How exactly do I use a canister filter?

C

chinnp

In denial of MTS
Mar 24, 2005
540
3
0
I bought a 75 gallon tank and it comes with a canister filter. I've used power filters forever since theyr'e ridiculously easy, but I must admit a canister looks better aesthetically for sure. This one has the canister with two hoses on top. One is obviously the intake and the other is the return (which is hooked onto a spraybar). Inside the canister are three baskets. The first contains a bunch of cylinders that have the texture of a an air stone, but are about an inch long and hollow. There's also a bag that is black and I presume contains activated carbon. The second basked has two compartments. The top compartment has what looks like filter floss and the bottom one has another mesh back with black stuff in it. The bottom basket has four squares of what can best be described as sponge. These baskets stack on top of each other. The model is a Rena Filstar XP3, but I can't seem to find any info on how to operate it.

Basically, how exactly do I prime the thing? What exactly are the ceramic cylinders? Is this a sufficient filter for a 75 gallon tank (mostly stocked with smaller community fish)? and Do I have to use a spray bar as a return or can I hook it up to powerhead I've got.
 
The ceramic cylinders are for biological filtration from what I understand. The easiest way to prime the system is to drop the intake hose in the tank and give the output hose a little suck. As soon as the water in the tube comes over the top of the tank it will start to fill the canister. When the canister fills up you are good to go. I do not have one so I am sure that somebody will pipe up and give you the finer points and tricks.
 
I could scan and post the instruction sheet later if you want me to. Its self priming so as long as the canister is full of water it will start by itself. In my xp3 I have the black filter sponge on the bottom, then the standard filter floss stuff. The 2nd basket has bio balls(your air stone things). The 3rd basket has carbon and crushed coral(to raise my pH, and carbon to remove tannis). So basically they're for whatever you need. Just fill it up, clamp the lid shut, push the primer lever down on top then plug it in!
XP3-drawing.gif
 
Another question then. I have 5 cycled tanks already. I'm used to pulling the filter off an established tank and setting it on a new one to get it cycled immediately. Is there some way to speed cycle this filter?
 
Place the cycled media in the main tank..the filter will suck the bacteria into the filter where it can attach to the filter media.
 
Sweet. Thanks for the help. One more question. If I'm going to test it just to see if it works, does it hurt to run the motor dry or with no media?
 
chinnp said:
Sweet. Thanks for the help. One more question. If I'm going to test it just to see if it works, does it hurt to run the motor dry or with no media?
Click to expand...


No media is fine, No water is BAD and will kill your filter...
 
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