Props to Rena and the "new" Filstar
- Thread starter beviking
- Start date
I'm a little jealous, it sounds like they've made some great improvements 
I've got an older model with the plastic pieces that just slot together, but they seem to hold together well. I never had the problem many people seem to with the spray bar making a whining noise, and the motor is very quiet. I can only hear it if I open the cabinet and have my ear within a few feet of the filter. I absolutely LOVE this filter and wouldn't trade it for anything - someone could walk into my house with an equivalent sized Eheim and offer to trade, and I'd say no thanks - that's how much I like my little FilStar.
I think Rena should consider printing all our testimonials on the box, tee hee
I've got an older model with the plastic pieces that just slot together, but they seem to hold together well. I never had the problem many people seem to with the spray bar making a whining noise, and the motor is very quiet. I can only hear it if I open the cabinet and have my ear within a few feet of the filter. I absolutely LOVE this filter and wouldn't trade it for anything - someone could walk into my house with an equivalent sized Eheim and offer to trade, and I'd say no thanks - that's how much I like my little FilStar.
I think Rena should consider printing all our testimonials on the box, tee hee
I bought one about 5 months ago and it's of the newer variety. My least favorite feature of these filters is the hose they come with. The hose was so stiff (rolled up in one direction) that when I needed it to be bent in the oposite direction for a curve, it kinked drastically! I had to re-design my whole setup just to get my hoses to stay curved the way they are in the box. No other canister filter I've bought (or even just hose that I've bought) has ever been this "predisposed" to bend in one direction only! CHEAP HOSE!
I also had the whining noise until I drilled the spraybar (only drilled every 2nd hole, though). I also have a problem with it collecting air in the top of the canister. I have a CO2 "reactor 1000" on the intake tube and I can't seem to keep enough water going through the filter to keep this from getting filled with CO2. I only have a single 20ppi mechanical pad in the filter to slow down the water, and it should be pushing 350 gph and the reactor says a max of 300 gph (actually it may be 250) either way I can't get the flow high enough. I have about 2 bubbles/sec going into the reactor (which is by no means high!). This doesn't even address the issue of the air-lock in the filter which happens every 2 or 3 days unless I pull the cord out of the socket and let it drain air, then plug it back in! This also re-fills the reactor with water for optimum performance! I have heard so many good things about this canister that I was really looking forward to it, but now it just isn't meeting my needs very well!
Does anyone think I should just ditch the CO2 reactor and inject into the intake (screw on lid) and see if the filter does enough mixing? Thanks again!
I also had the whining noise until I drilled the spraybar (only drilled every 2nd hole, though). I also have a problem with it collecting air in the top of the canister. I have a CO2 "reactor 1000" on the intake tube and I can't seem to keep enough water going through the filter to keep this from getting filled with CO2. I only have a single 20ppi mechanical pad in the filter to slow down the water, and it should be pushing 350 gph and the reactor says a max of 300 gph (actually it may be 250) either way I can't get the flow high enough. I have about 2 bubbles/sec going into the reactor (which is by no means high!). This doesn't even address the issue of the air-lock in the filter which happens every 2 or 3 days unless I pull the cord out of the socket and let it drain air, then plug it back in! This also re-fills the reactor with water for optimum performance! I have heard so many good things about this canister that I was really looking forward to it, but now it just isn't meeting my needs very well!
Does anyone think I should just ditch the CO2 reactor and inject into the intake (screw on lid) and see if the filter does enough mixing? Thanks again!
I'm not sure what the 'reactor 1000' is, but many inline CO2 reactors are on the outflow side, which keeps the reactor cleaner and also elminates the problems you're experiencing with the filter filling with CO2. I've read that over time running CO2 through a canister can damage the impeller - not sure if there's truth to that or not, but this would also eliminate that possiblity.
If you soak the hose in hot water it bends in any direction. Most sturdy hoses (Rena's and Tetra's both) require a hot water soak to take out the bend.
Bmeasure said:
Raskolnikov has the hose trick down...hot water!
As for the Reactor 1000, it is an inline reactor (fyi Blinky
) and it isn't a matter of flow. The max flow is listed b/c to exceed this flow would suck the CO2 bubbles out of the reactor and it doesn't work very well without the CO2 in it now does it? The problem arises from the CO2 not dissolving completely into the water so you always have an "air pocket" in the reactor. I (and others) have done DIY reactors bigger than the 1000 and still end up with the trickle noise of water/air in the reactor. To put it inline with the outflow would require an "S" type flow so the water comes into the top and out the bottom then back up and into the tank which likely would slow your flow more. You could inject it into the intake (I did this b4) but you end up with frequent swooshing noise as the filter perges the air. Annoying IMO but effective. However, if yours is getting airlocked, it must be clogged, they are designed to automatically purge the air. A good cleaning should remedy it.HTH
I also just set up a XP3 on my new 125. I've done alot of research on this board about it and knew about the spraybar noise. I figured I'd set it up and check it out first before drilling it. I had moved the tank contents of a 55 over to the 125, so the water was pretty cloudy. Sure enough, after about 12 hours it started whistling. I cleaned the filter, and about 12 hours later, same thing....noise. So I removed some of the sponges - 2 30's and 2 20's are not really necessary anyway. 24 hours later...noise. Ok, fine, drill time. Now, the pieces that have the lips and clips mentioned above hold great, however, if you have to take it apart....beware. I broke my fingernails and then the clips. I finally got the spraybar off, drilled it, and reinstalled it. Noise gone 48 hours and counting. After I "fixed" the spraybar, I went online to BigAlsOnline to order a spraybar that I will drill first and install second. BigAlsOnline only lists the spraybar that comes in pieces, and I want the one-piece one that comes with the new XP3. Called Aquarium Pharmicuiticals customer support and they directed me to Renapumps.com, and they have everything for the Filstar there. So I ordered two because they were only 3 dollars each and I've already broke one. Can't hurt to have a spare.
Thanks for the replies to my comments. I want to add to a couple of comments, though. First I DID soak in hot water first (I've had to do this with many hoses before) but it did not fix it enough. The water was far too hot to put my hands in and I left them for 10 minutes or so. I thought about boiling water, but I did this before and actually damaged some tubing and equipment because it was TOO HOT. I suppose I may have to soak it longer in the future. 
Also, I have done plenty of research on inline reactors for about a year before I built this setup and most experienced people said that while it would be a cleaner reactor BEHIND the cannister, that the water flow was drastically reduced and that it did better IN FRONT of the filter. There was also the problem of the "S" shaped return tubing to get an inline reactore to operate correctly.
I have questioned whether the fact that the Reactor 1000 has 1/2" input/output and the Filstar is 5/8" I/O, that this is slowing the flow to such a great degree! Also my cannister is not too dirty, in fact I have cleaned it 3 times in the 1 1/2 months I've had it running! This was because of trying different media setups (removing/adding pads, etc.). I now use 1 large-pore pad ONLY (for max flow) and I still cannot get enough water flow. I guess I don't understand how I could be getting CO2 into my cannister when the flow is not pulling bubbles from the reactor, but instead is so slow it won't dissolve it fast enough and it becomes a large CO2 gap at the top of the reactor (which causes a loud trickle sound). I't almost as if my canister is pushing more water out that it can get in, and is pulling air/CO2 in to fill the gap. Does this sound feasible? I have added fresh silicone grease to the gaskets and don't know how it could be pulling air in from there. I suppose it MUST be from the reactor somehow. BTW my cannister does purge the air almost every time, I've noticed, since every so often I hear it and see all the bubbles come from the spraybar. Don't know why it locked up a few times
Also, I have done plenty of research on inline reactors for about a year before I built this setup and most experienced people said that while it would be a cleaner reactor BEHIND the cannister, that the water flow was drastically reduced and that it did better IN FRONT of the filter. There was also the problem of the "S" shaped return tubing to get an inline reactore to operate correctly.
I have questioned whether the fact that the Reactor 1000 has 1/2" input/output and the Filstar is 5/8" I/O, that this is slowing the flow to such a great degree! Also my cannister is not too dirty, in fact I have cleaned it 3 times in the 1 1/2 months I've had it running! This was because of trying different media setups (removing/adding pads, etc.). I now use 1 large-pore pad ONLY (for max flow) and I still cannot get enough water flow. I guess I don't understand how I could be getting CO2 into my cannister when the flow is not pulling bubbles from the reactor, but instead is so slow it won't dissolve it fast enough and it becomes a large CO2 gap at the top of the reactor (which causes a loud trickle sound). I't almost as if my canister is pushing more water out that it can get in, and is pulling air/CO2 in to fill the gap. Does this sound feasible? I have added fresh silicone grease to the gaskets and don't know how it could be pulling air in from there. I suppose it MUST be from the reactor somehow. BTW my cannister does purge the air almost every time, I've noticed, since every so often I hear it and see all the bubbles come from the spraybar. Don't know why it locked up a few times
JosephMCorbett, you broke the clips on the spraybar that hold it to the piece before it and broke a fingernail? Did you try to pry them away from the bar by chance? I thought this initially too but the directions say to simply pull the pieces apart. It works! It takes some care not to pull them apart and splash water all over due to it releasing so suddenly, but at least the clip do not break!
Bmeasure, your flow will only be as fast as the most narrow opening allows, so yes, the 1/2" is restricting your flow more than the 5/8", but the opening into the quick release where the 5/8" hoses attach, is also narrower than 5/8" due to the thicknes off the material so that 1/2" is probably having a minimal affect. You are fighting a loosing battle. If the flow is too slow, you will develope that air pocket (CO2 gap) inside the reactor (a higher flow=smaller pocket, slower flow=bigger pocket) and as you stated, it eventually gets to the point that the flow does suck some into the filter. Again, it will happen regardless of flow rate. It wouldn't happen if your flow of CO2 was turned down to match the rate that it dissolves into the water, but this probably won't give you the CO2 concentration you want. I'm not sure why your filter locked up either???
HTH
Bmeasure, your flow will only be as fast as the most narrow opening allows, so yes, the 1/2" is restricting your flow more than the 5/8", but the opening into the quick release where the 5/8" hoses attach, is also narrower than 5/8" due to the thicknes off the material so that 1/2" is probably having a minimal affect. You are fighting a loosing battle. If the flow is too slow, you will develope that air pocket (CO2 gap) inside the reactor (a higher flow=smaller pocket, slower flow=bigger pocket) and as you stated, it eventually gets to the point that the flow does suck some into the filter. Again, it will happen regardless of flow rate. It wouldn't happen if your flow of CO2 was turned down to match the rate that it dissolves into the water, but this probably won't give you the CO2 concentration you want. I'm not sure why your filter locked up either???
HTH
