How to Remove Sludge From an Aquarium BIO-Wheel

Fish tanks need strong biological filtration.

Whether you have a small aquarium sitting on your desk at work or a huge 100-gallon tank in your living room, providing proper filtration is a critical part of aquarium maintenance. A quality aquarium setup needs to have three kinds of filtration in place -- mechanical, chemical and biological -- and a quality filter should incorporate all three types. Filters using the BIO-Wheel technology do provide that complete filtration, and the BIO-Wheel is at the heart of the biological filtration process. The BIO-Wheel gives the friendly bacteria that break down fish waste a home, and if the unit is not properly maintained those friendly bacteria could be destroyed.

Instructions

1. Check the filter and make sure the BIO-Wheel is still turning. If the BIO-Wheel still turns, you do not need to clean it or do anything, even if the wheel appears unsightly. The BIO-Wheel is designed to provide biological filtration by establishing a colony of friendly bacteria, and cleaning it unnecessarily could disrupt that cycle.

2. Rinse the BIO-Wheel gently using dechlorinated tap water at room temperature, but only if the BIO-Wheel is so infested with sludge that it cannot turn. Pour the water gently over the BIO-Wheel, and stop as soon as the wheel starts to turn.

3. Check the filter every time you change the cartridges, and at every water change. The BIO-Wheel should turn easily in the filter, and, again, it does not need to be cleaned or replaced as long as it is turning.

References

• Marineland: Eclipse Aquarium Systems