External Filter

[Michelleuk]

HI

I have a external filter.

Last time I went to take some water out the tank, the water level went under the OUTLET (not inlet) pipe of the filter and made the filter stop, so i had to empty the filter of water ( as in the instruction it says the filter must be empty before re-starting it) I connected the pipes back to the filter and waited a few mins then turned on the filter. It didn't work, so i emptied it again. On the 5th go of empting and restarting the filter it finally worked!

Do i have to clean the filter everytime i do a water change?

Am i missing something out.

 

[andyt_uk]

what make filter?

 

[SamUK]

the tube that sucks the water in should be lower down.


mine (fluval fx5) reaches all the way to the bottom of the tank.


its best to have it like that because it helps circulation.


as for cleaning, apparently externals should be cleaned about every 3 months or when the flow drops noticably.


havent done the first clean on mine yet but im not looking forward to it i have to say lol.

my internals are pretty grimey after a week or two so 3 months is gonna equal alot of poop.

3 month old poop too lol.

 

[DarkEntity]

HI

I have a external filter.

Last time I went to take some water out the tank, the water level went under the the inlet pipe of the filter and made the filter stop, so i had to empty the filter of water ( as in the instruction it says the filter must be empty before re-starting it) I connected the pipes back to the filter and waited a few mins then turned on the filter. It didn't work, so i emptied it again. On the 5th go of empting and restarting the filter it finally worked!

Do i have to clean the filter everytime i do a water change?

Am i missing something out.

You should never really need to take so much water out that it drops to a level below the inlet strainer. 15-20% is all i usually take out weekly. My strainer sits about 1" above the gravel, so unless you have your inlet strainer sitting really high i would think you are taking too much water out.

Edit, see above info also, i really need to type faster

 

[Michelleuk]

It is a rena

sorry made a mistake it should be outlet pipe not inlet!!!

 

[Glod]

Water dropping below the outlet pipe shouldn't be a problem, or stop the filter from running.
When I do a water change it drops the water below my spray bar, I just let it run and carry on.

 

[Bloo]

mine (fluval fx5) reaches all the way to the bottom of the tank.


its best to have it like that because it helps circulation.

It's very dangerous to have it like that actually. If the filter fails and tank empties (I've heard this happen a fair few times) it will drain all the way to the water inlet level. Which is why it's safer to have the inlet only half way down.

As for cleaning externals - I do mine every 8 - 12 weeks. Rinising all media in siphoned tank water and cleaning mechanical bits - especially impellor area.

Water dropping below the outlet pipe shouldn't be a problem, or stop the filter from running.
When I do a water change it drops the water below my spray bar, I just let it run and carry on.

Yep - I do the same

 

[Egmel]

mine (fluval fx5) reaches all the way to the bottom of the tank.


its best to have it like that because it helps circulation.

It's very dangerous to have it like that actually. If the filter fails and tank empties (I've heard this happen a fair few times) it will drain all the way to the water inlet level. Which is why it's safer to have the inlet only half way down.

I have mine about an inch from the top, high enough that if it does start to siphon water out it wont overflow the bucket the filter is sat in! I'm in rented accom and can't stand the thought of having to explain a mess of that level all over the carpet!

However when I'm doing a water change I stick it lower down so I don't have to re-prime it each time!

Water dropping below the outlet pipe shouldn't be a problem, or stop the filter from running.
When I do a water change it drops the water below my spray bar, I just let it run and carry on.

Yep - I do the same

I used to but when I took my filter apart I noticed there was quite a bit of sand in it, now I switch it off during water changes and wait for any disturbed sand to settle before I switch it on.

I think everyone has their own way of doing things that works best for their situation.

I must admit I'm not looking forward to having to re-prime my non-self priming filter after I've cleaned the pipes out, I've been trying to think of ways to do it that don't involve sucking on one end.... I think I've just about figured out a way! I have an Eheim Classic 2213, you can tap off the tubes and detach and reattach the filter easily, so after I've cleaned the pipes I just need to refill them with water (put in tank, remove all air, tap off end, remove tapped off end from tanks and attach to filter) before continuing on with standard re-priming... now just to put theory into practice!

 

[Bloo]

I'm in rented accom and can't stand the thought of having to explain a mess of that level all over the carpet!

I know the feeling! And I constantly worry about my 115 US gallon tank on the 1st floor (though "touch wood" - haha pun intended - all is fine) - but lets not go there

 

[vic]

mine (fluval fx5) reaches all the way to the bottom of the tank.


its best to have it like that because it helps circulation.

It's very dangerous to have it like that actually. If the filter fails and tank empties (I've heard this happen a fair few times) it will drain all the way to the water inlet level. Which is why it's safer to have the inlet only half way down.

I have mine about an inch from the top, high enough that if it does start to siphon water out it wont overflow the bucket the filter is sat in! I'm in rented accom and can't stand the thought of having to explain a mess of that level all over the carpet!

However when I'm doing a water change I stick it lower down so I don't have to re-prime it each time!

Water dropping below the outlet pipe shouldn't be a problem, or stop the filter from running.
When I do a water change it drops the water below my spray bar, I just let it run and carry on.

Yep - I do the same

I used to but when I took my filter apart I noticed there was quite a bit of sand in it, now I switch it off during water changes and wait for any disturbed sand to settle before I switch it on.

I think everyone has their own way of doing things that works best for their situation.

I must admit I'm not looking forward to having to re-prime my non-self priming filter after I've cleaned the pipes out, I've been trying to think of ways to do it that don't involve sucking on one end.... I think I've just about figured out a way! I have an Eheim Classic 2213, you can tap off the tubes and detach and reattach the filter easily, so after I've cleaned the pipes I just need to refill them with water (put in tank, remove all air, tap off end, remove tapped off end from tanks and attach to filter) before continuing on with standard re-priming... now just to put theory into practice!

Rather than sucking to start the syphon, just put a T in the line as close to the tank top as possible. Just fill the line with water and the pump will do the job for you. you will have to put a top on the T before you start the pump. To get a better understanding, have a look at the pick-up set up on a Rena xp3.