New Fluval406

Hey my name is Dan. Just built my first tank....Ok so I just hooked up my new fluval 406 filter. Should the filter be quieter? It has a faint propeller sound. I shook the filter back and forth, side to side. Gettimg the rest of the bubbles of air out. Sounds the same. You can hear it up close but further away it seems quiet. Anybody have an answer. Just curious, never owned one before.

 

Hi Dan! Welcome!
I have a 306, so basically the same thing and yes mine in noisy for a day or two every time I clean it, despite the shaking, etc to get rid of bubbles, if you use carbon I find it can offgas for a while while it fills all of itself with water, even after a good rinse if I toss it in water it will bubble. How long has it been set up?

Some of the larger filters from Fluval will shut down for a minute every 24 hours to help get rid of air, I have found this can work well on these 06 models too. Try unplugging it for a minute and restarting it, as well as the shaking and it should be silent in a day or two.

If not, other things to check would be the impeller and shaft/clip hold down thing, make sure its all clean and secure (and that the ceramic impeller rod is not broken). I have not had this issue on the Fluvals but on other canisters I have had leaks around the main seal which let air in but not water out. You can try just wetting the seal with water, and if that doesnt work a thin coat of vasoline helps seal it.

Also, do you have your inlet connection (where the pipe connects to the intake tube) submerged? This can also suck air into the system.

Good luck! Canisters are amazing

 

Hey thanks for the quick reply. The inlet hose is submerged completely.just checked. The canister has been on for almost 24 hours. I have a second fluval 406 I'm waiting on from Amazon, that I will be hooking up to the same tank. I'll see how that one sounds like after I set it up. But did it sound off to you?

 

I cranked the volume on my computer and couldnt hear anything, not even other noise (and no I didnt have mute on haha) I will try again when I am on a different computer.

My 306 is very quiet though, not as quiet as my FX4 (that thing is surprisingly silent) but once the air is cleared from it the sound of water rushing through the pipes is louder than the motor.

 

Also as far as the basket setup. What's the best setup to have... for now I have the stock setup that came with the canister. Should I switch up the baskets? I've seen people just use 2 baskets of bio and no carbon?

 

A lot of people do not use carbon, more than I thought! I actually stopped using it myself as well and noticed no effect - leaves room for more useful media I think a main reason is it just doesnt last long. If you want to run something similar but WAY better check out Seachem Purigen, I run it in all my tanks, even the 5gal beta tank.

In that filter your flow is from bottom to top, I have 3 baskets, I believe you have 4. I left the biofoam in there because I wanted a finer mesh, but you could ditch that if you wanted even more room for other things.

I run the following:
TOP
Biohome Ultimate ceramic bio material
Polishing pads, purigen, PhosGaurd
Bio Foam
BOTTOM

Technically I think I am supposed to have my chemical as the final stage, but I have not noticed them getting fouled up because I have the polishing pads right before them.

 

You can hear the noise really with the door open. Just wish I could hear another 406 to compare

 

Sounds like you will soon enough! I have my 306 sitting next to the tank because it is to tall to fit under it. I cant hear it unless I put my head down by it. If you have loud rattling I would pull off the lid and check the cap that holds down the impeller, as well as the impeller and shaft...sometimes that lid over the top of the impeller pretends its clipped all the way in when its not.

 

I have this problem with my 106 sometimes. I take it apart and grease the impeller magnet and plastic shaft that goes through it. Use some dialectic grease on it every time it does this and it should help make it less noisy. And yes, unplugging it and plugging it back in can solve the problem sometimes too.

 

You guys are great. Thanks for all the help. Will update once I get the second fluval 406 setup and compare the two... can I use Vaseline?

 

Does anyone know the best position for 2 canister filters as far as flow inside the tank. Also I have 2 fluval e 300 watt heaters. What your take on them?. And what's the best spots for them.

 

Heard they had problems with low flow?