Fx4 Advice

I wanted to see if there are any FX owners who could offer some advice on my FX4 setup.

I currently have Fluval pre filter ceramic rings filling the cavity at the bottom of the canister outside the sponges/tray (got this idea from Pondguru). I left the coarse tray at top in, filled middle two trays with the stock biomedia and biohome ultimate, then have a purigen bag and carbon bag at the bottom.

I’m currently getting occasional, but a lot, of bubbling out of the outtake after it runs for a while. It goes away for a long time after it does its autopriming every so often. I had a blue filter pad under the initial coarse one thinking it was reducing flow too much, but after removing it the same still happens.

Could it be that the prefilter media in the cavity surrounding the trays is causing this? Or is this just what happens at the beginning stages with this filter (started it up 3/4 days ago).

Thanks!

 

Eh, mine burps sometimes. The smart pump tech is supposed to prevent this but I still get it a few times a day. I would just let it do its thing. I watched a couple of pondguru videos, but don't remember the reasoning for ceramic rings as a prefilter.

I will say mine burps more often now that I'm injecting co2. Before that, I never saw burps. Are you using the original outputs or did you make a spray bar?

 

I’m using the original outputs.

When yours burps do you mean like a quick few seconds or continuous for a certain duration? Cause for me it tends to last a little while. Also I am injecting co2 as well.

 

It's usually just a quick spurt out of the spray bar for me. I'm wondering if maybe there is a pressure differential causing this inside of the fx4 releasing the co2 from the water. Either way, I don't ever hear air in the pump itself so I don't worry about it.

 

That’s what I’m worried about but I’m not sure what could be causing it- my main suspect is the prefilter media in the bottom space outside of the trays I mentioned.

Also Wraithen what's your media setup inside?

 

(started it up 3/4 days ago)

Whenever I reset a canister filter from scratch, even a used one that I rebuild, I get bubbles coming out of the output to up to a week. It is just a natural process of water getting into the nooks and crnnies of the media and sponges.
This isn't FX4 specific, though I do envy your FX4 as it is a GREAT filter. Good choice.

 

That’s what I’m worried about but I’m not sure what could be causing it- my main suspect is the prefilter media in the bottom space outside of the trays I mentioned.

Also Wraithen what's your media setup inside?

I've got the stock setup with some extra ceramic media and purigen in the middle of the bottom tray. I also have batting on top of the top outside sponge.

 

RSababady It’s an amazing upgrade over my last filters, which were 2 penguin 350 HOBs. I have heard that sometimes they take a little bit to get settled so I hope you’re right! I also hope it’s not the prefilter rings in the cavity at the bottom since it’s actually catching a lot of heavy debris. Also when the canisters you reset bubble, is it very noticeable? As in you can see them all over the tank? I’ve attached a pic for reference to mine.

 

It's a canister. Did you rock it left and right, forwards and back and hold it?

 

Rock it back and forth while hooked up?

 

RSababady It’s an amazing upgrade over my last filters, which were 2 penguin 350 HOBs. I have heard that sometimes they take a little bit to get settled so I hope you’re right! I also hope it’s not the prefilter rings in the cavity at the bottom since it’s actually catching a lot of heavy debris. Also when the canisters you reset bubble, is it very noticeable? As in you can see them all over the tank? I’ve attached a pic for reference to mine.

No.
In my canisters, the air builds up and then you get a burb effect.
Your installation looks as if it is sucking air in from somewhere. There are two places you should check:

1. on the intake to the filter. This sort of air leak will cause quite a lot of noise in the filter
2. on the outlet - I would inspect the output nozzle for cracks near the connection with the pipe commig into the tank. That is where you are mostly likely to find a leak and air being pulled into the water.

btw - are the fine bubbles coming out of both parts of the output nozzles? In the picture, it seams as if the bubbles are coming out of the front nozzle and not the rear one - is that the case?

 

Rock it back and forth while hooked up?

Yes to get the air bubbles out. You can shake it around too.

 

Are you pumping CO2 into the system before the canister filter?

 

RSababady it looks like more bubbles are coming out of the front nozzle, but it’s a little hard to tell because the angle of the other makes it harder to see the bubbles because of the background it’s against.

I am pumping co2, but the diffuser is below the output to be blown across the tank

I turned the filter off and checked and tightened both the input and output hoses, it looks like there may have been a slight amount of tightening needed between the intake intake in the tank to the intake hose. We’ll see if this fixes anything over the next few hours.

Usually after restarting the bubbles go away, so wherever air is coming in seems to take a while to build up to a sufficient amount to cause bubbling.

 

Ok everyone problem solved-- RSababady was right. The point where the intake hose connects to the intake strainer was the issue; there is a grooved space inside the intake strainer's pipe that actually plugs pretty deeply into the intake hose's rubber ring. Additionally, if anyone has an FX4 and is using the clips to hold it in place, I recommend not putting the back clamp that secures the hose to the clip on, and only putting the top and front ones on, especially if your hose is taut. The back clamp on mine was forcing the hose slightly outward, but enough, in combination with the improper plugging, to allow air in that caused the bubbling.

Thanks everyone for your help!

 

Good find! That would have taken me forever to find!