Need help wth water quality- filter issues.

[jasno999]

Ok well I am not sure if it is the worms or other food or somehting totally not related but I have clouding problems.

My 29 gallon tank is startign to get all these particles floatign around in it. It almost looks like tiny air bubbles but it is liek a particle storm or somehitng. IT is worse at the top of the tank and is makign it cloudy.

This happened before so I decided to get a Elmh Ecco canister filter for the tank. I did and I put the course, fine and carbon filters in the filter and it took the cloudiness away in a day or two.

I have had the filter runnig ever since. It got a little crapped up so I took it apart and cleaned it and put in a new fine, course and carbon filter. However the cloudiness did not go away. So I decided to put in those filter ball type media. I added that to the filter as well but no change.

I am not sure if I have the filter media in the correct order in the canister. I think it is supposed to be course at the bottom, ball media and then fine filter in the middle and the carbon filter last. Tell me if I am wrong.

What I have noticed is that the filter does not seem to be pumping as much water. The pressure at the output does not seem to be as high as it onece was. What could it be? Maybe it is the fact that the lines are gettign alge build up but what can I do for that? I also noticed that there is sme air trapped in the top of the filter. Nto sure if that is normal or not. It sometimes makes crazy noises and spits out air bubbles but I primed it liek I was supposed to. Jsut don't knwo what is wrong.

Should I change my media to different locations? Shoudl I jsut put in the fine and course filters to see if that does anything? Do I clean the lines and how do I do that? Any ideas would help.

 

[Lateral Line]

The water in the filter should go through the coarsest media first, and the finest last.

You should not be "replacing" your coarse media, simply slosh it about in a bucket of tank water. If you are replacing it, you are chucking out the beneficial bacteria which grow on the surface. Many people simply rinse their wool as well, but it is so cheap, I never bother. Carbon filters aren't really much good, I never use them, they become inactive after a very short period.

A brand new filter with new media will flow better then an established one as there is nothing hindering the water flow. All filters in use pick up some crud which slows the water down. Unless the difference is huge, I wouldn't worry to much about that.

Are the "particles" actually bubbles? Are you using a spray bar to return the filter water to the tank? Persistant bubbles often indicates a build up of proteins in the water which is often caused in freshwater tanks by overfeeding or by feeding excessive quantities of overly high protein foods. The proteins stabilise the bubbles surface causing them to stick around longer then they otherwise would, in bad cases, they can form a scum or "head" on the water surface.

 

[jasno999]

Well I cleaned the filter and motor last tiem I had it apart so that is clean. Maybe I need to make sure the media is fully soaked and no air is left in it. But at the very top of the canister there is a area where there is air. It is jsut always there and I am not sure if it is suppossed to be or not. I don't think there is a leak but I have no idea whay after it spits air out the gap does not lessen.

I might have too much media in there. The balls and the carbon filter with the course and fine filters. I am thinkign about removign some.

What I noticed was that the carbon filter is sized to fit the bottom area of the media holder. That would mean the order would be course filter, then carbon and then fine. But the diagrams show the carbon filter as the last thing at the top of the filter. I jsut do nto know what is right and what is wrong. Seems like the carbon filter is to big for the top section.


I need to do a water change and vacume adn see if it helps. what abotu the air in the top of the canister filter? Is that normal?

 

[Lateral Line]

I've never used the Ecco filters, frankly, I believe Eheim made a mistake producing them, but that is another story. Canister filters should not normally have air in side them. Can you not rock the filter about a bit so the air goes up into the pump and out?

 

[jasno999]

I have read that Ehlm is one of the best filters on the market.

Oh well.


I tried rockign it and it starts to make noise and it spits air bubbles out. however I can do it and do it and well the air gap never seems to get smaller of go away. So it is gettign rid of some air. Either it is jsut not doign enough or maybe air is gettign in someplace.

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> I have read that Ehlm is one of the best filters on the market.

In my opinion, Eheim make the best filters, I use nothing else. I said the ECCO range was a mistake! What they did was produced a cut price, lower quality unit so they could compete price wise with Hagen and the like. What then happens is people get into problems with them, and assume all Eheims are therefore bad which is absolutely not the case. I noticed actually, on Eheims web site, if you go in through the European portal, the ECCO filters do not appear on the "filter calculator" pages.

If you rock the canister and it spits the air out, but the air returns, then it is either sucking in air at the inlet, or something at the filter is not properly sealed. Sealing problems are a hallmark of cheaper filters, ask any Fluval owner. Unfortunately, I do not use the ECCO's so can't give anything concrete, but with the Classic Eheims when the seals get a little old, smearing a little Vaseline on the sealing ring will often solve a lot of problems.

 

[jasno999]

Ok I did some water testing last night.

Ammonia Level=0
Nitirte Level=0
PH = 7.8
KH Hardness 50-100 ppm
GH Hardness 150-200ppm

I have no harmful leveles of Ammonia or Nitirte but my water is very hard from the readings that I get. I have no idea how or if this has any effect on the clouding. But I have some strange clouding. It is not horriable or really bad. But I can tell that the water is just not clear. When you get close it really almost looks liek small, and I mean sma, particulates or air bubbles that are floating around in the water. The top of the tank seems worse than the bottom of the tank.

I just can not figure it out. I know I still need to do a water change and vacume the gravel but my levels are all good so what the heck is going on???

Any ideas or suggestions? I was thinking abotu a Diatom Filter. But they are expensive and if I can avoind buying one I woudl liek to. Remember I have at Penguine 125 filter with Bio-wheel and I have a Elhim Ecco filter on this tank already.

 

[jasno999]

can anybody help me?

 

[Lateral Line]

I have been trying to. If the filter is getting air into it, then the air is coming from somewhere. Saying you have checked it and it is not, is not constructive, the air is there, it has come from somewhere hasn't it? You need to sort that out. If you are not sure if the cloudiness is bubbles or particulates, again, we need to KNOW! The fact they congregate around the top of the tank suggests bubbles, in which case we come back to the air in the filter. If it is particulates, well, we need to discuss the media you are using.

 

[jasno999]

Look I checked it out and there is air in the top of the canister. It is only a small amount but is visiable through the canister. However I think this is natural on an elhim ecco filter. There is no way to get it out. I even hooked up the retunr line only and opend my valves. Water was draining into the canister and then out the supply side yet the air in the filter stayed there.


I have a feelign it is designed into the filter to aid the bacteria growth in the media. Ask other ecco owners.

 

[Lateral Line]

If there is a bubble of air in there by design, (doesn't seem likely), then where are the bubbles in the tank coming from? Surely to be squirting bubbles into the tank, it must be using up the air, unless the air is being replaced, which would imply a leak.

A small amount of air in the filter will not really help bacteria. The O2 content would be rapidly used up and the remaining mostly Nitrogen would not be used.

Whatever. I've tried.

 

[jasno999]

But other people with Ehlim Ecco filters have stated that they too have air in the top of their filters.

I need more responses but I jsut don't remember the firlt time I set the system up if it had air or not in the top of the canister.


How can I check for leaks. I definitly don't have water comign out. If anything it is just air seeping in but I don't knwoi how you can have one without the other.

 

[konrad05]

I have a eheim 2015 and it also has a small bit of air at the top. But it's only due to the design of the canister, it's hard to explain. Regardless, bubbles don't come out and it filters in full force. If you think you have a leak problem, just replace the O ring!

 

[aloaring]

Hmm i have the same thing going on in my 47 gallon tank. it was running on a Enheim aquaball 2212 but this was underpowered so i have added a Clear jet internal filter (a new british make) that is very powerful buthte cloudiness still persists. though none of my other tanks have it. the fish seem fine and like you its more cloudy up the top than done the bottom. I wonder whether its to do with the lighting. my light came with my second hand tank and seems to be a llight bought formthe hardware store i think its too harsh and thus showing up the noraml water particles more. But this is only a theory. if you find out whats casing it PM me with the solution and i'll tell you if i find a solution.

 

[jasno999]

I think I figured out a big part of my problem. IT is not so much from air in the top of the filter. There is air stuck at the top of my filter but I think that is normal in the Elhim Ecco type filters. Mine has it and others say they have it too.

What I had a issue with was my supply and return lines to the tank got fully coated in a layer of alge. It was strange cause it was the same throughout and covered the entire inside of the lines.


Instead of removing them for cleaning, which I will eventually do, I simply left the filter running and squeezed or pinched the line in different places. What it did was create a fast water flow at that point and also broke up and off the alge connected to the tubes. I kept doign it and it would spit out this very strange white/tan golored alge. Nasty but the the HOF took care of the particles and what not. Fish did not like the taste anyway. Btu I noticed after I did as much as I could the cloudy/ air bubbly looking water has gotten better. I think if I do a full cleaning of the tubbing that I will be good to go.