Habitat - Indoor :: Weak suction in new Fluval

[nakochan]

Hi turtle lovers!

I just finished putting together my first canister filter, a new Fluval 405 and I plan on moving my 2 turtles to it soon. Last night it took me FOREVER to get the filter going- I had to give up on priming it by the little given handle, as it didn't seem to want to pick up any suction, and did it the old-fashioned way by shaking the intake pipe underwater. There was a gigantic *WHOOOOSH* and after my outtake valve stopped madly bubbling, I plugged it in. After a few more bubble spits, the outtake valve was pushing water out pretty strongly and consistently. I thought everything was hunky-dory until I discovered that the intake seemed to have weak to no suction. I actually threw in a bit of debris to see if it would suck it up (I read that this filter's suction is so powerful, it's not recommended for baby turtles because they could be pulled by it!) and it just sadly sank to the bottom.

Can any of you experienced canister filter users give me a clue as to what could be wrong? I'm absolutely puzzled, since water's flowing out, it must be getting sucked in, right...?

[jonlmarcella]

I used to have a ton of problems getting my 305 to prime. Now, I fill it with tank water *before* I use the prime handle and it gets suction going much more quickly.

[steve]

Make sure the canister is first empty of water before you start priming. The filter also needs to be below the tank if you want to prime it that way.

As for debris, filters will not pick up everything. Stronger output helps, but usually waste needs to be ripped up by your turtle before it can be sucked up.

[nakochan]

Thanks for posting, jon and steve

I've tried it both ways- priming with the filter full and empty. Maybe I'm just terrible at using the prime handle? And the tank is on a wooden base, so the filter sits below in the cupboard.

steve: I put in one of my turtles today and it's been her time to shed a bit, so there's actually bits of skin in the water. I noticed they just kind of float by the intake, not very many bits get sucked up. I still feel like the suction is really weak

[VeipaCray]

Any sag in the tubing? Is the tubing too long? If it's new, you could always return it and get an xp4

[nakochan]

Thanks for posting, Veipa

Nope, no sag and the tubing is just about right. I ordered my Fluval online so sadly can't really return it :T This is sort of a pressing issue for me because I'm leaving on a month-long vacation in a few days, and I wanted to get my turtles set up in this tank so that my parents wouldn't be burdened with constant water changes like I'd been doing with their old tank.

[VeipaCray]

Ok, let's try to troubleshoot this. Remove all of the media sponges and whatever else you have in there and save it.

Take the strainer off the intake tube.
Make sure the hoses aren't clogged.
Fill your canister with water.
Inspect the impeller. Make sure it isn't stuck, bound up, or messed up in any way.
Make sure the well the impeller shaft sits in is clean and clear.
Try running the canister now.

Were not filtering anything here. Let's just see if the motor is working properly. You may have a defective unit if it's still has weak suction. Buying online doesn't mean you can't return things. The seller may let you return it, may let you exchange it, or you may have to deal with the manufacturer for a replacement. Hagen fluval has good customer service. They were helpful to me the few times I've needed to call.