Fluval 406 with awful flow...

[Delexboarfoot]

Originally Posted by seandelevan

Glad I saw this. My 306 is having similar issues. On my 75 I have the 306 and a 305. The 305 (and my 405 in another tank have very strong flow) but the 306 is weak like in your video. I cleaned everything aka took my garden hose to it, and the flow did not improve at all. So a few days later I took out all my floss and those polishing pads out. The only media in it is the ceramic rings and those tall pre filter pads......and still a pitiful flow. So should I take the pre filter pads out?

Edit: Oh the 306 is only 6 months old. While the 305 I have had up and running for probably 6 years.

On the 305, is the design of the impeller cover different to the 306? As I understand it ( I may be wrong ), the design of the impeller "well" is different.

[Delexboarfoot]

Originally Posted by sundragon

Per the advice - I checked the impeller cover - It didn't look warped. I cleaned it pretty well and used a little petroleum jelly on the rubber so it would seat better in the case.

Forgive me for saying so fella, but that cover does not look all that flat to me. Does it rock from side to side when you press down on the sides away from the hinge and clip?

PS. Given up fiddling with mine. Flow had gone low again today, when I checked the impeller cover was out of shape again. I think this is a design fault, the cover being secured at only two points. In all other filters that I have had in the past that cover is held VERY firmly in place. I brought this filter because of the amount of time I was spending servicing my two ancient Sera 900s. I'm spending more and more time faffing around with the 406. Nufs e nuf. I'm going for a Ehiem Pro 600.

[sundragon]

Originally Posted by seandelevan

Glad I saw this. My 306 is having similar issues. On my 75 I have the 306 and a 305. The 305 (and my 405 in another tank have very strong flow) but the 306 is weak like in your video. I cleaned everything aka took my garden hose to it, and the flow did not improve at all. So a few days later I took out all my floss and those polishing pads out. The only media in it is the ceramic rings and those tall pre filter pads......and still a pitiful flow. So should I take the pre filter pads out?

Edit: Oh the 306 is only 6 months old. While the 305 I have had up and running for probably 6 years.

I'm not going tell you what to do, I'm just testing a hypothesis FWIW, I removed the long pad that's farthest away from the stack of trays (along the wall of the canister). I left the one closer to slow the flow trying to bypass into the trays so it flows down and back up through the stack of trays.

Originally Posted by longgonedaddy

While I don't have the low flow problem you have, I do have a tremendous amount of particles settling in the aquarium, more than any other filter I have ever had. I agree with you that there is a lot of bypass with this filter.

Yup, my 30 gallon with an Aquaclear 50 had far less debris, this is a 57 gallon with a filter that's far more powerful. I had almost gotten used to it until I was looking at old photos and I recalled never having debris on the leaves. It makes it look like I have a BBA outbreak until I shake the leaves and it moves into the water column a day after a 50% water change…

Originally Posted by Delexboarfoot

Forgive me for saying so fella, but that cover does not look all that flat to me. Does it rock from side to side when you press down on the sides away from the hinge and clip?

PS. Given up fiddling with mine. Flow had gone low again today, when I checked the impeller cover was out of shape again. I think this is a design fault, the cover being secured at only two points. In all other filters that I have had in the past that cover is held VERY firmly in place. I brought this filter because of the amount of time I was spending servicing my two ancient Sera 900s. I'm spending more and more time faffing around with the 406. Nufs e nuf. I'm going for a Ehiem Pro 600.

It looked straight to me, it's hard to assess how flat it is because the cover has clips and protrusions that keep it from sitting flat on table to test. I will take it out again and take another look.

It didn't rock when I reinserted it from memory but I'll do a quick check and see if it rocks - I'm not a fan of having to heat and cool a piece of plastic with rubber over and over again - this sounds like a recipie to weaken the piece and structural failure.

That being said, if it's common issue then it's is a design flaw - How do these guys keep making equipment over 20 years and can't get stuff like this right? It's not like rocket science or brain surgery, it's a water pump in a canister... Sigh

This may be the last piece of Fluval equipment I purchase. Makes me think the ADA stainless steel filters are worth the millions they charge, LOL

I’m considering a Eheim 2217, SunSun, or a CFS-500 (they apparently fixed the flaws in version 2).

[sundragon]

Originally Posted by Delexboarfoot

Forgive me for saying so fella, but that cover does not look all that flat to me. Does it rock from side to side when you press down on the sides away from the hinge and clip?

PS. Given up fiddling with mine. Flow had gone low again today, when I checked the impeller cover was out of shape again. I think this is a design fault, the cover being secured at only two points. In all other filters that I have had in the past that cover is held VERY firmly in place. I brought this filter because of the amount of time I was spending servicing my two ancient Sera 900s. I'm spending more and more time faffing around with the 406. Nufs e nuf. I'm going for a Ehiem Pro 600.

Well, Sir, I stand corrected

The cover was warped - it rocked from side to side when I pressed down. I took it out, boiled some water, dipped and bent it in the reverse way. I replaced and tested the flow with a 5-gallon bucket.

1:41 seconds - 178 GPH, better than before (159 GPH) even without media (173 GPH), LOL

This is a design flaw or a quality control flaw if it's happening with other people's filters. I service my filter every 2 months so there should be no reason for it to run "hot" enough to warp this piece.

Finally, continuous heating and reshaping will weakening the plastic and cause failure - which catastrophic if it's running and the impeller gets impacted by a piece.

I'm thinking Fluval may intend this to be a part that needs to be replaced every couple of months at $15? http://www.amazon.com/Fluval-306-406...impeller+cover

Now back to my hypothesis of bypass - I need time to see if there is detritus settling on the plants over the next few weeks.

[Delexboarfoot]

Found this one.

http://www.fluvalparts.com/servlet/t...306-406/Detail

Bit cheaper at $9.99.

Haven't found one on this side of the pond yet.

Think I'll stick with the Ehiem idea.

Still, happy to of been of help.

Now don't think that it has anything to do with overheating. my tank certainly has not overheated in the last week. Just not man enough for the job.

Have just complained to Hagen in fairly short manner. sent them a link to this thread and expressed my displeasure at having to replace my filter after only 9 months. Will keep you posted.

[Mostro]

Originally Posted by Delexboarfoot

Have just complained to Hagen in fairly short manner. sent them a link to this thread and expressed my displeasure at having to replace my filter after only 9 months. Will keep you posted.

I was looking at one of these as well (actually, a 306) but am rethinking the purchase if the cover constantly deforms and reduces flow as a result. Please let us know what you hear back from Hagen and good luck.

[OVT]

$2 @ PetSmart ($3 for other models)
I got a 404 from my uncle several years ago and the filter has been sitting in my garage. Just found it again last night and was going through the parts list as I'm thinking of using it as a secondary filter.

If you check PetSmart, they have a bunch of Fluval replacement parts for ridiculously low prices, I wonder why...

[Mostro]

Originally Posted by OVT

$2 @ PetSmart ($3 for other models)
I got a 404 from my uncle several years ago and the filter has been sitting in my garage. Just found it again last night and was going through the parts list as I'm thinking of using it as a secondary filter.

If you check PetSmart, they have a bunch of Fluval replacement parts for ridiculously low prices, I wonder why...

Great link. These look to be parts for the 04 and 05 series, I wonder how many (if any) are common with the 06 lineup.

[Delexboarfoot]

Well I bit the bullet today and went and brought a Ehiem Pro 3 600. Had to wait a week for the shop to get fresh stock after the Christmas/New year break. I like to buy from a shop rather than the net. If anything should go bandit it's so much easier to sort. Plus, of course, your local aquarium supplier needs your support and you need your local aquarium supplier.

Have heard nothing back from Hagen.

The conversation when I made my purchase went like this:

Shopkeeper: "what ho?"

Me: "Did you put a Pro 3 600 aside for me?"

"Certainty did Fella. That'll be 200 notes please. Are you sure you need a 600? What are you running now?"

"406. Had all sorts of problems. Have you had any experience of them?"

"Won't have *insert expletive of choice* Fluval in my shop. No end of aggro. Can't get any parts. when you can get parts they cost stupid money" (his words not mine).

"You have parts for this one?"

"Got a full range of parts in stock. You won't be needing them though. Not unless you manage to break something."

200 down. 1 filter up. Hay ho.

The parts situation in The States may be different. But over here they are rarer than rocking horse poo.

Will keep you posted.

[sundragon]

Hahaha, congratulations! it's the reverse here in the states, and we have more Fluval/ Hagan than fish and very little Eheim in shops unless they are special order. I bought the Fluval in a LFS for the same reasons as you.

I'm still testing my theory of bypass and detritus making it back into the tank... Thus far it looks like it's working but I need to wait till I get to the two month time to service the filter. I've been doing 50%water changes every 3 days (for an unrelated reason) so I can't tell if it's the filter or the W/C.

Please keep me up on the 600.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

[jbrady33]

Weird, I have a 406 on a 36 gallon bow, lots of flow, tons of surface movement, tank clears fast. Have trays packed with all the stock media, plus purigen and dish scrubbies. and I have a sponge prefilter!

I did try to use a lily pipe style outlet once, flow/movement dropped way off. Put the stock outlet back and saw immediate return to high flow (with mollies/platies nose into the current playing). Maybe these filters are not so tolerant of changes/additions to the outflow side

[sundragon]

Originally Posted by jbrady33

Weird, I have a 406 on a 36 gallon bow, lots of flow, tons of surface movement, tank clears fast. Have trays packed with all the stock media, plus purigen and dish scrubbies. and I have a sponge prefilter!

I did try to use a lily pipe style outlet once, flow/movement dropped way off. Put the stock outlet back and saw immediate return to high flow (with mollies/platies nose into the current playing). Maybe these filters are not so tolerant of changes/additions to the outflow side

You make a good point - I thought of that but the lily pipe has a larger opening than the stock output - I can take a picture comparing the two. I haven't changed the tube size either - I did do away with the awful Fluval tubing which actually reduces flow by design.

[sundragon]

Here are the pictures comparing the lily pipe to the stock Fluval output:







The intake is stock - I decided to stick with that because it's one less thing to mess with and disappears against the black background.

The tank runs at 76º F- I had it up to 80º F when I was treating ich but that shouldn't warp the impeller cover.

[Rev2eight]

I've got lily pipes on my 306 and it flows out slow like that as well. I figure it was just the design of the pipe that made it appear like that. I also had switch back to the stock inlet because the filter was noticeably noisier with the lily pipe one.

[sundragon]

Originally Posted by Rev2eight

I've got lily pipes on my 306 and it flows out slow like that as well. I figure it was just the design of the pipe that made it appear like that. I also had switch back to the stock inlet because the filter was noticeably noisier with the lily pipe one.

Sorry to hear that. To Fluval's credit my filter has been dead silent regardless of what intake or exhaust I've used. I used the lily glass intake in the past but I accidentally tally broke it when I was rearranging the tank a while back.

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