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"spit back" with Fluval 305 canister water change

4K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  Byron 
#1 ·
Hey all, so I just did a water change and cleaned the canister too. The unique part of the fluval is there's a stop valve that allows you to keep water in the connected hoses for an easier transition (my explanation may be off).

Problem is, when I cleaned the canister I drained the water obviously. To fill it I need to prime it. When I started priming it, it spit back all sorts of crud that was probably stuck in the hoses :( So my water looks dirtier right after a water change LOL.

Anyone familiar with this type of canister or have any tips/tricks in doing water changes with canisters?
 
#2 ·
I use a net positioned at the outflow to catch the crud when I first start up the filter. You are correct in your assumption that it's crud from the tubes. Every couple water changes you may want to disconnect those and give them a rinse out.
 
#4 ·
I don't have a canister filter, but it seems to me once you know this happens, restart the filter for a bit with the outlet tube into a bucket instead of the tank...maybe even turn the filter on and off a couple of times, then hook back to the tank and turn on - (just a thought). Then as mentioned, on some periodic basis, you might want to remove both tubes and pull a brush through them to clean them well...?
 
#5 ·
Well one of the main issues with the fluval canister is that they use the ribbed tubing which is prime location for gunk to accumulate. The gunk is held in place when the filter is continually running but once the flow stops, it loosens so when the the filter is turned back on, the loosened stuff shoots into your tank. It is very annoying to clean with a pipe cleaner, even after spending hours on it, there will still be gunk flying out of the outflow. This is one of the major design flaws with the fluval '05 systems. However, the benefits of the tubing allow it to avoid kinks and the flow through it is smoother than with normal tubing.

Restarting the filter with the outflow in a bucket is an idea, but then you would be trying to fit a bucket into your tank and then having to life it out, or detaching the tubing from the tank, in which you might as well just do a full clean on it.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for all the suggestions. When I disconnect both tubes while keeping the water "stopped" in them, I might just release that valve and let it flow down into the bucket. Then just begin the priming.
 
#7 ·
yea, thats what i do, you still get gunk in your tank though, slightly better that without draining part of it first. Also i discovered that the release is actually really good for water changes if your just changing water and dont have a siphon...

also my can primes itself when i reconnect the tubes, do you ahve to do that whole prime pump thing when you reconnect? mine just fills itself with water and pushes air out one of the tubes after i reconnect and release the "stop" valve.
 
#8 ·
It's not recommended that you run the filter when the canister is empty. I prime it as best I can. If I hear the occasional "hiss" of extra air, I tap on the canister or lightly bump it back and forth and prime some more.
 
#9 ·
No, i mean when i connect the filter to the pipes, BEFORE power, the valve fills my canister without priming and pushes the air out. I have not had to prime my filter since the first time i set it up. Then after the bubbles stop, i plug in the filter and it just runs..
 
#10 ·
If you fill the canister with water after cleaning it and before you connect the head and hoses, it lessens the priming/air/whatnot. I use yodapoolman's trick to get out most of the air, which gets trapped in the various rock/ceramic disk media baskets.

I like jeaninel's idea of a fishnet over the filter return, never thought of that. Super idea.:)
 
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