteria. RIP 😭😭😭
:)
Don't....Don't do that!
I have since realized my mistake and have been using tank water to clean my filter media
Holy Crap, what are you doing? Better watch some videos on UA-cam instead of posting them.
There is a good video by Pondguru on properly setting up this filter as well.
Thanks for the insight
Everything was going smooth until he rinsed all the beneficial bacteria down the toilet basically. Wow
Thanks for the insight. I have since realized my mistake and have been using tank water.
This is a terrible video! You killed all your BB! I hope you have a well and not chlorinated municipal water. Please people DO NOT DO THIS to your filter. All that cleaning should be done in aquarium water.
True, thanks for the feedback
You should take down this video. Bad advice.
I should
Obviously this works for him...all the naysayers are just here to complain...smh
Thanks :)
Never use tap water to rinse your biological media. Also you have a planted tank so get rid of that carbon. I dont want to be mean but you are teaching newcomers to the hobby wrong.
Thanks for the insight. I have since realized my mistake and have been using tank water.