cleaning my Fluval FX4 CANISTER FILTER for the first time in MONTHS
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2024
- yes....this is a little gross. Today I'm cleaning my turtles' fluval fx4 canister filter for the first time in months. I'll walk you through the process of how to clean your filter and maintain your tank's cleanliness!
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CONTENTS
00:00 It's been HOW LONG?!
01:06 Unhooking the filter
02:57 Emptying and opening the filter
04:57 Cleaning the media
06:56 Rinsing the canister
07:37 Second rinsing
09:07 Reassembling
10:07 Reattaching and restarting
12:30 Subscribe! 
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Your video came at a perfect time! My new Fluval FX4 has been filtering our turtle tank for three weeks. My wife's red eared sliders live in a 100 gallon aquarium filled to approximately 80%. I was going to clean the filter after a month but after watching your video, I may wait until it's been running for about two months. Thank you for demonstrating how you clean the FX4.
I'm glad that you found it helpful!
I have that same filter alongside a sunsun 304b and they both work great! The fx4 is super easy clean especially with the drain valve
It’s an awesome piece of equipment for sure
I am VERY thankful for this video. My turtle lives in my classroom most of the time, and I haven't cleaned my FX4 in probably close to a year now. I'm embarrassed, but there's been nothing living in the tank since August. I turned it off, and things got bad quick! Husband and I are cleaning everything in the 75 gallon tank, and the filter today. I was so nervous to get that filter out and opened, but now I feel much better about it! Now I just need to figure out the best way to clean the tubes and intake/out contraptions.
I'm so glad that this was helpful! for the intake tubes and such, i would probably just put a hose on jet and shoot it through. If there's been nothing living in there since august I wouldn't worry so much ;) good luck!
I have been thinking about getting an fx4 filter. So thanks for a good vid to see how to clean it out. I haven't had much luck with previous canister filters as they all leaked!! I think I might try one of these and try and get my confidence back in these filters!
best of luck! I've had a great experience with this one!
Helped me go through my first cleaning, followed step-by-step. Thanks so much
i just got my first fx4 filter with my setup of a 55g bowfront tank. I retired my 35g talk running a 206 canister and took the bio max media and put it into my new fx4 alongside what came with it to jumpstart my new tank. Took half of the old filtered water from the tank and old substrate to set up the new tank with the fish transplanted from the 35. its been almost a week and all my fish are happy and water parameters are looking fantastic.
Just brought a FX6, this helps me a lot. Thank you :)
❤❤loved this short and precise tutorial video, thank you.
You're so brave cleaning that without your hair tied! I have small push cart to carry my four FX6's since I'm getting old and gotta save my back!
Haha it’s short enough. I do tie it back most of the lol
My current canister filter I clean about once a year, tank is absolutely spotless and all amonia nitrate everything is perfect. I just got the fx4 for my 125 gallon probably going to clean it a bit more often but I really like these canister filters.
You have helped me take care of my turtle sweetie pie I have had her since I was three I’m 14 now and did not really take care of her until I found your Chanel so thanks 😊
aw I'm so glad Julia
Wow, that Fluvial filter is so much different than my SunSun. You always make things look so easy. Great video. Very interesting
Glad it could help :) Thanks!
if ur gonna get one get the fx6 not the fx4
@@randomrazr Why is that?
@@chrisbee83 bigger
I am sure someone has mentioned this but when you unscrew the clamps do opposites at a time as to not bend or bust the lid due to uneven tight pressure. Good luck.
I love the videos! Thanks Turtle Girl!
thank you!
I invested in one today! Tired of using rinky dinky ones so shelled out the doe to do it right :) Turtles will be happier and happy it has a water changer feature ! thos dip and pump things suck
I LOVE THIS!!!! I love that you're not afraid to be like "Ayo my water quality was fine so uuuuh I kinda didn't clean this in a hot minute" like nobody's perfect, and if it ain't broke, don't clean it! Excellent 🤌🤌🤌 (plus satisfying filter cleaning is satisfying (
haha it's truuuue! thanks Dan!
So informative! New turtle mom here and learning so much from you! Love your videos🐢🥰
Glad it could help!! Thank you so much for the support!
I have a lil yellow bellied turtle named Suki.. She is 5 years old! You've helped me so much with your vids💗
She sounds adorable 💕i have a map turtle named timmy :D
Aww so sweet! I'm glad they helped :)
Good video! 👍🏾
Thanks!
Oh my, I just bought one of those, it’s a beast!
right? they're AMAZING
Now do you have to have your tank elevated to use this? I have a 50 gallon turtle tank sitting on the floor, would this work sitting next to the tank?
Thank you for sharing
you're welcome David!
Using gallons of distilled water is so much easier than taking out tank water to have to put it back after. Or lately I’ve been storing extra water with prime from my buckets after a water change
Bit late viewing this video, looking at FX videos as getting an FX2 in a few weeks, would get a FX4 but it’s a bit too big for the cupboard beneath my tank. Do you not clean the pipes out, found on my Fluval 207 the flow was low due to gunk in the pipes
Yay new turtle girl video!!!!
yay! thanks for watching Cory!
I cleaned mine before watching your video and rinsed everything with water from the hose, and emptied all the tank water out. When I reattached, there was a lot of debris and the filter didn't sound right, so I was going to order all new filters and pads and media. Now I'm worried I about a bacterial bloom too! Should I just start over with new everything? And, what about the dirty gunk in the attached tube on the top ? Should I clean that? Thanks for answering if you have a chance?
hmm....sometimes the water needs to refill inside the canister filter and it makes a bit of a humming noise when it starts...but that should go away after a few hours. i don't think you'd need new anything, maybe just rerinse again and see if there is a way to check the filter impeller. Wishing you luck! You could clean the attached tube but I doubt that would be what's making the filter sound off.
Hi dear friend. Thank you for this valuable video. You only need to wash the filter once a month, normally, once every 2 months or twice a month. Thank you for guiding me.
This reminds me I need to clean mine tomorrow.
Haha do it Gabby!
Use a prefilter. I use the eheim prefilter with orange oase sponges and then use black sponge to wrap around outside of it to catch big dirt. Your canister stays clean then. Also the sponges are fine to rinse with tap water. The studies show a rinse won’t really kill bacteria
thanks for sharing!
@@TheTurtleGirl no problem. Get some biohome ultimate media too for the middle. You will notice the difference
Thank you so much for this video.
you are welcome!
Is there enough room in the center for those blue bio balls? I currently have a home brew 20 gallon sump on my tropical tank but I'm looking at switching over to a canister filter after one of the baffles cracked. I was hoping to use some of my old media such as the bio balls to jump start the bacteria colonies.
yes...i believe they would be!
FYI, that dirty water is awesome for outdoor plants. I would dump the bucket in your garden or flower bed / lawn , as it has high nitrates and will super fertilize whatever you dump it on,
I know I commented on one of your old videos but can you use the REPTISAFE water conditioner with the turtle still inside the tank ?
I usually try to mix it in a five gallon bucket before adding the water. But you could probably add it directly too if you used the right dosage and had good circulation.
Love your videos!! I was hoping you could give me any tips or advice… I have a RES turtle no matter how much I do partial weekly water changes and clean canister fluval filter like you demonstrated.. the tank gets green algae often. Help please :)
Hmm...could be too much light? Algae is caused by an imbalance of nutrients or light, so like if sunlight is hitting a tank through a window, that could cause algae.
Can you share if it’s safe to buy a used Fluval FX4 canister? And what to do to prepare it for a new tank once purchased? I’m sure there would be specifics needed to clean it of anything from the previous tank. TIA!
Do you still recommend the Fluval FX4 Canister Filter for a 75 gallon turtle tank?
I have an FX4 also and have not cleaned it in about a year. LOL Do you believe in replacing the little rotor thingy that is part of the motor and replacing the motor after so many years like the manual says. I think that is a little ridiculous to replace the motor. Do you ever use the filter to do your water changes like it says you can do? I tried it once and it did not work for me. You are suppose to be able to take water out and refill the tank through the filter by sucking the water out of a bucket that you place the external clear filter hose into.
You mean the impeller? Sure, I think it can be helpful. I changed out the impeller on my power filter after a couple years and it ran much quieter after that. Haven’t tried changing water through the filter! Not sure if it would work since the filter is on the ground!
I like the Nu-Clear canister filters. They are probably the best performing, most versatile filters on the market. The Fluval FX series would be my second choice.
never heard of em! I'll have to look it up!
40-gallon breeder at about 3/4 full, is this what you'd recommend for this tank. it houses one 7" Reeve's that is very old (33 years), but very active. Any info is greatly appreciated
What type of plants do you have that are floating around the tank? Thanks!
I did a water change Sunday and thought everything was going ok but nope my output pressure was so weak I couldn’t feel it but once I took the pipe out the water there was water coming out but not a lot so I tried unplugging it for a little then plug it back up still the same so the next day I decided to open it a clean but I haven’t even had for two months yet, but inside the top tray was dirty and I had to change my poly fil which was like muck the bottom tray was still pretty clean though I even checked the impeller which was clean and ok but long story short after cleaning the top tray and plugging back in it started working like normal so I guess I may have to clean monthly if this issue pops up again
Frequent maintenance definitely helps keep it running smoothly!
Do you know a good budget canister filter for a 200 liter aquarium
I am getting a second axolotl tomorrow and my new aquarium will be here within 1 week
But i dont have a filter yet
Love your videos
I like the cascade 1000 canister filters! here's an affiliate link! amzn.to/3C8BweW
Great video. thank you 🙏 One question is it noisy at all ?
nope! about as quiet as a filter gets if the spray bar is submerged.
@@TheTurtleGirl thanks 🙏
Omg I love all of your videos!! It's helped me so much of taking care of my pet yellow-belly and so much moree!! Her name is Shelly and she's only a year old and he's nicely healthy. But here's the problem, She kinda had MBD and I've been trying to help it out but idk what to do about it and I'm kinda scared about it.
Unfortunately I'm no vet nor have I dealt with a turtle with MBD, so I can't really offer any suggestions :( best of luck though!
Awee, Tysm!! Thanks for all the great support!
Does the FX4 come with Cipher hose?
Is it possible to have a crystal clear tank with a turtle, ive had mine a year now and havent had luck. I recently bought a 75 gallon and fluval fx4 and its still cloudy. Im unsure what extra media to buy could you help me out with recommendations?
I personally bought a bunch of distilled water to start up my turtle’s tank, and I have crystal clear water now. With a 75 gallon tank, that’ll be around $75 to do since a gallon is typically around $1, but you only need to do it when you start the tank with new water. When you do your weekly water changes, use distilled water as well to refill that 25% (this will be less money since that will be around 18 gallons to refill). It’s pricey but it’s the only way I have been able to keep my tank water clear. You can buy a water distiller (they’re about $60) to save money.
Miss turtle you need to do vacuuming of sun straight, nd you can turn flow down if you want and top of tank looks getto!? And more media rings, biohome, what ever that filter has half capacity for media than what you have in and you also don’t use polishing pads and or chemipure blue or any Purigen that will get ride of tanning over night , flows higher than normal because there’s nothing for it to go through up the middle but six rings? Both trays should have course medium and on top of each center baskets polishing pads! Your tank will look like there’s no water in it in less than two day! Crystal!! And top water all the way up to inch of top then you won’t have cloudy glass up to adding to wreakage! Not being mean but you have top of spectrum filters but are utilizing have of there capabilities! Peace, much love
Are you using coral substrate for your diamondback Terrapin?
yes! crushed coral!
you should consider putting the intake and outake ports int he tank one oppsoite ends of the tank that way u can better circulation throughout the whole tank
Yeah! I would have done that but it was a little tricky when setting up the tank. That's why I have a bubble filter on the opposite side and a wavemaker in the opposite corner to keep the flow going :)
Is cleaning mine once every month or two not a good thing? is that too often? I do clean my media in water from the tank.
That's probably a way better schedule! I just kind of forgot about mine 😅 😂 As long as you're using tank water that's fine :P
@@TheTurtleGirl Thank you so much for the response have a great day
I got a turtle from the pet store and one of the legs are missing should I keep it?
as long as the turtle can swim and eat normally i dont see why you shouldn’t keep it!
@@luznunez11 thanks it’s doing great with my other turtle they bask together and they like each other my dad wants to take it back I’ll tell him
Would that waste water be good for feeding house plants and or garden plants???
it could possibly be! i just wouldn't use it on anything that might be used for consumption later since there's turtle poop/bacteria etc in it.
Anyone know of a good stable table for a tank? That i can find online
where do you get the stand for the tank?
do you find if their is a stinky smell from the filter when u open it?
honestly, I didn't really notice anything!
When we wash and squeeze the sponges so much, aren't the bacteria getting washed away?
hi, can used fx4 to my 200L tan? thank you, god bless you
you should flip the bumpy foam side downwards so there will be more surface area to collect gunk and detritus
ahh thanks for the suggestion!
canister filters are the BEST!
oh yeah!
I don’t have anything in the bottom on the tank and the water is only just covering the turtle with some platforms, it also has a small heat light and no filter but I change the water everyday, it has no light is this very bad for my turtle? I used a filter once with the shallow tank but all it did was make the tank dirtier, I checked the inside of it once and it was all brown and the entrance was also all brown. I put rocks once on the bottom to but when the dirty stuff sank when we cleaned it it was super dirty
A filter is super important to keep the water circulating and help break down the waste in the tank. A UVB and heat light are also essential for turtle shell health. Check out this playlist for some more info :) ruclips.net/p/PLNhWjG4VxAmhvoEkUfFsv6LKhLqXcGn-P
Is it nesccesary to make the water go to the very top of the tank?
@@ashleychiu9199 If it’s an aquatic turtle, general rule is they need 10 gallons of water per inch of their shell length-so if their shell is 4 inches long, that means they need to be swimming in *at least* 40 gallons of water. The water height just covering the turtle isn’t enough.
What kind of filter do you recommend besides this one? $300 is a lot for me now will save for that thank you.
What are signs of bacterial blooms? I’m still in the process of setting up my tank, and want to make sure Ik as much as I can😭
Cloudy water, basically! Sometimes algae will show up too
Thank you so much!!! This will definitely help for the future
Oh wow, good video, tho i never sques my filtermedia that much, depends on how dirty it is. i never dare sqees it all. i just remove the yeakky stuff and squees it very carefully.
My Turtle, Pancake passed away today because of a bacterial infection. He hasn't eaten since we bought him. 😞😭😢
Is it ok if I don't put a UVB Lamp on my other turtle's tank that is placed outdoors though?
I’m so sorry to hear that :( if the tank id outdoors and gets unobstructed sunlight (not passing through windows) it’s probably not necessary to have uvb
@@TheTurtleGirl Thanks for your advice! My teacher said it's not necessary because the Philippines is a tropical country but I just wanted to make sure. :)
I have a cheap Chinese canister filter, and I have to hand pump it to prime it... I need to get one of those with the bells and whistles
it's a pretty great filter!
Aaaaaaa 😢 ya lo rompiste!!!!, solo se quita el tapón blanco, la rosca roja es una abrazadera para la manguera.
Glad I’m not the only one who forgets about my canister filter for a couple months 😅😅
right?! 😅 out of sight out of mind
Probably should get out of the care for living beings
Your cable management is better than my cable management for my musk turtle tank lol 😂
the struggle is reaaal
I’m having issues with both my filters can you help plz
Nice fx4 🙂👍friend.
How do you twist off the tubes
where did you buy the tank
off of craigslist, actually!
y do you use the tank water to clean the filters i
So that the beneficial bacteria is preserved! Tap water could kill it
Wow that filter looks huge I don’t think it would even fit in my tank cubord
How do we submit our turtle tanks ? I finally am fully satisfied with my set up and I wanna show it!!
submissions not quite open yet!
I just cleaned mine like a week ago
awesome! :P
What size tank is this
how often do you clean it?
once every few months
How do you know if you have a bacterial bloom?
Nope! the tank was super clear after a few hours and has been ever since!
Can single red ear slider turtle will survive alone or it should be in pair? Plz reply 🙏
Alone is ok, unless you have a super big tank I wouldn't try to do more than one
@@TheTurtleGirl thanks 🙏
I HATE mine! I loved the rena filstar but they don’t make it anymore
aw bummer! yeah I heard good things about those when they were around!
Why dont you run a sump under your tank? Love your channel!
that's an idea! just never thought to use a sump, especially since they're bigger than your average canister filter lol
💚💚
:DD
Why use a fx4 for such a small tank and small amount of fish. I was using a 407 for African cichlids. I just ordered this Fx4 today
0:27 is my profile picture now 😂
lol uh oh
I was watching this and i was thinking if turtles have strong jaws but no teeth do they have gums???
no
Just a sharp, beaklike jaw :D
@@chrispbacon8980 ok thank you very much
@@TheTurtleGirl no wonder they have a strong bite
@@ReyGreyStudios your welcome
Aloha and Mahalo!🌸🙏👍
mahalo nui loa for the support!
If you grow any kind of Tropical Fruit Plants, put that old dirty filter waste water around them - they will grow like crazy....Specially Papaya Plants.
i heard some people clean only clean tgeir canister filter once a year
:(
sheesh 😅 I was getting close!
yooo the soy sauce bucket lol
lolll always. my trusty soy sauce bucket
Aren’t you supposed to change the filter media every couple months?
Not change, just clean! the used media harbors beneficial bacteria that keeps the tank cycled ;)
Is that lava rock?
its so complecaited
hopefully the video made it easier to understand!
@@TheTurtleGirl yea it did i need to change my one tomorrow so yea..:)
Guess who else needs to clean the filter... 🙋♀️
hahaha hope this is a good reminder
How many fish u have again
too many to count xD
And this is how Coca Cola is made.
And you don't need the wave maker
5th comment Shout out?
7:39 Thats some sus soy sause
very sus soy sauce 👀
I clean mine every 5 months
there ya go!