Clouds of poop when I took apart filter?

[Somethingsfishy]

I like the turkey baster idea!  I'd bought one to remove uneaten food from the bottom of my aquariums, but hadn't thought to use it for the filter gunk.

[linuxrulesusa]

I like the turkey baster idea!  I'd bought one to remove uneaten food from the bottom of my aquariums, but hadn't thought to use it for the filter gunk.

Probably best to use a different one to feed the fish than the one you use to clean filter gunk, but some fish are not very discriminating, so maybe it doesn't matter. 

[Steve]

Something else you can do is to get yourself one of these http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aquarium-Battery-Powered-Syphon-Fish-Tank-Vacuum-Gravel-Water-Filter-Cleaner-/191055446304?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c7bcac120

On my smaller tanks that have HOB filters when I clean them I still find just the leftover crud gets kicked out into the tank when you plug it back so once it settles on the substrate it's easy to suck up with one of those. I bought one about a year ago and use it quite a bit. Comes in real handy and the price can't be beat. They aren't high quality though. cheaply made in Japan, but for the price they work out pretty well.

Also comes in handy for spot cleaning in my bigger tanks between WC's to keep the sand nice and clean looking.