Instructions
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.
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.
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.
How to Remove Sludge From an Aquarium BIO-Wheel
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.