AquaClear Cleaning..

[bcroft]

Alright, so it's been a few months since I setup my 5.5 gallon, and well I need to clean my filter. I know how to clean out the motor and everything, but the inserts are confusing...

Here is what my insert layout looks like:

Top - Biological/ Biomax
Middle - Carbon
Bottom - Foam

Which one should I replace first? Or should I just clean the foam piece out in some of the tanks syphoned water?

[amanichen]

Toss the old carbon and replace it with new carbon. Give the biological media a gentle rinse in old tank water (there shouldn't be much particulate matter on it), and wash the foam in old tank water (it will have lots of particulate matter in it.)

Contrary to what the filter companies would have you believe, none of the mechanical or biological media needs to be replaced.

[bcroft]

Thank you