Agree 2000%. Perfect operation and performance for seven months now...forget I even have it sometimes.
Sunsun 302 vs 303 size comparison photos
- Thread starter CWO4GUNNER
- Start date
Agree 2000%. Perfect operation and performance for seven months now...forget I even have it sometimes.
Someone PM me and asked how I fill my Sunsun baskets:
In mine I keep Walmart lava rocks in the bottom tray where dirty tank water comes in from below the bottom tray and need porous material to get started on its way up to the middle try which is where I place my mechanical filtration. I fill the middle tray with a layer of traced cut blue-bond filter pad on the bottom grate of the center basket to prevent early dirt clogging with a springy snuffed layer of Polywool fill upholstery fiber on top the blue-bond pad and one thin layer of bio-balls on top the polywool fill to keep it from early clogging the top grate basket above and take up space in the basket to prevent flow bypass. Finally the top basket is filled with 1 layer of trace-cut blue-bond filter pad and on top of that a layer of enough bio-balls to fill the rest of the tray, again to prevent filter pad flip-up bypass as the water flowing from the bottom of the canister to the top being filtered does not push the edges of the filter padding and polywool out of the way on its way back to the tank. The top layer of bio balls takes up all the extra room in the basket so that the mechanical media (Blue-bond, polywool) cannot be lifted off its basket base forcing the water to go through the media not around it.
In mine I keep Walmart lava rocks in the bottom tray where dirty tank water comes in from below the bottom tray and need porous material to get started on its way up to the middle try which is where I place my mechanical filtration. I fill the middle tray with a layer of traced cut blue-bond filter pad on the bottom grate of the center basket to prevent early dirt clogging with a springy snuffed layer of Polywool fill upholstery fiber on top the blue-bond pad and one thin layer of bio-balls on top the polywool fill to keep it from early clogging the top grate basket above and take up space in the basket to prevent flow bypass. Finally the top basket is filled with 1 layer of trace-cut blue-bond filter pad and on top of that a layer of enough bio-balls to fill the rest of the tray, again to prevent filter pad flip-up bypass as the water flowing from the bottom of the canister to the top being filtered does not push the edges of the filter padding and polywool out of the way on its way back to the tank. The top layer of bio balls takes up all the extra room in the basket so that the mechanical media (Blue-bond, polywool) cannot be lifted off its basket base forcing the water to go through the media not around it.
Well like I said this post also help me decide on another $36 Sunsun model 302W which is only about 25% smaller then the 304b but I believe to very little difference in the impeller size about the same GPH. It just arrived today from Ebay seller Cool-Goods, with a purchased date of 10/30/10 four day delivery is pretty good. When you consider all that and the price difference, this size model is the better overall deal and still is a large capacity filter dwarfing many name brand canisters in its class at a fraction of the price.
The only problem as you can see below is that 1 of the 3 baskets came cracked in the shipment. But Cool-Good always makes good on these sorts of problems and I am sure they will be sending me a replacement basket ASAP. In the meantime I intend to glue it and use as a spare. This filter is going to be used on one of my tall 80 tanks so that the FX5 on it can be used on my much larger 160 tank project.
The only problem as you can see below is that 1 of the 3 baskets came cracked in the shipment. But Cool-Good always makes good on these sorts of problems and I am sure they will be sending me a replacement basket ASAP. In the meantime I intend to glue it and use as a spare. This filter is going to be used on one of my tall 80 tanks so that the FX5 on it can be used on my much larger 160 tank project.
The flow is bottom to top (wrong-way) on all top motor canisters designs no exceptions and top to bottom (right-way) on all bottom motor canister designed no exceptions. The reason why the top of the filter looks like it has more dirty is becasue that is the loose debris that is making it past the edges of the filter pad (bypassing) because there is nothing to hold the pad tight against the grate. It like a reverse clog in your sink drain, as long as the water in your sink is going down the drain ( bottom motor filter) a dropped in rag will clod it forcing the water to go through the rag (filter pad), but if the sink drain backs up and water flows from the drain up (top motor filter) the rag lifts off the grate and dirt comes up and around and lands on top of the rag giving the appearance that the top is filtering more when in fact it is just bypassing.
This is the achilies heel in all top motor basket deigns and the cure or fix is to make sure that there is no room between the bottom and top basket grates so that when the water tries to push the filter pad off the bottom grate and curls the edges to go around, there is no room for that to happen. I cut my own filter pads oversize so the sides are jammed against the edges of the basket walls and then I place bio-balls on top to take take up the room or you can also just back it tighter. But if all you use is the stock pad with all the space on top between baskets, the water will float the filter pad, bend it and bypass the water around the edges to the top of the filter where only the bigger heavier dirt will settle and stay on top of the pad and the rest finer-lighter dirt goes right back up and out through the motor to the tank. Telltale signs are a filter that still looks clean after months or filter pads that look dirtier on top then on the bottom.
This is the achilies heel in all top motor basket deigns and the cure or fix is to make sure that there is no room between the bottom and top basket grates so that when the water tries to push the filter pad off the bottom grate and curls the edges to go around, there is no room for that to happen. I cut my own filter pads oversize so the sides are jammed against the edges of the basket walls and then I place bio-balls on top to take take up the room or you can also just back it tighter. But if all you use is the stock pad with all the space on top between baskets, the water will float the filter pad, bend it and bypass the water around the edges to the top of the filter where only the bigger heavier dirt will settle and stay on top of the pad and the rest finer-lighter dirt goes right back up and out through the motor to the tank. Telltale signs are a filter that still looks clean after months or filter pads that look dirtier on top then on the bottom.
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it was just the bottom looked so clean but the top so dirty. i might have to buy and cut bigger pads
All your seeing is the heavier or larger particle dirt that could not be lifted by the motors vacuum. The same thing happens when you vacuum your tank using that small 1/2" hose and 3" vacuum attachment, you see some of the fine dirt make it up and out the tank but you also see the heavier stuff fall back down to the sand. That heavier stuff is what you are seeing on the top of the filter pad.
Another thing I forgot to mention as a fix. I now place my heaviest media like lave rocks in the top basket so that the water besides lifting a filter pad can actually lift an entire basket that has only light weight media in it off its seat. By placing the heaviest basket at the top your weighting down the entire stack. Also if you do use any heavy media in a basket always take advantage of that weight by placing at least 1 thin layer of blue-bond filter pad underneath it so that its weighted down against the filter grate. I now have a pad under my lave rock. Bottom line weight all the baskets and filter pads down if possible and if not get rid of the extra void space between the top and bottom grates of each basket section so that the media doesn't have room to get disturbed or moved by bottom to top water directional current.
Another thing I forgot to mention as a fix. I now place my heaviest media like lave rocks in the top basket so that the water besides lifting a filter pad can actually lift an entire basket that has only light weight media in it off its seat. By placing the heaviest basket at the top your weighting down the entire stack. Also if you do use any heavy media in a basket always take advantage of that weight by placing at least 1 thin layer of blue-bond filter pad underneath it so that its weighted down against the filter grate. I now have a pad under my lave rock. Bottom line weight all the baskets and filter pads down if possible and if not get rid of the extra void space between the top and bottom grates of each basket section so that the media doesn't have room to get disturbed or moved by bottom to top water directional current.
Hey Gunner, thanks for all the great information you provide in your threads. Awesome help to all.
I have a question: you mention lubricating the O-rings and baskets with vasoline (in some of your threads), and I have just received a new Sunsun 302 for my 40 gallon breeder that I'm cycling, and the new Sunsun has a greasy feeling to it in several places. Is this not a problem for the fish in the aquarium? I mean, do I need to worry about vasoline contaminating the water?
Thanks for your help. (I am doing a 20 long tank build and a 40 breeder tank build that I will be posting pics on soon)
My question is:
I have a question: you mention lubricating the O-rings and baskets with vasoline (in some of your threads), and I have just received a new Sunsun 302 for my 40 gallon breeder that I'm cycling, and the new Sunsun has a greasy feeling to it in several places. Is this not a problem for the fish in the aquarium? I mean, do I need to worry about vasoline contaminating the water?
Thanks for your help. (I am doing a 20 long tank build and a 40 breeder tank build that I will be posting pics on soon)
My question is:
Thanks for the kind comments, I sometimes try and paint too detailed a picture to make my point but its all those years of being a military instructor, you just had to make sure the troops understood.
Some early rubber material (like 30 years ago) were very susceptible to natural petroleum products like Vaseline. Natural Petroleum get a bad rap with regard to the environment when in fact oil spills from ocean seeps have been happening for millions of years without a major impact on life becasue it is very bio degradable by a whole family of bacteria that live everywhere and eat petroleum and oil right up. In fact conditioners have to be placed in ships diesel tanks or bacteria will infest and consume it rapidly.
Point is pure and sterile pure petroleum jelly is safe for you fish and aquarium and will be consumed naturally over time by bacteria and then you will notice its almost gone next filter change, so replace it. The stuff Sunsun places on there filters is either petroleum jelly or silicone lubricant which is inert and never proven to interact with the bio-cells of organisms although some swear by it with no evidence. I rinse out the new Sunsun canisters but leave whatever greasy stuff the remains. I also reach in and place dabs of Petroleum jelly on the ball valve sockets and work them in so they don't wear out.
Thanks Gunner! That helps me so much. I am a detail person myself, and you can't provide too many details as far as I'm concerned, so keep it up. We all benefit from your attention to detail.
I'll go ahead and put my filter together and get it hooked up. I am using your canister basket packing suggestions from your other thread, too.
I'll go ahead and put my filter together and get it hooked up. I am using your canister basket packing suggestions from your other thread, too.
