Maintainance of External Cannister?

[aquanatix]

Hi everyone...been experiencing some whirling noise from my cannister(Hyrdor prime 10) recently. The sound isn't exactly what most would consider a cause of alarm but somehow it gets a little annoying as the equipment is situated in my room?Has anyone here experienced the same problem with their respective cannister filters?
I'm assuming its 2 things,namely:
1) Airlock?
2) Clogging of cannister due to age(pending maintenance)?

Since we're on the subject on cannister maintenance, my very last question would be the signs and time line for cannister maintenance. Just how often does everyone here maintain their cannisters since most fellow hobbyists here use cannister filters as their preferred mode of filtration? Sure there are lots of info regarding technical aspects or even installation of cannister filters but somehow I've never really come across a definitive FAQ or even mention by hobbyists in forums when it comes to cannister maintenance? Thanks for the patience taken to read my lengthy post, hope someone here could provide me some information on my above diagnosis and queries regarding the cannister!

Cheers!

[FishFan]

Hi,

The noise you are experience could be due to a component that is loose after your last maintenance cycle. Maybe it could also be a small grain of sand that is making the noise.

I believe that there is no hard and fast rule for filter maintenance. It really depends on the tank's bioload and mechanical waste (dust, small leaves, etc). For a planted tank, I've seen people maintaining their filters every 3 - 6 months whereas for others such as a pure goldfish tank (they poo a lot!) every month or so.

Some signs that it is time to maintain the filter would be a reduced flow rate or more suspended particles in your tank water.

Just sharing some of my experiences. Hope that there are some useful nuggets for you. Good luck!

[aquanatix]

Cheers and thanks for the information!
Didn't really find any loose components,possibly due to the ceramic rings as water flows by. Haven't read up much on filter maintainance hence the urge to find out more from everyone here.
Anyone else like to share their regime?

[wasabi8888]

My Eheim 2211 for my 1 ft tank (30X30X40H) is maintained every week. I am trying to stretch that to 2 weeks. Maintenance to be at this moment is jsut changing the white sponge. Tank is for plecos with quite a bit of poo