Terrible Filter Disaster! Now I really I hate the XP!

I don't know where to start ... Maybe from the fact that my socks and pants are completely wet, as is most of the floor in my room. So much for the "great" Rena Filstar XP3 canister filter. I know many of you like it (especially Gunnie) and I respect that, but I now officially hate this filter. I think I will be ordering 2 Aqua Clears, PERIOD.

I wanted to rinse the sponges from the XP3 today, for the first time since the filter was turned on (2 weeks ago). And I also wanted to put an established piece of sponge in the XP3 filter (from my other filter) to speed up the cycle in the 75 gallon tank. So, I turned off the filter, opened the cover, took out the baskets, rinsed the sponges, put the established sponge in there, and I closed the cover. As I am closing it, water starts running from all the sides of the filter! I wonder what the **** is going on, so I open the cover again. And this time, loads of water started pouring on me, on all of the inside of my stand, and then everything on my floor. My socks and pants are completely wet. I think there must have been about 10 gallons of water on my floor. I already cleaned it up with as many towels as I could get.

What happened? Why did this happen? What kind of filter the **** is that? I am so mad right now. I had so much water in my room I started crying. All that was inside the stand is completely wet. How am I supposed to clean this filter when it spills gallons of water once I open it? It's ****, really.

I've been told by everyone how great and "quiet" this filter is. Well, I don't know who - in their right mind - considers constant humming that you can hear at the end of your room ... "quiet". How is that quiet? When I am standing next to my Aqua Clear, I hardly hear anything there. And with the XP3, I can hear it at the other end of my room. It's really hard to fall asleep every night because of that constant noise from the filter. Why is it so loud? It's not clogged up, it's a new filter with a clean new motor. I've had enough of that! Of all of that!

I'm sorry for being so angry, and I apologize for the negative tone in which this entire post was written. But it's 12 am and my entire stand is wet, as is most of my floor.

Would 2 Aqua Clears 110 be better (total 1,000 gph), or would 1 Aqua Clear 110 + 1 Aqua Clear 70 be OK (total 800 gph)? My tank is 75 gallons.

P.S. I actually believe it is MUCH easier to clean the Aqua Clear than to clean the XP3. With the XP3, you need to get under your stand, open the cover (somehow, so that the water doesn't pour on your entire floor), and take the baskets out one by one. It's pretty hard to get in there too as it's standing inside the stand. You can't really take the filter out. And with the Aqua Clear ... all you have to do it just take the media out and rinse them, and you're done. So easy. So quiet. No more comments ...

Oh, actually, wanna hear a story of how "friendly" Rena Filstar's staff is? In the filter's booklet it says some chemical in the filter causes cancer, but it doesn't say what chemical and where in the filter it is found. So I called them to inquire about it. The response was to search the web about "Proposition 65". The guy on the phone was NASTY. He cut me short before I got the chance to finish my FIRST SENTENCE. The conversation lasted about 10 seconds. He didn't answer my question at all. He evaded my question. So I searched the web and found some info about the Proposition, but NOTHING about what chemical it is and where it is in the filter. So rude, so irresponsible, how can they? I am disgusted with them.

 

Wow! Your experiences are completely opposite of mine! A couple of days ago, I had to re-prime my XP2 because the water level gets too low for it to run when I do a water change. While I was trying to do this, and it was unplugged, I unclipped the top to add water to the filter. Once I took the top off, a vacuum occurred, and the hose that brings water to the filter was sucking water to the filter. Since the hoses were still connected and going in and coming out of the tank, I knew I couldn't take the hoses out fast enough without having a major disaster, so I disconnected the hoses from the top of the filter which caused the vacuum to stop. Does this sound like what happened to you?

I'm so sorry your experiences have been so bad. I think you should go with your gut and get the filters you feel comfortable with. You have lost confidence with this filter, and you will never trust it, which will keep you from going all out on your tank because you will always worry about a malfunction. Your filter does not sound like it is right. I have to touch mine sometimes to make sure they are working they are so quiet!

 

Thank you for your reply Gunnie. I have also posted the same topic on Plant Geek. Here are the responses that I got from them (as well as my own response to them):

Maybe they're all right. I'm sure much of it was my fault. Maybe all will be well now - I hope. I have to admit I was very angry yesterday, lol, and now I am much calmer so I can think more clearly, hehe I will give this filter a chance. I mean, it's still not quiet, but a bit quieter than it was before. Maybe it was indeed some air trapped inside causing the humming sound? I will open the filter again today, hopefully without any more disasters!

But my XP3 sure isn't as quiet as yours. I wish I would have to touch it to make sure it's working. I wonder why mine is so loud (if it's not the air trapped inside).

 

I'm sorry to hear of your issues. I have dual XP3's under my 110g tank. Like Gunnie I have to check both to make sure they are running. When cleaning the filters, I just unplug and lift the "seal", carry the filter to the kitchen and remove the baskets. Then use the water in the filter to rinse the mesh, dump the water in the sink and return it to the stand. Plug the "seal" back in and the filter fills itself from the tank. I personnally haven't even had any water issues under the tank or even problems with the self priming.

I hope that everything will go okay for you.

 

Isabella sounds like your having a tough time. Is this your first canister filter? If it is don't worry you'll get the hang of it. I have 2 of these on my 120 gallon and mine are perfect when it comes to noise. I don't even know if there on or not. The only thing I don't like about canister filters is that I have to also clean the hoses. But other than that it's just amazing when I clean them out every month and see all the junk they collect. To me there much better than the HOB's.

John

 

Thank you for your reply Gunnie. I have also posted the same topic on Plant Geek. Here are the responses that I got from them (as well as my own response to them):

Maybe they're all right. I'm sure much of it was my fault. Maybe all will be well now - I hope. I have to admit I was very angry yesterday, lol, and now I am much calmer so I can think more clearly, hehe I will give this filter a chance. I mean, it's still not quiet, but a bit quieter than it was before. Maybe it was indeed some air trapped inside causing the humming sound? I will open the filter again today, hopefully without any more disasters!

But my XP3 sure isn't as quiet as yours. I wish I would have to touch it to make sure it's working. I wonder why mine is so loud (if it's not the air trapped inside).

Isa, I had a bad run with a fluval 304. It never seated right, the "shut off taps" never shut off properly, it didnt like rpiming, and got air locks.
Try one of these filters: -


They are Eheim Copies. I took a "chance" on one six months ago. The piping is all good quality, and even if I put my head near the pump I can't hear it. The flowrate is excellent, and it works with 1 meter of head pressure nicely. Whats better, it hold 20 litres of water in addition to the tank, with four trays.

Anyway. Hope you get on better. i've flooded my lounge and knackered the flooring, so had to re-do the lot. I know where your coming from!!!!

 

BristolBulldog, thanks for trying to help and for the filter suggestion You know, the XP3 filter was quiet ONLY once, right after it flooded my floor (after I put it back together, it was quiet until the next cleaning). But ever since that time, it is as NOISY as it was before, if not even more. I am really sick of it. I couldn't sleep well for a long time because of the noise, though now I got used to it a bit. But that doesn't mean I can take it forever. I don't get a quiet rest. I tried everything to free the air bubbles - if it's indeed the air bubbles that are causing the noise - but nothing works. The never stops humming it's annoying "song"! You know what ... I think that, after all, I will get 2 Aqua Clears or one good Eheim. Don't care about the Eheim's price as long as it's quiet and as long I can have a good night's sleep. I don't think many people have any idea what it's like to have a noisy filter humming all night in your room. It's a good thing I am done with college (for now) so that I don't have to study anymore. Because I need my room COMPLETELY quiet when I am studying - and with that filter, I would never learn anything as it would distract my attention from my studies. What a nightmare! :-\

Pnctar and Ewolfe315, thank you too I really wish my XP3 was that quiet. You're lucky. I wonder why my XP3 is so loud while all of your XPs are quiet. I really do everything according to the filter maintenance guide. Do you think maybe the product happens to be defective? I just don't know anymore what to do to get rid of that terrible noise! Ewolfe, yes it is my first canister filter, but I don't think this should be the reason for it to be so loud. By the way, how do you clean the hoses? I wondered how to clean mine but they seem too long.

P.S. All of you who have Rena Filstar XP canister filters: Do your filters stand inside a fish tank stand? If so, is the stand made out of wood or some other material? My filter is inside a wooden aquarium stand. Interestingly, when I lift the filter while it is running, it actually IS very quiet (***I think***). But when I put it down onto the base of the aquarium stand, it's loud again ... Could the stand be the reason? The filter has a rubber base - should not this base absorb any shocks / vibrations from the filter's motor? If the stand is the reason ... what do I do? I can't take the filter out of the stand. I bought the stand precisely to hide aquarium equipment.

 

BristolBulldog, thanks for trying to help and for the filter suggestion You know, the XP3 filter was quiet ONLY once, right after it flooded my floor (after I put it back together, it was quiet until the next cleaning). But ever since that time, it is as NOISY as it was before, if not even more. I am really sick of it. I couldn't sleep well for a long time because of the noise, though now I got used to it a bit. But that doesn't mean I can take it forever. I don't get a quiet rest. I tried everything to free the air bubbles - if it's indeed the air bubbles that are causing the noise - but nothing works. The never stops humming it's annoying "song"! You know what ... I think that, after all, I will get 2 Aqua Clears or one good Eheim. Don't care about the Eheim's price as long as it's quiet and as long I can have a good night's sleep. I don't think many people have any idea what it's like to have a noisy filter humming all night in your room. It's a good thing I am done with college (for now) so that I don't have to study anymore. Because I need my room COMPLETELY quiet when I am studying - and with that filter, I would never learn anything as it would distract my attention from my studies. What a nightmare! :-\

Pnctar and Ewolfe315, thank you too I really wish my XP3 was that quiet. You're lucky. I wonder why my XP3 is so loud while all of your XPs are quiet. I really do everything according to the filter maintenance guide. Do you think maybe the product happens to be defective? I just don't know anymore what to do to get rid of that terrible noise! Ewolfe, yes it is my first canister filter, but I don't think this should be the reason for it to be so loud. By the way, how do you clean the hoses? I wondered how to clean mine but they seem too long.

P.S. All of you who have Rena Filstar XP canister filters: Do your filters stand inside a fish tank stand? If so, is the stand made out of wood or some other material? My filter is inside a wooden aquarium stand. Interestingly, when I lift the filter while it is running, it actually IS very quiet (***I think***). But when I put it down onto the base of the aquarium stand, it's loud again ... Could the stand be the reason? The filter has a rubber base - should not this base absorb any shocks / vibrations from the filter's motor? If the stand is the reason ... what do I do? I can't take the filter out of the stand. I bought the stand precisely to hide aquarium equipment.

Isabella, as for cleaning the hoses I use one of my brushes that I got with my HOB filters and I just add 6 to 8 feet of copper wire,you can use any kind of wire as long as it is strong enough. Twist the wire in the loop on the brush and tape it so it does'nt puncture the tubing and just run it back n forth. Then if needed run it in your sink under water to loosen all the gunk.

As for where the filter is in mine,I built my own stand and the filter sits on the floor on rug. I did'nt add any wooden floor to mine. The only thing that shows from mine when you open the doors are 2x4's that I used in the construction.

Maybe you can just get a 12 inch by 12 inch piece of carpeting and place it inside your stand.

John

 

Ewolfe315 ... I put two pieces of thick cardboard (with a "foam" of sorts) under the filter, and it doesn't exactly absorb the shock from the filter. It's still loud. I will have to buy something much thicker than a piece of carpeting. Something that is thick and absorbs the noise well. I am now completely sure it's from the wooden base of the tank. The filter's vibrations make noise as they travel through the wooden base. No idea what material to buy though, and where to buy it. I'm not exactly "good" with carpentry of any kind, lol. Maybe I should just go to a Home Depot not far from me and ask them if they have any materials that absorb shock/noise ... lol. They'll probably laugh at me!

Otherwise, the filter provides an excellent filtration. Imagine that I haven't had even 0.1 nitrate so far in my 75 gallon tank! My tank is very planted, so it's probably a combination of the plants and the filter setup / filter media that remove the nitrates so fast. I have lots of sponges and lots of biological media in it, and no activated carbon/charcoal of any kind.