Doug Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 hi guys I just got all the hoses and fittings for my second hand fluval 303, but I cant get it to suck any water, any ideas? does it need to be filled with water first? ho many seals should there be? I have 2 on one unit and the "parts" unit only has one at a loss as to what should be done as I have never used a canister filter before. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 Yes, it should be filled with water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted July 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 kool I will try again tommorow. anyhting else that I might need to know? Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 I stick the intake pipe into the water and suck on the outlet pipe until a syphon is established stick the outlet into a bucket until the pipes and unit are full and then it should go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted July 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 I was tying that but I didnt have the lung power for the metre and a half long hose. kept getting almost there and then running out of breath. then I read that the filter should be below the water level, everything is so much clearer when you see it with hindsight. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 You're doing something wrong if you have to suck the water a meter and a half high. All you need to do is get it up and over the back of the tank until it starts draining into the cannister. An asthmatic mouse should be able to handle that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimTam22 Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 I fill up the filter and then put it on the floor or where ever you want it to go then I open the switch on the intake and out, then I hold one up in the air and (i can't remember if its the in or out I pore the water down but the one that would be sucking the water) I pore water down the pipe and it will fill up the other hose and get all the air bubbles out of the filter which are the biggest problem i found. Note when filling up the pipe it has to be higher in the air to the other one to fill it up properly. Well I hope this helps :lol: Good luck as I think i made that sound confusing hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimTam22 Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 No sucking involved in the way I do it :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 Sure there is sucking, your way sucks , you could just give a quick suck on the hose and it'll suck water into the cannister instead of trying to pour watter down the hose and if you suck at that spilling all over. That'd suck and then you'd have a damp smelly sucky carpet which would have been avoided if you'd just sucked on the hose. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 Yeah sucking on the hose is easy and painless And once you have it started all you have to do is close the taps clean all your media empty it etc, when you want it to go again chuck the outlet hose in a bucket (below the inlet in the tank of course) open the tanks and it syphons again.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimTam22 Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 Hey don't be mean about my way!!! I have no mess and it takes only a minute and then it's away. Don't bag it till you've tried it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 Different strokes for different folks I guess Im sure Doug will try both and do whats easiest for him... :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted July 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 so I managed to get it to pump water, but it also pums a crap load of water out the sides of the canister and on to the laundry floor. gonna try the other canister and the other seals. anyone think I might need new seals? I cant get it to close with two seals on, the clips are about 2mm from being able to close, would it be wron to want to tap it with a hammer? Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 Ive never had a fluval before so dont know exactly but I can pretty much guarantee there should be no gap with the seals in and the unit closed? Are you sure you have installed the seals correctly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted July 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 the 2 filters came with a total of 3 seals, I was a little confused by this. I have now canabilised the two to get one fully working non leaking quite fluval 303. now I have a spare head unit with a broken outlet pip, missing the impellar (contacting sellar to see if they still have this) and the media baskets with thier gratings cut out. weird definetion of "in need of repairs" if you ask me. I inastalled one of the thicker seals (just the one) and gave it a gentle tap around the edges with my fist, just enough to move it into range of the clips. ran it for an hour, and looks like its gonna create a lot of current in my 4foot tank (being made this week, yay ) so I'm thinking some strong swimmers for this tank, I like active fish anyways. not a bad little filter for $26.00 +shipping, +cost of hoses, media, and a little bit of work. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 Does it have an O-ring around the top of the cannister that you have to make sure hasn't fallen out? My eheim's a pain like that because it's awkward holding it in place as you put the top on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 Yeah Eheims are a pain in the bum like that... I find if you dont roll it in place it doesn't try to roll off, I know it sounds kinda weird, also when your trying to get the top on/off try leaving the outlet tap open and it reduces the vacumn inside the filter allowing it to come off easily and back on again.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted July 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 yeah, it came with 2 sizes of oring, only the smaller one would stay on so I assumed it was the one to use, that is untill it leaked. I warmed up one of the thicker orings and stretched it over the lid. once the twist had righted themselves it stayed on, was a tight fit to get it to clamp closed, but if it wasnt then it wouldnt seal. thanks for all the help guys, I shouldnt have anymore troubles with it, atleast till it comes time to put it in use. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wok Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 You'll find that a 303 in a 4ft tank doesn't create that much of a flow. I placed the inlet hose at one end of the tank and the outlet at the other end so that I would create end to end flow... seems to work ok.. fishies tend to be happy and my Gold Gourami is randy as ever. easiest way to get the filter running is, instead of sucking on the pipe, get you hands on one of the little ball things that does the sucking for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted July 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 the main problem was that I had the canister empty, and above the waterline, so I had to empty air form the canister before it would create enough suction to lift the waterup the hose. Then I had half filled my lungs with air and had to pull the water up hill to the canister, wich was still leaking at that stage. so everytime I took a breath it would drop the water back to the bucket and I would have to start from scratch again. with the canister filled with water, properly sealed and below the water line, I only had to lift the water a few cm before it falls downhill and creates the syphon. the way I was doing it was retarded and I felt kinda silly once I realised what I ws doing but not as silly as when I said "hey honey come look, I got it going" only to have her point out the water being pumped all over the floor. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 Bet she was impressed :lol: :lol: Not wanting to tell you how to suck eggs, but if you need to do it again (suck method ) every time you run out of suck, still a finger over the end of the hose before you come up for air - it holds the vacuum you are creating and stops it dropping back. Good to hear you've got it up and running :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 What a sucky thread....ONLY KIDDING...sorry :oops: couldn't resist 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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