need help with canister priming.

[Nautilus291]

My fluval canister filter keeps shooting out air. Its been doing it for the lasat week or so since I opened it up for maintinence. I tried putting the input and output connections all the way in the water but that didnt help so that means it has to be happening from the filter itself.

I know its sucking in more air becuase ive moved it around untill all of the air was out of it and then a little bit later it starts back up.

[jeffs99dime]

on my eheim, i shake the canister until all the air bubbles are out of it. just try that. it always works for me.

[sergo]

which fluval is it? is the prime valve fully seated?
i have a 305 and have not had any probs with it.

[Chrona]

I do the same as Jeff, but it's an Eheim. I don't have a fluval but did you check all the o-rings?

[sergo]

damn i can't read.

seems to me that if it's sucking air you would hear it and possibly have a leak. you may just have to take all back apart and put it all back together so you can inspect each piece.

[Nautilus291]

Thats what I meant Ive shooken it up a couple of days in a row and then a couple minutes later it starts doing the same thing. I know I had to get the air out becuase I made sure that It wasnt shooting out anymore air. ANd then the next day I do it theres a lot more air in there then the day before. So more air has to be getting in somehow.

When I do my next water change Ill take it apart and make sure the o ring is on straight.

[A1cntrler]

My Fluval 305 spit air periodically for about a week after I first installed it. I think it was air trapped in the ceramic rings. Now when I take it apart to clean it, it only spits air for an hour or so at the most. Have you tried leaving it connected and shutting it down? Try that and look for any water leaks. You may be able to pinpoint where it is coming from. Other then giving irt a good shake to get the air out, I don't know what else to do....

[Lady Hobbs]

Someone here just mentioned to crackatinny to tip it slightly side to side to force the air out and it worked for him.

[gm72]

Sounds like a gasket/o-ring problem, but also if air is getting in, then it is reasonable to think that water must be getting out. Check the hose connections, etc (although I am sure you already have). On my Eheim canisters it is important to lubricate the main o-ring with vaseline to ensure the primer head seats properly. I wonder if there is a similar situation with your Fluval?

[crackatinny]

I went down this track very recently with my 120G, a lot of the answers I got helped to reduce the prob, mine was an (aqua-one), it was observation that cured my surging problem, I had an air curtain in the back of the tank, I had noticed that a large bubble would float up just below the intake, followed by the surge, are there any are bubbles around the intake, if so, move the intake to a different position.

[Nautilus291]

:19: :19: :19: :19: thanks soo much Its an air curtain. I cant beleive I didnt notice this before because Ive had this problem in my 55g tank.

[Lady Hobbs]

Sorry, Crack. I thought I had read that you tipped your canister first to one side and then the other and that forced the air out.

[Drumachine09]

:19: :19: :19: :19: thanks soo much Its an air curtain. I cant beleive I didnt notice this before because Ive had this problem in my 55g tank.


Glad it "works" now!

[gm72]

Nautilus, I HATE when that happens. Something so painfully obvious that we don't notice.

Unrelated thing that made me go "duh". Built a new computer, couldn't get sound. Reset the BIOS, tried everything I could think of for days. The problem? Didn't plug in the stinking speakers. My wife about split her belly laughing at me over that one!

[crackatinny]

Sorry, Crack. I thought I had read that you tipped your canister first to one side and then the other and that forced the air out.

You are correct, it did work at 1st, but then started intermittently again, thats when I noticed the air curtain flow entering it.