Psychlist1972

I don't live in the boonies, but I lower power several times a year. Sometimes it is due to someone hitting a pole, more often it's due to a transformer blowing (you can hear the explosion for quite some distance).

When power goes out, and I'm not home, my filters tend to break. I travel a fair bit, so this seems to happen more often than not. I've burned out three otherwise excellent AquaClears in the last year (two 110s and one 30). That's getting expensive. Not all the AquaClears die during an outage, just some.

Besides looking into other things like dedicated UPSs for the fish tanks (which I *am* looking into, but it's not a use recommended or supported by the UPS manufacturers), I'd like to find some pumps that won't siphon all the water out during an outage and then burn out trying to dry prime.

Do canister filters, below the tank level, self-prime? The Fluval FX5 says it "self primes", but I'm not sure how much marketing speak that is vs. reality. The eheims state you need to pump using a lever to prime. The HOB filters I use require you to pour water in them before you turn them on.

Basically, I'm looking for a filter that, after a power outage, will start back up on its own, without burning out.

This is for a 55 gallon tank with three messy goldfish. I need to run out and get one ASAP, so the Eheim Pro 3e (my "dream" canister) isn't an option - it's not sold locally. The FX5 is the largest canister sold locally and one I was leaning towards before I read about the Pro 3e.

Pete

David C

I use a fluval 305 on my 55gal and it handles outages fine. It holds siphon so the motor just turns back on and water starts flowing again. As long as you have a good surge protector, you would be fine with a canister filter.

Dave

Psychlist1972

Thanks.

I went and picked up the FX5. So far, it is doing a great job keeping the water clean. It was easy to put together, and holds a massive amount of media.

It's definitely super-sized for this tank, but I may go to a 90g or 120g 4' tank in the future, and it should work for those.

I've had a bit of a hard time positioning the hoses to keep the path somewhat straight and make the filter quieter. I'll fiddle with that some more later this week. My tank sits a bit low, so positioning the FX5 under it was not an option.

LFS had it for $325 which is $25 more than on-line, but in-stock and no shipping. Once you purchase all the media, you get up to close to $400 pretty quickly.


Pete

ccb04

I don't have much experience with canisters and thus can't comment on how they'd fair following a power outage; though I do like what I've seen of the FX5.

As far as HOB filters, I also like AquaClears. Another HOB filter I like is the Aqueon. One of my favorite features is that the pump resides in the tank and the unit is self-priming. Even after water changes there's no need to fill the back with water, it starts right up. Same after a power outage.

Other options would be hooking a sponge filter (sized for the tank) to the Azoo battery backup pump. The Azoo automatically switches to battery power when electricity is lost.

Psychlist1972

@ccb04

I started with the Aqueon and later went to the AquaClear. Both of them have the pump outside the tank. The AquaClear has to be filled with water as it won't self-prime. I don't recall on the Aqueon, but the pump in that is outside the fish tank as well. Maybe you're thinking of a different filter?

Pete

ccb04

Pete, the AquaClear HOB's do indeed have an 'external' pump/impeller design.

However, the Aqueon filters have an 'internal' pump/impeller design. The Aqueon filters are self-priming as a result of the pump residing inside the tank:http://www.aqueonproducts.com/produc...ilter74412.htm

Jaysee

ACs will start back up again after a power outage, provided the water level is not too low. The motor is outside the tank. Emperors will also restart, again, provided the water level isn't low. Penguins do not restart IME.

whisper ex's also have the pump inside the tank, and can run and prime itself with the water level a few inches below normal.

Psychlist1972

Ahh yes, I remember now. Thanks for the clarification.

Pete

Psychlist1972

ACs starting up after a power outage seems more hit and miss to me. My tanks were both full, so there was enough water in the tank to ensure the motor itself had a little water above its top.

However, having lost a few now, each during a power outage, each with a full tank, and each on a good UPS, I suspect that self-priming doesn't always work.

Pete

ccb04

No problem, Pete.

AquaClears remain my overall favorite HOB filters. That said, the self-priming in tank pump design of the Aqueon filters is among the reasons I also like them quite a bit.

Psychlist1972

Quick update on the FX5. After running for a day, the filter is now almost completely silent. It makes my super quiet Rena air pump sound like a jackhammer in comparison. I'm amazed at just how quiet this thing is. The fridge in the room is louder - seriously.

Oh, and it's doing a great job filtering the tank too

I can't speak to long-term durability or working after a power outage yet, but so far, so good.

Pete

David C

Canister filters are amazingly quiet. After enjoying the peace, I could never go back.

Dave