Filter Questions

[Brian Anderson]

ok so i got my 3rd emperor 400 and my fluval 304 and 404 in the mail today. great news is they were still pretty wet! so my benifical bacteria should still be alive as im starting a new tank.

1) Im new to canister filters. what is the purpose of the "packing peanut" things?
2) Do they ever need replaced?
3) Does anyone have exp with fluvals and have any info they wanna give me?
4) Are there any links where i can learn some stuff about these filters? the 304 seems simpler than the 404....

[garbon2535]

I use to run a Fluval 304. I have upgraded to Eheim Pro II's. I never cared for the Fluval but it is a decent filter with a small footprint.

Three basic things you want in your canister. On one side you will have your filter pads. These are the white foam-like things that probably came with it. There will be 4 in the 304. Then you want to put in the ceramic rings. These are for filtering out the large peices of debris. Next you will want Bio-Media or Substrate. Fluval substrate is white rings simular to the ceramic pre-filters. These white rings are very porus to allow bacteria to grow that will break down your ammonia and nitrites. If you want you can also add carbon to your filter. Carbon is recommended but not necessary. Make sure you put the pre-filter ceramic rings on the BOTTOM then substrate on TOP of that. You can put 2 layers of substate in. Carbon can be added on top and should be secured in a bag. I put carbon in one half of the top layer and substrate in the other half.

Priming the Fluval can be a pain in the... What you do is push-n-pull the primer rapidly. Once you hear water flowing into the filter you can stop and let gravity do the rest. You should prime the filter when it is empty, aka no water in the canister. When you prime the filter all you are doing is creating a suction the same as if you stuck a tube in the tank and suck on the end in order to let the water run out.

When you change water in your tank close the valves to the Fluval. Do not open them again until you have filled the tank completely. You will not have to reprime the filter if you do this. Also, if you are having problems priming make sure the water level in the aquarium is as high as possible. The filter can not pull the water up very high. The filter is desinged to pull the water up only a few inches over the back of the tank then gravity pulls the water down into the filter.

Here is a link to a pretty good review on the Fluval 204. This will help you with your Fluval's. Enjoy your new filters. Canister filters are great!

http://www.cloudytanks.com/reviews/canisters/fluval.html