[Aquatic Delight]

i've got a 29g that i'm running a API FILSTAR xP-M for a 75g tank (i've got bamboo shrimp and reticulated hillstream loaches {or i i did have RHL until my filter stopped working over night and they died}) but the darn thing doesn't have the strong flow, and what little flow it has fades over the course of a couple days to next to nothing. i cleaned the impeller, and hoses but to no avail. the hoses are trimmed to the proper length.

its sitting inside the stand (just you basic stand for a 29g) the in take is on one side and the output is on the other side. for a time i had them on the same side but i thought that it might have been part of the problem so i mved them. it helped for a few hours.

i'm at a loss. this filter has only been a running a few months and this has been an issue almost since the beginning.

 

[Diana]

Is there air building up in the filter? That is my problem with the Rena Filstar XP3s.
The other problem is that a blob of debris like a mass of snails will accumulate right under the intake hose on top of the lid that covers the media. It builds up to the point that it blocks the flow.

 

[Aquatic Delight]

right now, no. but i when stop the flow for water changes or fiddle with it, and start it back up it does. i checked the intake hoses and there are no snails in there clogging it up. when i cleaned the impeller i checked to be sure all of the passage ways were clear and they are......

 

[Aquatic Delight]

i am running a suface skimmer on it and it almost never has enough suction to allow the skimmer to work properly

 

[Diana]

So, you set it up and it runs OK, but slows down pretty fast (few days). There does not seem to be air in the chamber or debris in any part of the path of the water.
I do not know what it is, then.

Maybe remove the skimmer and see if that helps.

 

[Aquatic Delight]

when i initially set it up it ran great.

when i first put the surface skimmer on it it ran great.

now it sucks (not in the good way) i guess when i get home from work i will dig out the old intake and swap it for the skimmer.

thanks i'm off to work now. i will post with results tonight/tomorrow morning.

 

[Paxx]

I have the larger version and about all I can think that you may have inadvertently done is position the top basket lid upside down with the sealing ring inside the basket. The ring needs to be "up" for proper water flow, see attachment. Check that the gasket in the top/motor is also free of debris before clamping the lid on.


Otherwise about all I can recommend is removing the "micro" pad and see how the flow does.

Note to Diana - Putting some teflon thread tape on the intake fill stem and then putting the cap on helps with sealing the intake pipe so no air builds up after you have "burped" it.

 

[Paxx]

oops ...

 

[Aquatic Delight]

I have the larger version and about all I can think that you may have inadvertently done is position the top basket lid upside down with the sealing ring inside the basket. The ring needs to be "up" for proper water flow, see attachment. Check that the gasket in the top/motor is also free of debris before clamping the lid on.


Otherwise about all I can recommend is removing the "micro" pad and see how the flow does.

Note to Diana - Putting some teflon thread tape on the intake fill stem and then putting the cap on helps with sealing the intake pipe so no air builds up after you have "burped" it.

it is free and clear, and the top one is facing the correct way..... I can hear the impeller kick on so I know that is not the problem.

 

[Diana]

Oh, I found the air leak and fixed it, just took a while.
It was all those sectional parts to the tubing. One was exposed all the time, and another was exposed when the water dropped just a bit. Net result was a slow air leak at first, then it got worse.

 

[Aquatic Delight]

okay it looks like i am done posting from my phone, they never show up.

anyway so i thought i had found the problem, at some point (possibly in my hast to put the thing back together) i put the filter media in backwards so i switched it around it worked great! for about a day and a half, i came home from yet another long day at work only to see no flow and huge protein layer on the surface! all i want to do is throw this damn thing in the middle of the highway and watch it get destroyed.

 

[Hardstuff]

I use a Fluval 106 & a zoo med501 on my 10. It sure helped me clear my tank up. The only thing I do not like about the new Fluvals are the hoses have to be taped with duct tape to hold them in the right place under the surface otherwise they keep creeping up. The head clamps could use improvement also.
However, the ease of cleaning & the efficient way it cleans the water & the trays are great. I would still buy more of them even considering the cons. For the money I would buy Fluval again. I had the old style 204 that ran for years without problems.
I run the zoo med mostly as a back up when I service the 106 plus I run carbon in it as well but the zoo meds are mostly for turtle tanks & nanos. I tried running the zoo med on my 10 at first & my tank was going down hill fast. I still believe in more filtration is best. I use to think less was best & found out the hard way that , that is the wrong approach.. For you on the 29 I would run the new 206 , maybe throw an ehiem 2217 & run dual filters & watch how clear your water will be. Yes its more work , but you will have a bomb proof filter system. My 2 cents

 

[Waters]

I am running the same filter on a 26 and actually had to install a valve regulator with a spray bar to slow down the flow. You may just have a defective filter. I am running 4 pads plus the bio material and clean it once or twice a month with little reduction in flow.

 

[Aquatic Delight]

I use a Fluval 106 & a zoo med501 on my 10. It sure helped me clear my tank up. The only thing I do not like about the new Fluvals are the hoses have to be taped with duct tape to hold them in the right place under the surface otherwise they keep creeping up. The head clamps could use improvement also.
However, the ease of cleaning & the efficient way it cleans the water & the trays are great. I would still buy more of them even considering the cons. For the money I would buy Fluval again. I had the old style 204 that ran for years without problems.
I run the zoo med mostly as a back up when I service the 106 plus I run carbon in it as well but the zoo meds are mostly for turtle tanks & nanos. I tried running the zoo med on my 10 at first & my tank was going down hill fast. I still believe in more filtration is best. I use to think less was best & found out the hard way that , that is the wrong approach.. For you on the 29 I would run the new 206 , maybe throw an ehiem 2217 & run dual filters & watch how clear your water will be. Yes its more work , but you will have a bomb proof filter system. My 2 cents

that canister filter i have is for up to 75g so filtration is not an issue for me. i have been attempting to keep reticulated hillstream loaches but every time this stupid canister loses flow i lose RHLs. and my bamboo shrimp also enjoy the high flow.

i am not in the market for/do no have the money to purchase more or even a different canister, all i want is for the product that i have already purchased to work as intended.

I am running the same filter on a 26 and actually had to install a valve regulator with a spray bar to slow down the flow. You may just have a defective filter. I am running 4 pads plus the bio material and clean it once or twice a month with little reduction in flow.

i do have a ball valve on it to adjust flow, but i've never actually closed it. how often do you take off the hoses?

 

[Diana]

i am not in the market for/do no have the money to purchase more or even a different canister, all i want is for the product that i have already purchased to work as intended.

Contact the manufacturer.

 

[Bear Sage]

I have the exact same filter, on my 29 with a sponge on the intake,4 in my bottom basket, a ton of lava rock, a mound of purgien, a rex grigg style reactor, stiff HD hoses and a valve half way closed and my flow is good. That being said I do have a protein film. I never did when my 306 was on this tank.
Will, your filter is all busted. Contact Rena.

 

[mohican]

I too have a surface Skimmer on my xp3 and you need to adjust the dial on the Skimmer each time you turn it off/on. it shouldn't be the filter itself. also, filter failure is unlikely cause of death for your inhabitants, unless water quality that bad to begin with.


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[GDP]

Probably a bad pump. Bad as in its not spinning fast enough.

 

[Waters]

that canister filter i have is for up to 75g so filtration is not an issue for me. i have been attempting to keep reticulated hillstream loaches but every time this stupid canister loses flow i lose RHLs. and my bamboo shrimp also enjoy the high flow.

i am not in the market for/do no have the money to purchase more or even a different canister, all i want is for the product that i have already purchased to work as intended.





i do have a ball valve on it to adjust flow, but i've never actually closed it. how often do you take off the hoses?

I have never taken off the hoses in the 6 months that it has been running.

 

[Aquatic Delight]

is the impeller supposed to free spin or is it supposed to be locked in with the magnet?