I don't tend to clean out filters on new tanks, or tanks that have not "settled in" and are still unstable, 6 months and earlier. My tanks are well established, and in my own personal experience over the past 30 years I have not had a problem cleaning my filters in this way. I do the same with my HOB filters, running the boxes themselves under the tap and rinsing the media cartridges/foam pads under the tap as well, chlorine and all. In the cold weather months I do this in the sink, using the sink sprayer attachment to thoroughly clear the unit and the media of debris. I am on a municipal water system, so there is definitely chlorine present. I take my FX5 (and my other large canister filters, Eheims and Rena/API Filstars) outside, weather permitting, and use the hose to rinse them out thoroughly, and use the strong spray from the hose to rinse the foam and ceramic media. That said, I admit freely that I do not, in general, follow this practice at all. I do not discourage or dispute the importance of attempting to preserve the bacterial colonies present in the filter media and filter itself, as they work with the mechanical filtration to maintain the cycle of the tank and prevent toxic levels of ammonia and nitrite. NOTE: I know the recommended practice for rinsing out filter media and filters involves using dechlorinated water, and many are careful to stress the importance of this. The filter weighs about 70 pounds full of water, so draining it first is, for me, a must! When I clean out the filter every month or so I disconnect the intake and outflow hoses, and drain the filter a bit so I can carry it to the sink or outside on the deck to rinse out the foam pads and rinse out the unit. I don't utilize this method, preferring to use a Python and vacuum debris from the tank while I change water. This filter has a handy purge valve at the bottom so you can attach a 5/8" tube to drain the filter and do a water change at the same time. I have been running a Fluval (Hagen) FX5 on my 150 for six years. I apologize for not getting pictures, because that would make a huge difference in reviewing my recent experience, but I'm old and am slow to the trend of whipping out my phone for every life event!
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