# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Cleaning Canister filter Hoses?



## Neight Goetz (Jan 5, 2004)

Hello..

I have some guncked up hoses on my Eheim.
How do you clean these? My hoses are 3 1/2' or longer. I know eheim sells a brush.
Any Ideas?

N8


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## Neight Goetz (Jan 5, 2004)

Hello..

I have some guncked up hoses on my Eheim.
How do you clean these? My hoses are 3 1/2' or longer. I know eheim sells a brush.
Any Ideas?

N8


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## gsmollin (Feb 3, 2003)

Yes, a brush on a wire. You pull the brush through the hose. Then you flush the hose with water to remove the loosened dirt. Eheim, and others sell the brush. You could also make a DIY pretty easily if you like.


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

You can push a length of weed wacker line through the hose, catch the small looped end of the cleaning brush, fold over about a foot of line and pull it all the way through the line, if you have taken the end fittings off.

Or you can use a stiff rod, like curtain rod to push a rag or brush through if the line won't go through well.


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## Wheeler (Feb 8, 2004)

Another easy (and pretty cheap, too) way to clean canister hose is to go to your local music store and get a Trombone or Tuba bore snake. It'll never fall apart, and the bristles are nice and firm so it gets the job done quickly and thouroughly.

Hope this helps!

Best wishes,
John Wheeler


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## JERP (Feb 4, 2003)

I use black hose and ignore it. If I can't see it, it must be clean.

I have a built in backflushing system to remove loose debris from hoses while doing water changes.


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

JERP, what do you mean "a built in backflushing system"?


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## imported_Brett (Jul 23, 2003)

Hi JERP,

I'm interested in your "ignoring it" philosophy. Although I certainly can appreciate the motivation behind the idea







, won't the build-up of that brown scum inside the hose eventually restrict the water flow? The effects from constricting the tube size have a surprisingly large affect on flow rates.

Also, this is just an after-thought, by leaving the muck in the tubes are you just "seeding" the water collumn with this stuff?

What is that brown scum anyway, anyone? I'm sure that you know what I'm talking about.


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

It is bio-slime; bacteria and dead bacteria.

When you clean hoses in a fish only tank, bare bottomed -- no gravel, simply cleaning the hoses can create an ammonia spike in some tanks (goldfish particularly).

I am careful to not clean the filter and the hoses at the same time.


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## JERP (Feb 4, 2003)

The slime layer on the inside of hose doen't build up like hard water deposits. At least it wont in a fast flowing system used in an aquarium filter. Most people (myself included) generally have enough flow to spare in their filtration systems that losing a bit in the hoses wont affect the health of the tank.

For my backflow I have two mechanisms. My primary is the Quick-release to my ehiem. My secondary and more interesting is a shutoff valve and a "T" valve located at the input of my filter. To use quick release to flush the hose, I disconnect the hoses from my filter and slap em around a bit, Ike Turner style, then open the quick-release valve into a bucket. This drains the loosened debris from the hoses.

How is the shut off valve used? I shut off the water flow, turn off the filter. I place the open end of the hose coming from the T-valve in a bucket and open the T-valve. This drains water from the cannister into the bucket, removing most loose debris from the filter. Now here's the cool part. I close the valve, then put clean water in the bucket. Open the valve and turn on the filter. The filter siphons clean water from the bucket into the tank. When the bucket is empty, close the T-valve and open the shutoff valve. It's an easy way to perform water changes without disturbing the tank and be lazy at the same time. I've yet to find a drier way to perform water changes. I've been using the T-valve method for about 10 years. It works great. I'm currently rebuilding my tank, I'll post pictures when I'm done. It might be a while. I'm lazy.

I second anonapersona on not scrubbing your hoses and your filter at the same time. It's a triplethreat if you decide to gravel siphon while your at it. It's like circuit training, legs and abs on tuesday, arms and back on thursday. Do it all at once and it's gonna hurt.


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## Csstechguy (Aug 15, 2018)

JERP said:


> The slime layer on the inside of hose doen't build up like hard water deposits. At least it wont in a fast flowing system used in an aquarium filter. Most people (myself included) generally have enough flow to spare in their filtration systems that losing a bit in the hoses wont affect the health of the tank.
> 
> For my backflow I have two mechanisms. My primary is the Quick-release to my ehiem. My secondary and more interesting is a shutoff valve and a "T" valve located at the input of my filter. To use quick release to flush the hose, I disconnect the hoses from my filter and slap em around a bit, Ike Turner style, then open the quick-release valve into a bucket. This drains the loosened debris from the hoses.
> 
> ...


JERP;
Did you ever upload those photos. I would certainly be interested in your "Drier Way"


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

bleach water should take care of the gunk inside the hose.


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## barongan (Jul 31, 2018)

interested in posting JERP


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