th3f0rg0t3n Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 has anyone on here had drama's with the fluval fx5's pumping micro air-bubbles into your set-ups ??? first question would be how did you fix this issue ? i've had one do it previously and contacted the rep and the whole canister was replaced other than that...... second question would be, how long can my fish last in a tank that has micro air-bubbles? is it doing more damage than good working like this... any previous experiences/tips greatly appreciated, currently have a few fx5's and seriously considering switching to the eheim 2260 canisters as im tired of this drama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayPee Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 I would say it would have to be getting air from somewhere. Mine have never done this. You haven't over tightened the lid have you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleAle Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 If you have filter wool in there remove it & see what happens. Micro bubbles won't harm ur fish it just looks unsightly.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayPee Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 I have filter wool in one of the 2 on my 6ftr and no micro bubbles for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
th3f0rg0t3n Posted August 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 i may have tightened the HELL outa my lid jp, i will check that out... it has no filter wool inside the canister so it cant be that, i have just added a media bag with carbon inside it to remove the meds i was using on the top level maybe this ??? i have 4 fx5 canisters and of all of them this one doesn't seem to "purge" itself or release any built up air that it must collect through the tank, (during the 2minute daily release) - nothing comes out just silence ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
th3f0rg0t3n Posted August 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 checked the lid screws, undid them, re done up lightly, no change in the issue JP, and still the canister will not clear itself of any air that might be trapped in it,,, i thought thats why they made them clear themselfs every 24hrs to prevent any air trapped inside to be cleared out, this particular FX5 just doesn't seem to want to play along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleAle Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 I have read a few FX5 micro bubble threads & some people have claimed they have fixed the issue by removing filter wool but obviously that's not the cause here. I have to wonder why they even need a purge feature as no other canister has this this & yet they seem to work just fine. I think this purge feature is the FX5s Achilles heel. More features, more problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 have you recently disassembled any of the plumbing? You may have a slight leek in the fitting causing a venturi, which will suck in air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard_ Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 Had my fx5 do this yesterday! I found I needed to shake the canister to expel the air and lower the outlet into the water slightly as I believe it may have been sucking air on the way out (lower the join from hose to outlet so its underwater ) Also, clean the tiny tube in the lid, it pulls out and if blocked, no air bleeds out. I have no issues after doing these things but for a few hours my tank looked like a schweppes advert, lots if bubbles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny@ageofaquariums Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 (edited) Do you have much fine filter media in your fx5? Is there anyway the filters intake can suck in bubbles? It was one of the more common problems customers had. Can be a damaged intake hose also. I would take filter apart. Remove motor, clean impellor, hose out bucket, make sure got motor O-ring on right, check how media baskets are stacked, that media baskets are not over filled, lid is not overtightened, that hoses are clicked on well, prime filter, let it fill, turn on......... They are a good filter while they are working. Just like the xbox is the better console...... it just occasionally gets a red ring and dies. They have unstable machine spirits is my theory. If you want a souless man machine the 2260 is my pick. Its a very unemotional filter. Have a spare impellor on hand and you are set for years. You just look at the lid, and you know it was not designed to be removed very often. Edited August 25, 2013 by Donny@ageofaquariums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
th3f0rg0t3n Posted August 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 haven't taken any of the plumbing apart, only the canister itself for its monthly clean / placed some carbon inside to remove meds i was treating with , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch86 Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 This may sound stupid but you don't need it to be sucking air or releasing trapped air to produce micro bubbles. My internal powerfilter filled with Dacron is 2 ft deep and after 2 weeks it will produce micro bubbles. I think it's the impeller cavitating from the Dacron being blocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
th3f0rg0t3n Posted August 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 (edited) yeah this is true, i realise that ^^ although the 24hr purge feature still does not occur in this particular fx5 for whatever reason, so as to remedy this issue, i installed a fx6 motor today with ZERO success !! and before anyone asks, yes everything has been done properly, hoses / connections all submerged / replaced. media was even stripped from the canister as a last pitch effort to make sure it was nothing to do with that, in the aid along with the canister itself being ducktaped shut for any possible air leaks... now the good old time of waiting for the rep to come and have a look at it. quite a shame as i enjoyed the idea of having the fx6 motor on a fx5 canister purely for that 7w less power usage haha! Edited August 29, 2013 by th3f0rg0t3n yoyo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayPee Posted August 30, 2013 Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 That's a shame that it still does it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigal Posted August 30, 2013 Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 (edited) I had the same problem with my fx5 . I am a toolmaker by trade so I tried to approach this problem systematically. The first thing I did was to take out ALL media along with the baskets . I ran the filter again- NO MICROBUBBLES .This proved to me that the integrity of my filter and all of the associated plumbing was all good .I then added coarse media only using no media bags (I used volcanic rock only and filter pads on all baskets ) again no bubbles -the problem was just about solved.My theory is the fx5 has a terrific flow rate but the problem with this is that the high speed of the pump and the shape of the impeller contribute to this pump cavitating causing air to collect in the filter.Fluval have addressed this problem by designing a purge system into the fx5 to alleviate this problem.However my problem was that the media bags I was using were too fine air was trapped inside the bags so not all of the air was released during the purge cycle.The same symptoms could also be experienced with polishing pads that are clogged or if you leave your filter for too long a period between cleaning.My advice is to remove all you media and baskets and run the pump.If there are still bubbles the problem must be air ingress into your system (plumbing , leaky filter etc ) or your purge cycle not working. If bubbles cease then you will know you system is fine and you will have to address the components of your media and the packing of such .Sorry for being so long winded but I hope my experience with this problem will be of some benefit to you. Edited August 30, 2013 by Bigal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleAle Posted August 30, 2013 Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 Sounds like Fluval need to go back to the drawing board or maybe they have with the FX6 although i won't be surprised to see the same problems again. Stick with Eheim or even Aqua One & throw in a power head to get your water moving. Problem solved.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
th3f0rg0t3n Posted August 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 thanks for your input bigal ive already attempted to run the filter with zero media / baskets etc, my problem has come down to it being the purge feature itself is still not occuring in this canister, and it has to be a fault with the internal parts of the bucket itself rather then first thoughts being the motor as that has been replaced with the fx6 motor, the filter will being getting sent back to hagen monday and i certainly wont be purchasing any further fx5 canisters, as they are not worth half the price they cost even at wholesale. all hoses / hose taps themselfs were replaced in my last pitch efforts to make sure that was not my issue either, lid was ducktaped sealed for extra precaution. search online for my similar issues and you will find countless people experiencing the same faults, its only a handful of people that still claim these filters are quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny@ageofaquariums Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 They are good when they work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigal Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 I agree with Donny my fx5 has been faultless since I re - arranged and re -packed the media it runs for about 6weeks between cleans (I am a mine worker and can not do cleaning on a more regular basis) they are very good when you understand how to use them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
