Freshwater Fan

So today, I went to my local fish store and purchased a filstar xp3. I bought it from a very knowlagable man in the store and he was very helpful as I am a newbie. He showed me the eheim classic and the xp3. The ease of use the filstar models won me over. I called my wife to see how much these were on line and she told me that they were about 185 shipped. He wanted 200+ tax, but I figured, that I would establish a relationship with the mom and pop store and that it would be money well spent as far as having great knowlagable customer service.

Anyway, I come home to find out the price fluctuates WILDLY on this filter and I am pretty upset that I paid so much money for mine. I cannot comment on its filtering abilities as it has only been running for 2 hours or so, and my tank is less than a week old so my water will remain cloudy for a little while.

What I worried about is all the horror stories I am reading about this filter. It is NOT silent, it is kinda quiet but once the thing touched the wooden stand it starts to sing it humming tune. I have tried to eleviate this by placing it on a towel.

I obviously cannot return it and get my money back, but I am contemplating returning it if they alow me and just spening the money on an eheim pro, which from what I have read, is barely audiible. ( I REALLY NEED quite as the tank is in my living room. Im not sure which model would correspond to my xp3. ( I Definately dont want the eheim classic as it looks very unuser freindly.

Should I just take this as a "loss" and enjoy my new filter or try and "upgrade" to an ehiem pro. I have already taken one in the arm with the pricing of the local shop, so Im thinking I might as well take another hit and know I have the best filter.....or should I not bother. I can definitely hear it right now and I am 8 feet away from it. I don't knwo what I shoudl do. Obviously things are cheaper on line, but I really did want to become close to this mom and pop shop as they are very nice and have been in the neighborhood for many years. Would this be a worthwhile task to try to change the filters tomorrow?

Thanks

voiceless_kat

Hi, I am sorry to hear you are not satisfied with your Rena Filstar. The Filstar XP1 is the first canister filter I have had, ( several months). I bought mine online for $99 CAD with free shipping. ( Iknow it is smaller than yours). I agree that it makes a small bit of noise, but I don't find it too distracting..kind of like white noise.

It is sooo easy to maintain, it is worth the bit of noise. Just minutes, and no priming either.

I am going to be upgrading the filter n my 55g to a Filstar .

I really understand you wanting to establish a relationship with your LFS....and I too have paid extra to my favorite fish store for the same reason. And it also is worth it to have someone who knows what they are doing, will special order stuff, etc.

( That is how I got my bow front corner tank - I paid $$$$$$$$$ for it, but he is here if anything goes wrong and the tank is amazing.)

Good luck with whatever your decision, just wanted you to know you are not alone!

Val

jdhef

First off, I was looking at your profile and it says that you do not know about the Nitrogen Cycle. Hopefully you don't have any fish yet, Here's a link about the nitrogen cycle, it is very important that you read it
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

If you already have fish, you need to get a test kit (I recommend the API Master Test Kit since it is very accurate and cheaper than strips in the long run) and as soon as you start getting ammonia readings do 50% water changes daily using Prime as your water conditioner. Prime will make the ammonia and nitrites non toxic to your fish for 24 hours, at which point you'll be doing another water change. Keep up the daily water changes until you ammonia=0, nitrites=0 and you are getting a reading on nitrates. At that point your tank will be cycled. Then just do partial water changes when your nitrates get to be about 40.

You can avoid the water changes by getting BioSpira or Tetra Safe Start. Those two product have the live bacteria that is needed to cycle your tank. If you have fish you can add it right away. Do not do any water changes for 7 days. After 7 days you can start to test your water again and do water changes as necessary,

If you do not have fish you can either cycle fishless with ammonia or you can use BioSpira or Tetra Safe Start. If you use BioSpira/Safe Start, you add the product then immediately add your fish, wait 7 days and check your water.

whew...Now on to the question you asked. I have a Flu val 205 Cannister Filter and I like it alot. It is silent and very user friendly.

Good luck

sgould

I have 2 filstars...an XP2 and an XP3...and I love them both. I am not sure what is causing your noise issue, as that has definately not been my experience. In fact, mine are both so quiet that I have to either look inside the tank for water movement or feel the unit for vibration to confirm it is running. My guesses would be either cavitation caused by air trapped in the loop somewhere, or the vibration of the motor causing something on the stand to vibrate. Probably the vibration, since you said it was quiet until setting it on the stand. If the towel is helping, then I would take that as confirmation and look for something along the lines of rubber feet to stick to the bottom as a shock absorber.

You are so right on the pricing. I ordered both of mine online, and paid literally half as much as what I would have had to pay online.

In terms of filtering function, I agree with voiceless_kat...extremely easy to use, and does a great job. I have no reservations at all in recommending them based on performance. Obviously though, if you can't get to the bottom of the noise, it would certainly be understandable for you to consider other options. I have never owned an eheim, but they have a great rep.

Good luck!

Freshwater Fan

thank you for your replies guys, I would not say that i am dissatisfied with the xp3, I really have no basis to compare it to. But when I hear the term silent, I expect silent, I think that the fliter companies need to reevaluate their language. the filter is "quiet", not silent.

Yes, I have fish in the tank. Too late to bring em back. I am gonna test my luck and do the biozyme stress coat, frequent water changes etc. I am ready for the battle. I am glad I found this site.

I am just used to getting a a good deal on things, I figured I would pay a little more to get better service- start a meaningful relationship with the LFS, but NOT pay double the freakin price! LOL, especialy when I just spent SOOOOO much cash on my initial setup.

Freshwater Fan

Sean, I cannot seem to get that last inch of air out from the top of the canister. I fill it up, and when i turn the thing on, the water level drops about an inch from the very top of the canister to about right where the actuall motor assembly ends. Is it supposed to be like this? i can see a water line in the canister- shouldnt there be NO water line visible in the canister? Is this my problem?

sgould

Definate possibility as there should not be air in there. If you are completely filling the intake tube through the inlet pipe to prime(black screw cap on top of the inlet pipe), then when you close the disconnect lever, the canister should start filling on its own without even plugging the pump in. Once you plug the pump in, any air remaining in the system SHOULD be forced out of the canister and into the tank. If you are actually seeing air in there, I would check the following...are the tube connections all clamped tight? Are the clamps holding the motor to the canister all fully closed? Did you get the screw cap closed up tight after priming the intake tubing? If all looks good, try starting over...drain the canister, reprime the intake, wait a full two minutes after lowering the disconnect lever for the canister to fill before plugging in the motor.

Freshwater Fan

okay- im going to start from scratch- so there is to be NO visible waterline when the thing is operating.OK. Lets try this again. I will report back soon

clinton1621

I dont know if it applies with your specific filter but my fluval used to do the same thing.... I had to tilt it back and forth to get all the air out of the system, the rest eventually bubbled out later

Freshwater Fan

So i reprimed- large bubbles flew out of both pipes, and then the thing came to rest. half an inch of air remains. The edge of the motor assembly is about 2/3 inch below the waterline. the air is trapped within the walls of the motor assembly and canister. I am only able to get 2 snaps out of the black plastic clips on every end of the hoses. I was only able to get the hose 1 inch passed the tip of the in and out pipes on the back of the tank. Getting the hose onto the motor assembly was easier and they are on all the way down. But i abvioudly have an air/ water tight seal. What is going on? Are you absolutely SURE that the water goes to the COMPLETE top of the canister and that the water does not simply go to passed the motor and leave a small amount of air space? I cant for the life of me figure out why this is happening.

sgould

Ok...just checked both of my canisters. The water level in both cases rises roughly 1/2 inch above the bottom of the motor housing, which it sounds like is where yours is at as well.

Freshwater Fan

Thanks for checking Sean. I really appreciate it. It's weird because alot of people say that they have to go right up to the filter to tell if it is on. I can hear it from quite a distance ( the motor) and never thought myself to have super hearing. but i know that i would never have to rethink weather or not it is running, based on what I hear. I would say that it is quiter than my whisper air pump for sure, but definitely not silent, thats why I thought there was something wrong with my filter.

So you think that I should just stay put and and not go through all the grief/embarrasment at the LFC and try to get an eheim? I have no real issues with this filter- yet. (knocks on wood) but if it will work very well, and keep my tank crystal clear, and be super user friendly, chich im not sure if even the eheim pro is, than it may be the right choice for me, even if over paid. <----this will be the last time this happens LOL.

clinton1621

If it seems excessively noisy then maybe the impeller is not inserted properly (just an idea) sometimes if they arent set exactly right they can be very noisy.... or it could be that the one you bought is defective?? Maybe not the most likely thing to get a defective filter but who knows, I would check the impeller and the housing though to make sure the housing is PERFECTLY smooth and there are no rough spots or burs that would cause the impeller to vibrate, also make sure it 'seats' all the way in.

sgould

Well, I would...but I'm not the one that has to listen to it!

Freshwater Fan

It's mot so much that is excessively noisy- but I definitely hear tbe humming of the motor quite easily.

Do the eheim pros have the easy access baskets like the Rena? I have heard that the eheim media is also very expensive. Is it alot more expensive to upkeep than the rena xp3? If the eheim pro is not worth it, I will keep my rena, but if it is as user freindly, AND works better, then I may pack my rena and ask the guy If I amy upgrade. what is the comparable model in eheim to my xp3?

Freshwater Fan

well, I have changed my mind about this filter. I think it is great. The main culprit of my horrible, unbearable (at least in my living room) noise was casued by my "whisper" air pump. I used the power nozzel instead of the spray bar and pointed it caddy corner to agitate the surface. That, along with my aqueon 55 HOB filter creates a nice little current on the top of the tank, allwoing me to ditch the air pump. It's amazing how much info I have learned in such a short time here. Im not a big fan of the bubbles and like my tank mroe calm. The filstar/aqueon combo is keeping my tank crystal clear, even though it is cycling. After my daily water change of 50% (cycling with fish- good greif!) the water clears to almost crystal clear within a few hours. Im doing the best I can to keep my fish alive during the cycle as petco didnt teach me anything and just sold me a load of stuff.

Ghostfish

The XP3 is really a great filter. It was pricey for the price you paid however. I got mine on sale once for under $100. I have not been that fortunate since. It is a very reliable filter. It is perhaps the most quiet one I have had. I'm glad you got yours straightened out.

Freshwater Fan

Ghostfish,

I set mine up with the pads on the bottom, and put in some ceramic noodles in the middle basket, the pack I got only filled the about 2/3 of the basket and then the included biochem zorb in the top basket, and then the white pad. I will service the filter monthly. What can I use instead of those premade biochem zorb pouches? is the biochem zorb really just carbon? Can i just get a tub of carbon and get media bags? And whats the difference between those black stars and the white noodles? I want to keep media costs low. The only media purchase I made was the white ceramic noodles, everything else is the included media that came with the filters, but those will only be in there for a month...I will not touch the noddles unless they are gross and only then will i rinse them with tank water. But everything else, monthly, will be changed correct? Also, I have read that some people use the HOB filter as a polisher. How would I do this with my aqueon? the filter cartridges that came supplied with it are sealed. I could always mess around with that filter without messing up the nitrogen cycle as the rena is my main filter and has the noddles to contain my beneficial bacteria right?