The ball in the Fluval intake

Hi. What is the purpose of the ball in the 07 intake? And if it's something to do with priming, does that mean that I will need this particular intake, were I to change tubes? And is the criticism of the ribbed tunes well-founded? The regular tunes ALSO collect much gunk.

 

This is why I hate canister filters, they are complex and nitrate factories and near impossible to clean

 

This is why I hate canister filters, they are complex and nitrate factories and near impossible to clean

I was the same way. But I think this canister has changed my mind. Easy enough to clean. But it's new so I have no experience with the hose cleaning.

 

Hi. What is the purpose of the ball in the 07 intake? And if it's something to do with priming, does that mean that I will need this particular intake, were I to change tubes? And is the criticism of the ribbed tunes well-founded? The regular tunes ALSO collect much gunk.

What Fluval model are you referring to ?

This is why I hate canister filters, they are complex and nitrate factories and near impossible to clean

I completely disagree with this statement. Canister filters are not complex, there is only one moving part to them : the impeller. They are also easy to clean and have many advantages to them. I know some people don’t like them, but to say they are complex is not accurate. Can you explain why you think they are a « nitrate factory » ?

I was the same way. But I think this canister has changed my mind. Easy enough to clean. But it's new so I have no experience with the hose cleaning.

Depending on the model, if it’s the 07 serie, for example, Fluval has made very detailed videos (on Youtube) about their maintenance. I’m sure it will answer all your questions if you watch them.

 

What Fluval model are you referring to ?



I completely disagree with this statement. Canister filters are not complex, there is only one moving part to them : the impeller. They are also easy to clean and have many advantages to them. I know some people don’t like them, but to say they are complex is not accurate. Can you explain why you think they are a « nitrate factory » ?



Depending on the model, if it’s the 07 serie, for example, Fluval has made very detailed videos (on Youtube) about their maintenance. I’m sure it will answer all your questions if you watch them.

But my original question was: why the ball in the strainer? And what would be were I to put something else as an intake? I have not yet found an answer.

 

But my original question was: why the ball in the strainer? And what would be were I to put something else as an intake? I have not yet found an answer.

I don’t know then. I don’t have a ball in my intake and can’t research since I don’t know your model. I’ve had intakes with balls in the past and never had a problem. Why is this bothering you ?

 

This is why I hate canister filters, they are complex and nitrate factories and near impossible to clean

If it’s a nitrate factory, that just means it has healthy bacterial populations. Well, that AND there’s enough ammonia there to make a ton of nitrate. Nitrate can’t form without ammonia.

 

It's to prevent backflow in almost all circumstances I'm aware of. So yeah, probably for priming purposes so water can only flow 1 direcrion.

They are only able to produce as much nitrate as the stocking levels/biological waste will allow. The only possible way for one to become a nitrate factory would be for it to be used on an overstocked/overfed tank or not be properly maintained for a long time.

 

I thought I was smarter and don't need the ball....Guess what, it supports the one way flow during priming, and also prevents back flow in general if the pressure is getting too high.
I also thought the black tubing is weird. But the ribbing allows for kink free routing, and as it is black the gunk is invisible. There are some great videos how to clean the canister. Is it a bit intimidating at first? Yes, but it is easy to overcome. I love the canister (have the 306).

 

People often don't clean canisters for months so they accumulate a ton of organic waste which is food for potentially pathogenic bacteria. Heterotrophic bacteria also love these conditions and will outcompete nitrifiers. A high carbon:nitrogen ratio also inhibits nitrification. Organic carbon inhibits fish growth at a much lower level than nitrate.

Cleaning your filter may actually be more important than water changes but a lot of aquarists think cleaning a canister filter twice a year is fine.

Fish farms and even some koi pond filters have automated flushing.

Edit: see bolded text.

 

I don’t know then. I don’t have a ball in my intake and can’t research since I don’t know your model. I’ve had intakes with balls in the past and never had a problem. Why is this bothering you ?

As mentioned above, I would like to know should I decide to swap another strainer, in the event of perhaps changing to traditional hoses. Outside of that, I'm curious why the ball is there. The filter is the 07 series as also stated above. Specifically 407

It's to prevent backflow in almost all circumstances I'm aware of. So yeah, probably for priming purposes so water can only flow 1 direcrion.

They are only able to produce as much nitrate as the stocking levels/biological waste will allow. The only possible way for one to become a nitrate factory would be for it to be used on an overstocked/overfed tank or not be properly maintained for a long time.TE]
Thank you. So I guess it's important to stick with it or the priming mechanism won't work.