Cascade 1000 Aquarium Filter and the lessons, tips, and tricks I have learned.
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- The Cascade 1000 filter is a great thing to own, but over the years I have owned mine I have learned a few things on how to make it work that might not have been in the instructions...
Brother great video, thank you, I have a tip, if you close the outtake and the intake before detaching the filter, when you finish cleaning the filter you can reattach it, then open the intake valve and let the filter fill up with tank water before plugging the power, when its filled up to the motor plug the power and open the outtake valve and youre back in business.
My new system is to get everything all connected and running and then just run the garden hose against the sucking hose of the filter and force things to start flowing
Right, I've only had to prime mine the very 1st time I set it up....no need to prime after that
Thanks Alan, I just learned something new. I'm going to try the pumice stone trick. Just ordered the Cascade 1000, so when I get it I'll have to try out your advice. As for my current canister, I was siphoning out a bit of the tank water that's clear, and washing my media with some of it, and using the rest to refill the canister. Much much easier to get the pump going, and not letting it run dry til it primes. Great advice. Thank you for sharing.
Hi !
The pumice stick idea was something I came up with when I was messaging the real CZcams experts in aquarium filters like Pondguru.
I was told that one of the basic things a lot of expensive media is made out of was just common pumice.
I did a search and ran into these pumice sticks that I guess some people use to clean with?
I had never heard of them, and I have still never found anyone else using them to be in a canister filter, but it turns out to be a great idea.
Pond guru congratulated me for this discovery, and I have had very good comments from others who are also learning about them from my videos and posted comments on CZcams.
Here the pumice sticks sell for only $1.80 each (dirt cheap compared to pet store stuff) so let me know what you run into there?
I get mine at Menards.
Most of the time when I clean my filter the pump gets going after a bunch of quick pumps...but sometimes it takes longer.
I run two Cascade 1000 pumps on my aquarium, and tend to clean both of them about once every month or two.
Let me know if you have any issues, and also if you would like to see how I spliced the water lines and ran the filters in a different room?
@@AlanMolstad I found the pumice at Lowe's. $2.58 each. I bought 6. And my canister just showed up today. I'll probably get it going here in a couple of weeks.
@@myckee
This sounds fantastic!
@@myckee
One of the suggestions I have taken to heart from the experts is to put the sucking hose at one end on the aquarium and the blowing hose at the other so that you are getting a good chance of moving all the water through the filter each hour.
Now because the water lines included with the Cascade filter are each only about 4 foot long, I had to splice in some hard white plastic pipe so i could run the filter from a different room.
another thing I have come to see as true is that whatever a filter is rated at you must divide in half to get a better idea of your filtering needs.
So if you have a filter rated up to 100 gal, its best to cut that in half and say it will filter correctly only 50 gal.
This is why I ended up with two Cascade filters on my 120 gal tank
@@myckee Remember to not put a layer of filter pad/floss on top of the pumice...it will muck it up and plug it
remember...if you are thinking about getting ANY type of filter for your tank to not believe the hype on the side of the box its sold in.
It might say, "Good for tanks up to 100 gal" but thats not really true.
You have to over-filter the water, and that means if it says its good for a 100 gal tank, its actually good only for a 50 gal tank...
(so get two filters)
I just learned so much ...thank u for your passion !!
The by pass is by design
Penn Plax says it’s not a flaw, but that it bypasses the baskets purposely.
thats good to know....
Not sure its all that well dreamed up,,,but still good to know that they are up to speed about the issue.
Don't forget to breeeeeaaaathe!
You can also place tap water treated with dechlorinator in a bucket and pour into the canister.
This is the best
I keep about 10 individual gallons of prepped water on hand at all times (Prime'd and salted and some unsalted for evaporation) Costco milk jugs work great, and I have three kids, so I buy a lot of milk!
Dude this is amazing Thank you
thnx for the video. just got a 1200
if you get s chance, record a video showing your set up and talk about any things you have learned and any issues and answers you had to come up with.
Good video
I hope it helps people...let me know if I can be of any more help with something
at the next cleaning of this same Cascade filter I replaced the BBQ grill cleaner block with pumice, as it seems to work a lot better.
Couldn't u skip saving the dirty filter water and just grab water from the tank? It's got to be cleaner than the mucky water in the filter
well....
Lets remember where you are and where the tank is..
One of the things in this video I warn people not to try is to take the empty filter over to the fish tank and try to fill it there.
It makes a mess....
and its not really a mess you need to deal with when after all you are standing at the one place in the whole house that is designed to help control water spills...The sink!
In the video I also tell people to take the time before you start cleaning a filter to fill jugs with water to use.
I show the use of drinking water filter jugs that allow you to add clean water that wont cause the bio-media harm.
But another idea that is even better is to just use old water.
If you take normal tap water and fill a jug up and allow it to just sit out over night or so, the water will change and and the Chlorine will come out of it and be harmless to your filter.
Im not sure why Chlorine does this?...but it kinda gasses-off out of tap water.
and finally, in the video I try to point out that you don't want to use the mucky water at the bottom when you are filling the filter...but most of the water is not going to be all that mucky, and so its good to re-use, after all it was just in the fish tank a moment ago!
The whole main idea I'm aiming to show in the video is to get people to not need to pump-pump-pump etc because they connected their aquarium lines , turned on the power and then worked to try to fill up a totally dry filter.
Now I know some Cascade guys always connected up things with a dry filter, but I have been reading a lot of the comments on videos of the Cascade and some people are very upset at how hard a time they have getting all the air out that is trapped under the trays.
This is why I put forward the idea that the best way to go is to fill the filter up right there at the sink, and then you don't have to worry about spills, and you can work out all the trapped air if needed without making a mess later by the tank.
So what I do when I clean (my filter is below the tank) is put the whole filter back together, UNPLUGGGED, attach the hoses and then open the OUT, then open the IN. If you took the hoses off in the correct order the IN should already be full of water, and water starts flowing into the sealed canister from the tank. In my case, the air gets forced out of the OUT and I engage the impeller once the water has reached the top of the sealed canister. It's usually half full when I put it back, I use a bucket of tank water to rinse my media and a gallon bucket I'll tank water to refill it halfway before I put it back (so my media never sits out of the water)
Agreeing 100%, I have 1500 & there is huge water by pass
for as informative as this is, you forgot one thing... just Breath my boi
ok..?
alan molstad yea bruh sounds like you’re running a marathon throughout the vid
@@Kpoole35
Well,,,
Perhaps to some ears , I guess.
But its just how I am..
I think I remember that when I was watching one of the many videos that CZcams "makers" have posted on how to clean this same finter, tnhat they had such a slow voice, that its like they were falling asleep.
One time I made a comment when I asked if the guy was real tired when he recorded it?
One thing I am not is "sleepy".
Never thought to empty my input hose
Not a design flaw, it’s made to be like that, the key is the last cover on top to make water not bypass without passing through trays
Thanks for mentioning that
I dont think i saw this in the comments already, but could some of these be put elsewhere in the tank? Since i believe others have said low oxygen/low flow is what helps anerobic grow. Was just thinking if a rock wall was built with these behind it would you get more nitrates broken down to nitogen. Instead of just what would fit in the filter.
that idea sounds correct.
The issue you would have for a while with pumice is that it floats at first.
But I dont think it matters all that much where it is placed...What putting it inside a filter allows is that you can clean it easy without upsetting the fish...and that is important because it will need to be cleaned from time to time to keep it from being clogged.
Dang y’all got Lysol coming out of the tap
Anyone have issue with leaks. Replacing the seal and using pool lube or Vaseline doesn’t seem to help. Also do you use check valves?
Hi Jason!
You have listed two concerns that I have been thinking over .
The problem getting the pump/lid to seal, and the matter of a check valve.
First, I assume that you are getting the trays and the filter floss and everything inside the filter all squished flat so that the pump will sit down correctly onto the filter body right?
I ask this because when you fill the filter with water before you strap on the pump, the water will likely cause the filter trays to float due to the trapped air in the filter media.
This floating can really screw up getting the pump strapped down .
also, you do make sure that the pump pipe that hangs down a bit is correctly in-line with the rubber "O-ring" and the tray pipes correct?
I ask this because over the years I had to reset my pump when I got that wrong and it would not seal correctly.
But,,,,if you are putting the filter togather correctly and it still leaks?...then this hints that there is a problem with the seal,,,,it might be that the o-ring has a flaw,,,a cut, a scratch, or that the rubber was made wrong and its not the correct size,
If yoiu believe that there is just something wrong with the way the seal has been made, then you best bet is to contact the maker and ask them what to do to get a replacement?
If you no longer have the box the filter came in, then I would search for the maker's website, or go to a pet store and check the box on a new one for a web address or ph number.
Now, as for the question about the use of a check valve?
My answer is that I have never used one of them things myself, nor have I heard of them being used.
However I assume that the reason you ask is due to the leaking seal problem you are haveing.
Here is my advice....I would contact the maker and get a replacement.
But in the meantime, I would make sure that both my sucking line, and the outflow line dont dip into the aquarium very deep.
In my own aquarium I only have my sucking hose line dipped down into the aquarium about 2 inches , the same for the outflow.
The reason for this is on the odd-chance that the filter leaks, I will only have a small amount of water able to get drawn out of the tank before the end on the water line sticks out of the lower water level and thus stop more water from leaking out of the tank.
So if you are concerned that the Cascade might spring a leak I would just make sure both the sucking and the blowing water lines are not dipped very deep into the fish tank.
I used weather stripping around the bottom basket , as the following baskets sit tight enough. Also , is it necessary to prefilled the canister filter? They have a priming pump which I've never had issues with
1st...Im glad you have good luck with the priming pump!
and so my advice for you is, "If it ain't broke...."
But as I talk about with my pump in the video, it is very common that unless you get rid of all the air by filling the filter before you strap on the pump you will end up pumping and pumping your arm off and not getting it to work.
Also, when you check out a few of these videos and start reading the posted comments of owners you run into another common thing and that is trapped air that never seems to want to get pumped out.
I think a lot of people find that a lot of air gets trapped between the different trays etc..
I made this video to show how to deal with the problems I have seen others have as a way to help people out that might have the same issues.
My advice then is this:
When you are cleaning the filter, save all the water that is left in the empty canister after you have lifted out all the filter trays.
Dump it in a side bucket.
Then once all the trays are tended to and you have them back inside the canister, before you strap on the pump add as much of the old saved water as you can without getting the dirty water in it, and then top it off if needed with de-chlorinated water.
Then strap on the pump and you are all set to go, with little to no pumping needed and no trapped air inside the pump.
Most of the time when you have the canister filled in this manner you dont have to do any pumping , or little if any.
Now as for the reason we all need to wrap the trays with something?
The reason I show how to do this in my video is that a lot of people that have a different brand filter can be very quick to point out the flaw they see with the Cascade, and so I want us Cascade filter owners to have an answer to their common objection to our filter.
With wrapping the trays we make a sort of dam that holds the water from slipping by the trays unfiltered.
(But like I said before, if your pump thingy is working?..then just be thankful and use it)
@@AlanMolstad 😅
My advice is this.
You are cleaning the filter at the kitchen sink right?
Its the one place in the whole house that is designed to contain a watery mess, so why not do all the watery mess parts right then and there?
I always tell people to fill the Cascade filter with water right there in the sink, if you spill a little you don't have to worry, the sink is designed for spills!
Here is how I fill my filter - czcams.com/video/cE1uMupyYzo/video.html
Used in my filter and i cycled in under 2 weeks soo.......
I have a 100 gallon kiddie pool in my apartment (turtle)and want to put the cascade above the pool so if there’s ever a leak a plastic basin will catch the water and a tube in the basin will pour the water back in the tank. I know you’re supposed to have these below the tank..but once it’s primed and running do you think I could have it raised to a height of about a foot?
Here is what I think:
1st - the weight of 100 gal is over 800 pounds, so this is not something you should put on a back deck in an apartment building.
However if this is inside the room, then its safe as they build the flooring to handle this weight.
Next:
I have not heard of many examples of the cascade leaking...
Perhaps one of two have leaked but for the most part the design is made to not leak and lots and lots of cascade filters are used in many people's apartments.
So I dont think you need to worry too much about this issue.
However, if you still want to have the filter above the pond?...then I just really dont know how the filter will work?...I have never had my filters above the tank, so I have no experience to give you any advice on that way of doing things.
Now, thinking about your situation, this is what I have come up with.
We have to remember that the water flows into the filter, but its pumped out....so this means that if the filter starts leaking it will only flood until the "sucking" hose is no longer under the water.
So this means that if you position the end of the hose that brings water to the filter at a height in the pond that is not very much under the top level of the water, that should the filter leak the water being drawn to the filter will stop the moment the water level of the pond goes down .
and.....if you placed the cascade filter inside a plastic bucket that was as tall as the sides of the pond then no matter how bad the filter leaked the water would only reach the same level as the pond.
so there are ways to plan for the unlikely event of a leak .
But again, I have had two Cascade filters for a lot of years. and I have looked at a ton of CZcams videos on them, and I have read a lot of posted comments, and so far the number of people that had a leak is really hard to say....I cant remember any.
alan molstad lots of excellent advice. Very much appreciated. I only started using an external filter when I found one outside a brownstone in a box marked “free pond pump and filter”. For the 50+ years before that the family turtle just had one underwater filter pump. I’d been shopping for a new filter/pump because his water was seeming dirtier and when I saw that box next to my house, it just seemed like providence. Long story short...had know idea what it was...got help from an aquarium, connected it to the underwater pump provided, and for the last year or so it’s worked wonders. Then a month ago; probably because I’d been jostling it while cleaning, I got home and a few gallons of water had leaked out the sides and liquidated a portion of the living room.
That’s when I raised it over the tank with the aforementioned safety basin. It’s also pretty difficult when it comes to cleaning...it has about 8 plastic hinges that pull back and or fall off when loosening the top,and they really seem like they don’t want to snap back on when trying to get the top back on. I’m bent over my bathtub, cursing my existence and slamming at these hinges with the palm of my hand.
So as of yesterday, I suddenly felt it was time for a new one. Everything you said was really good to hear. The fact that it will stop pumping once the level is beneath the hose good to know...also the bucket idea..and the fact you’ve had no issues since owning them.
Just the idea of a sleek new external filter with an EASY OPEN AND CLOSE top is enough to decide me. thanks again🐢😀
@@mrswiss
When you talked of finding stuff, thats some good luck you have had!
alan molstad that seemed almost beyond coincidence..I’d been shopping online some kind of filter the day I found it. 😀🐢👍
I have a question:
So, i need to trim my tubbing, and i have tightened the grip of it so tight i cannot take the tubing off... although I was able to cut them off, but its still screwed together. How do i get them apart?
Ok Hudson...lets just think for a moment about your problem with the tube grip connection...
Now are you sure, I mean darn sure that you are turning the connection the right way?....once you are totally sure you are spinning it the right way, here is my advice:
#1 - do a google search and find a place to order replacement parts, on the chance that you bust something and need to order a new part.
#2 - with the website address known (That is your plan "B") I would just try my best with a channel lock pliers?
If you can take the whole filter, tubes, and all to the kitchen sink you may be able to help your odds at getting the connection to work free by running normal hot water over the connection. The hot water "may" loosen up the fitting enough for you to manually unscrew it from the top of the filter.
(Good luck!)
However....there is another option- dont remove the tube connection from the top of the filter.
This means that when you wish to clean your filter all you do is take off the whole top of the filter right where it sits and then, carefully lift the body of the filter away from the top and take to the kitchen to clean.
To do that correctly you will need two large bowls, one bowl will be placed under the filter before you do anything to catch water that spills, and the other large bowl will be placed next to the filter and will be what you place the removed filter top into as it will want to drain for a bit once removed.
or...
Or just take the whole filter, tubes and all to the kitchen sink and make the mess there where its not a problem.
The truth is, you dont actually need to remove the tubes from the top of the filter to do a cleaning...
This is all the advice I have for you.
I do know that your problem is something I too have had to work around, and so what I have suggested you try is what I do here when I cant get my connections to turn easy.
remember if you bust the connection it should be something you can order from a website and replace...
and again, Good luck!
(If you have any questions about how I would suggest you do stuff?..just ask!
I can even make a video and post it on CZcams showing what I would do mif you want more ideas?...just let me know)
I have done a bit more thinking on your issue with the connection and I just wanted to tell you what I was thinking now.
I wanted to make sure you understood that if the connection will simply not come off, that you don't really need to take that tube off anyway just to clean the filter.
Many times I will just remove the whole top of the filter right where the filter sits and just take the main filter body to the kitchen sink.
So if it wont come off you dont need to think you have to force it.
Yes, if you break it you still can order a replacement connection, so even if you break it its still not that big of a deal.
The other thing I wanted to make sure I told you is that all this type of filter maintenance is so much better done at the kitchen sink , that I hope you can somehow get all this there to deal with as the mess will be a lot more easy to deal with at the sink.
When I clean my filters, (I have two such filters) I first start out by doing all the dirty dishes and cleaning the kitchen counters so that I have a good work space to use.
I would again suggest running a bunch of very hot water over the stuck connection to loosen it up.
Many times hot water will help you turn a stuck thing like this.
Also, if you only have one stuck connection, you can use the other to help you make sure you are turning things the correct way.
@@AlanMolstad Well its not the intake and outtake valves connection, it's the tubing where you actually is connected to the filter part, that's inside the part that i can't twist off. So, i thought it may be easter to trim the tubing then twist it off the tubing.. i can't full it off tho lol.
I've already cut the tubing on that end, to make the connection better. I did that because they were too long, and the water connection was getting cut off - so with that the water fall worked but the actual filter wasn't sucking anything up.
I looked online - i got it from amazon, but i havent found those exact pieces to replace.. nor have i just searching on google. I just bought it not long ago, but it takes about out of me to twist them.. thats why i waited so long to do it again. Now i'm stuck again :(
I really appreciate all the advice tho, i never thought to order new pieces. - And yes i am using the kitchen sink to do it all, annoying to go back and forth from the tank to the sink, but such as life
easier ** not easter lol
pull **
I see you have the loose poly-fil fiber but didn’t end up putting it in the tray. Any reason? If you were to put it in, would you simply put it on the top of all of the mechanical filtration currently in your bottom tray?
Reason I ask is because my current filter setup is this:
Tray 1 (bottom): Fluval pre-filter on the bottom and the black filter sponge on top.
Tray 2 (middle): filter floss on the bottom with Seachem matrix on top.
Tray 3 (top): Chemi-pure green.
The issue I’m having is small loose particles are floating in my tank. I’m a bit concerned. I don’t use anything to wrap around the sides of the tray. I imagine that’d be a help - good call out there. I also think using something like that fine poly-fil fiber could help with this issue. I just don’t know where to add it. I’m very much open to removing the Fluval pre-filter from the bottom tray due to it being more of a waste of space (everyone I hear says the the sponge works just fine). I’d then move my filter pad down from tray 2 to tray 1. I just don’t know where to put the poly-fil at that point. Do you think it’s ok to put at the bottom of tray 2 underneath my biological media???
I appreciate your help!
Hi Brenden!
I talk about where I suggest you place the filter floss in the video about the 4:15 point.
If you click on about 4:15 on the video you will hear me talking about why you never want to put the filter floss above the media in the top trays.
The reason is that the filter floss will tend to slow the water under it, (where your bio media is) and so that trapped water will junk-up your bio media.
Now if you dont have any bio-media in your filter, then I still would never put any filter floss above the little bags of Chemi-pure green. It would stall the water with the bags and again gunk-them up.
What you want to do is do all the "mechanical filtering" in the lowest tray.
This is the first tray that gets the dirty water, so you want to get that filtered right at the start.
Then in the next tray you might want to get some type of bio-media.
if you have some bio media then never put any filter floss in that tray as you want the water to not be stalled as it flows around the bio-media.
In the top tray this is where you can put more bio-media, or that Chemi-pure green you listed.
Remember no filter floss there too as you want the water to slip through t and the around the bags with ease and not get stalled and junk up the bags of Chemi-pure green.
Now you talk about there being stuff floating in the water?
I dont know what that is, and if its a problem, then what you might want to try is that you can remove all the types of special bio-media and the Chemi-pure green stuff, and just fill all the trays with filter floss for a while and allow the filter to do its job cleaning the water.
Some times it might be true that a tank needs the extra filter floss to get the job done.
I myself have two Cascade 1000 filters running on my fish tank to keep the water clean.
Remember, you have to double up on the suggested filtering that they might list on the side of a filter box.
For example,l if you have a filter that says its good for a 50 gal tank, its actually only good for a 25 gal tank and so you will need to get two of such filters.
You always have to over filter water...its just how it works in the real world.. :)
...
here is another video
czcams.com/video/Z4Ca8M0Xeps/video.html
@@AlanMolstad,
Thanks for the response! I don't have any mechanical filtration above my biological or chemical filtration. My filter still flows from mechanical -> biological -> chemical. The only thing I do is put my filter floss underneath the biological filter in the middle tray. So the water passes through the filter floss prior to touching my biological filtration. It just so happens that the last stage of my mechanical filtration occurs in the same tray as my biological filtration - just not over top of it. It doesn't restrict water flow. This may not be the best practice and I'm really trying to avoid this overall. This leads me back to the initial question I had...
I think you may have mistaken my first question. I was just curious as to where you'd place the pillow-filling type material (poly-fil stuff). I'm thinking that adding that to my setup and subtracting the pre-filter may address my issues with free-floating particles. So my bottom tray would mirror yours. The only difference would be the top tray where I elected to use Chemi-Pure Green. Where would you recommend adding that pillow-filling stuff in the setup in the video?
Now as for the Fluval pre-filter?
From your description Im not really sure how you use that?
Most of the time dont they sell them things to be inside the fish tank covering the water intake pipe?
But from what you are saying, you have one of these things inside the canister filter?
If that is correct, then Im not sure thats the best placement at all.
I can understand if a guy put it around the intake pipe as it would tend to trap a lot of stuff, but Im not sure at all how it would do inside a cascade?
I myself just use a course black spunge that came with the cascade in the lower tray, and on top of that in the same tray i also put a white filter pad, and then on top of that in the same tray i add a little filter floss.
All I know for sure is that if you are seeing some stuff floating in your tank and there has been enough time that it should have been cleaned by now, then I would try something else with the way you have the filter media in the trays...
I think you may need to make sure that in the lower tray you got the correct course and medium filter media, and then if there is room add some floss or add the floss alone it its own middle tray.
Try a few ideas and see how things eork?..and let me know!
@@bharvey1113
Here is what I think.
I think you are correct in the order of how to correctly set up your filter...lower tray with the sponges, then the top tray with the chemical.
I would tend to not put anything under the bio-filter media,,,what tends to happen is that the bio-media pushes down on the floss and it makes it pointless..
From what im told by experts like Pondguru, is that you want the water to flow past the bio media without being slowed....you want it to speed right past it so that it never stalls and gunks up the pours of whatever you got for bio-media.
It sounds like you got a few ideas to try and are on the right track.
at this point I only have the same suggestions I talk about in the many videos I have made on the use of the Cascade.
I would try the idea of getting the poly-mats and cutting them into strips to wrap each tray with as you load it into the filter...many people find this really helps.
I would make sure that the very bottom tray has a very course filter in it at the bottom, and that its in good condition, and that it fills the whole tray so that nothing can slip past it without going through it.
and....I dont know what size tank you are running, but my last suggestion is to perhaos think about getting another filter and "over-filtering" your tank.
Thats the biggest issue with many guys, for they have only read what was on the side of the box the filter came in, and believed it...
But the box listed recommendation is sales pitch, and not really real life at all.
let me know if you have something you want me to record a video on if something I have said is not clear...?....
Bro you do not have to fill the canister up at the sink. All you have to do is take it back to your tank, connect both hoses and then open your intake valve but do not clamp the lid shut. At that point water will start to fill up into the canister from the aquarium All on its own. Then once the water reaches the motor head close the intake valve so it stops filling up. Then you clamp the lid shut and plug it in. Then you open both valves up and pump the primer if you have to. Easy peasy.
While I could fill the filter with water anyplace in the house, I like to fill it in the one and only spot in the house that is actually designed to handle the mess and spills...the kitchen sink.
@@AlanMolstad there's literally no mess or spills if you do it the way i explained. Also you get to use the already good water from the aquarium the way i explained. The other way you have to use filtered water and hopefully your filter is good or you have to get already conditioned water set aside ready for the filter clean. Trust me the easiest way is to do it the way i explained. No mess at all.
"if" things always went right Im sure there are many ways to clean and re-set a filter.
The way I show is to take into account that things go wrong....that's why the very best place to fill a filter with water is in the sink. It allows for spills, water over runs, and being distracted.
One of the key reasons I made this bunch of videos on how to change the filter is that I saw a bunch of other videos posted by guys who make money off of posting many such videos and they were just doing things that were wrong, or were just poor examples to be showing new owners of this same filter how to work with it.
And one of the main problems I saw was that many people still try to clean their filter in the living room.
I saw a lot of problems with that idea!
I could foresee the easy chance that kids and dogs, tipping over filters with the pumps not latched down tight.
The other main issue I could foresee is that the lighting is very bad where many people house their filters, and the ability to see the back side of the filter while working with it under a tank is rather hard to do in many places..
Its just a mess waiting to happen.
But on the other hand, everyone already has a place in their house that is designed to contain a watery mess, its their kitchen sink.
So I just wanted to show people that this same type of filter is actually cleaned better in the sink and not in their living rooms.
What a a person with this same filter should do is take the filter to the kitchen sink and there open it up and there also fill it when its done being cleaned.
That way there is no chance of a mess getting on nice floors or carpet.
Now another hint I dont know if I have talked about yet is that once the cleaned filter is connected back to the water in and out flow lines, you can force water into the filter by the use of a hose.
Most of the time people clean their filter while they do other maintenance on their fish tanks and so they likely have out a hose to fill the tank back up with water.
You can just force water into the "intake" hose and it will speed up the time it takes to get the water flowing all the way, in and out of the filter.
@@AlanMolstad dude I don't think you understand my original comment. I clean it at the sink but fill it up at the aquarium. No mess ever for years now. Just connect the in and out hoses and open your intake valve and it fills it up for you all on its own. Just follow the steps in my original comment.
I have the 700 and just scored a 1200 for 75 bucks.
Do you know why mine is blowing air by the way?
on the other place where you asked this I gave what I would do in that situation...
@@AlanMolstad yes I saw. Thank you. :)
@@AlanMolstad I appreciate your help. I'll try those things. Do you use 2 O-rings or just one? The canister came with one attached and one in a plastic bag.
@@fishoutwithjuno
I have no idea about your 2nd O-ring...
My filter just needs one.
I would have to just guess that your 2nd one is a back-up and not needed until the 1st gets cracked???
@@fishoutwithjuno
If you try to use 2 O-rings you will likely crack your plastic.
Update on that pumice stone plz
Ok...what you want to know?
How long have you been using it and does it do a good job. My seachem matrix needs replacement and I was thinking of using pumice store from my local hardware store too. Since my local pet store doesn't carry my media
@@pckilla187
Hi, Im no expert.
All I know is the stuff guys like the Pondgru teach in their videos and in messages I have received.
To that end, I have been told that the pumice stone that I found in places like Menards are a very good thing to use.
They are clean, they are the right size, the chop in half easy, that allow water to slowly enter them.
They do provide about the very best solution for guys like myself that want something good, but also very cheap.
I forget how much money each stick of pumice was, but I thin it was under $2 bucks.
There is no known down side to the pumice I use.
Now I did stop using the large block of BBQ grill cleaner as it was just not as good as the pumice, and it took up too much space.
@@pckilla187
Now as for how long I have used it?
Its hard to say, as I found it, and tried it off and on for a long time before the Pondguru convinced me that it was worth the time to use.
So Im thinking about a year full time?
anyway, the pumice is washed clean in the old water when I do a cleaning.
I would make a video of that,but its not that interesting, just a swich-swich, clean.
I made the video as a way to help some other guys that are big time CZcamsrs and have a video where they show how they load their Cascade filter, but what they show they do is completely wrong.
I made the video as a way to show people how to load the filter trays so they work better and so they dont junk-up their bio-filter media.
I dont make money off videos, I just made this for fun and to help the next guy with the things I learned from the guy ahead of me...
Thanks for the info. Do a follow-up video and rate it. I would watch it.
So you're doing 1 tray of floss and 2 trays of pumice?
How many sticks should I buy? I have a menards trip in my future lol
the mechanical filtering is done on the lower tray.
The next two are filled with pumice to be the Bio-filter.
I have a 120 gal tank, and I actually have two Cascade canisters working to keep the water clean.
With two filters I can change how things are, and I can make one with more floss if I think it needs that, or I can go with even more pumice to help with that effort.
The important thing is that when you set the filter up as I show it really helps things with your fish health....
@@osutx427
The sticks are dirt cheap compared to some of the pet store stuff that is actually the very same stuff as the sticks I use!
What I have learned is that the sticks are a nice size to just drop in and so when you dont have many of them its very fast to get them in the tray and ready to work.
I have also learned that the pumice sticks cut in half very easy, so when you get more and more of them you can cut them and stack the tray with more and more of them.
One last thing I noticed with the Menards cleaning pumice, the sticks dont all look the same all the time.
I got one batch and they were all the same,,,then about a month later I went to get more stiucks for another filter I was adding, and when I opened the boxes these sticks looked totally different ,,
Its not a big deal, as its a natural product after all, so you got to expect some changes.
How many sticks would fill 2 trays?
@@osutx427 as for how many boxes to grab at the store?....Im not sure...6?
I think 4 sticks fit easy, and then you chop up a few sticks to fill in the gaps,,