[FriendsNotFood]

Every time I open up my Eheim 2213 filter to clean/replace media/whatever, when I start it back up again it blows an insane amount of gunk into my tank that I then have to do a water change to remove. Why does this happen and is there any way to prevent it? I have to take carbon out of my filter soon and I'm really dreading it ):

 

[msawdey]

its buildup in your pipes/tubing back into the output. Its not that big of a deal and wont harm the tank. Ultimately its probably beneficial bacteria. Just let the filter clean it out. But i usually change my filters out and then do a water change anyways

 

[Optix]

i leave it....fish, shrimp, catfish, snails eat it...or it breaks down overnight

no problem either way

 

[houseofcards]

A quick fix is to simply let the return empty into a bucket for a 30 seconds or so after startup. That should clear most of it out.

 

[mott]

Or you can just put a net at the output on startup for a minute until it clears.