canister filter ques....

I have a rena filstar xp2 i bought new and set it up about 2 months ago...It makes a water gushing like noise every 10 to 15 seconds and alot of bubbles comes out of the spray bar when it does it..its not real loud but you can hear it...Since this is my first canister filter i was just wondering if this is normal or not? After i cleaned the fliter(which wasnt very dirty) it didnt make that noise for about a week straight was just pretty much smooth and silent

I'm guessing your filter is set up next to the tank or at the same level? Is so try turning it off and putting it below the tank and turning it back on. If that's not the case I would check all O-rings and connections for tight fits and grease O-rings.

actually it is under the aquarium and within the distance the instructions recommend. All the connections are correct and tight and nothing leaking. It goes sometimes serveral hrs or even days but then it will make that gushing noise every so often and when it does it puts millions of tiny bubbles in the aquarium lol kinda cool looking but idk if thats normal or not

How about extra length in the tubing? Maybe some turns in it? It isn't normal. What kind of filter is is?

rena filstar xp2...not much extra in the tubing maybe just a few inches max close to what the instructions said...Also wont that tubing get build up in it? i would sure hate to undo it and try and clean it

This is a really simple fix. It has nothing to do with where your canister filter is. Your filter is Aerating. Or in other words there's air getting into the return pump, which means not enough water is getting to the return pump in time. What you need to do is either A. Clean out your filter pads in the Canister and the media or B. You need to use less filter pads in the canister filter. One of these two are retarding the water flow through your canister filter and causing it to slow down thus not letting enough water get to your pump which is causing it to pump air as well.

sure makes sense...however it did this when the filter was brand new and totally clean...as for the pads i use what it says to i have 2 foam pads and 1 micro filteration pad...and a few small ceramic rings and a few bio chem stars in it...its not doing it nearly as much now but still does it several times threw out the day

Is there a prime fill cap on that filter? Thegodpartical is correct about air induction but from where? I would double check all openings again. These are closed loop systems so they should not produce air bubbles unless designed as a wet/dry canister. It's bothering me your filter does this and I can't see or hear it. I had one do this for a week until I fixed the problem. Let us know what it is if you figure it out.

You may still have too many filter pads in the Canister. Now while I know your thinking "yea but I just have as many as they designed to put into the canister filter" your right in this thinking however it doesn't always work out like that, lol. The FX5 canister filters by Fluval are notorious for doing exactly what your explaining. They load the canister will places to filter pads, carbon pads, etc... so naturally you think "yea the more filtering the better!" however once you add all those pads in as well as the ceramic rings or whatever you have in there it slow's down the water flow thus not allowing enough water to flow through the filter... You may also take a look to make sure you don't have an O ring that's bad or a hose that isn't clamped tight enough. But I'm willing to bet if you take one of your filter pads out or your micron filter (That's the one I would probably take out.) then you won't have this problem.

yes it has a prime fill cap and it is on...well i guess maybe those bio stars are somewhat bulky and could restrict some flow now the ceramic rings are small and really not many of them i have no carbon in the filter either...there is one other thing ive been thinking about some and thats when i connected the hoses..I had a very very very hard time doing this and i even warmed the end of the hoses so i could push them on the connections easier but i could only get them on about 1 1/3 inches and thats it got sore muscles and all lol the instructions say go 2 inches...but there very tight and snug and i put the clamps on all of them.. the filter has 2 foam pads and 1 micro pad...currently the filter has been running perfect and quiet for about 12 hrs...

wblueus wrote:

yes it has a prime fill cap and it is on...well i guess maybe those bio stars are somewhat bulky and could restrict some flow now the ceramic rings are small and really not many of them i have no carbon in the filter either...there is one other thing ive been thinking about some and thats when i connected the hoses..I had a very very very hard time doing this and i even warmed the end of the hoses so i could push them on the connections easier but i could only get them on about 1 1/3 inches and thats it got sore muscles and all lol the instructions say go 2 inches...but there very tight and snug and i put the clamps on all of them.. the filter has 2 foam pads and 1 micro pad...currently the filter has been running perfect and quiet for about 12 hrs...

Those prime fill caps fail every so often just like gaskets, even if brand new. If it continues put a piece of saran wrap over it and see if that helps. If you think about the issue (unwanted air induction) finding the issue would be on one of my priorities because if you lose power and its not an extra pad in the canister causing it, chances are it will leak where the air is coming in.

Thank you fishbox and flippercon!!! My filter is fixed it was the prime fill cap ...I could hear a high pitch noise coming from the cap while i was fixing to do a water change...i didnt have any saran wrap but i did have some teflon tape and wrapped around the threading and put cap on and no more bubbles or noise...

wblueus, see this is why i am glad i have found this forum. and getting good advise from good people like flippercon makes it all worth while. and sitting back reading it all, allows me to learn something new. i know ya have to be as happy as a kid at christmas time. glad the problem has been fixed without having to buy another filter.

Good to know you got it working.

I have an xp4 and it started doing the same thimg. Mine was the gasket around the top that was not sealing completly. it would make the same noise by sucking air into the canister. I couldn't figure it out until I unpluged it and saw a very small drip run down the side. I re-seated the gasket and wala FIXED. Over all a great filter

B-boy, xp4?????? which one is that???? i am in the market for getting a canister filter and trying to learn all i can.

Koolaid68 xp4 is the bigger model of the rena brand filters.

watch closely on these filters cause the front of the box on the xp2 says 300gph then in smaller words on the side of the box it says with all the media installed the gph is 160...I did not know this until my filter arrived otherwise i would have ordered the xp3....

wblueus wrote:

watch closely on these filters cause the front of the box on the xp2 says 300gph then in smaller words on the side of the box it says with all the media installed the gph is 160...I did not know this until my filter arrived otherwise i would have ordered the xp3....

Taking in to consideration they are a business and the numbers are true! You as the consumer should do research on products. All filters are numbered in the same way. Some don't post the actual flow with media. It just makes sense that adding something in a space with slow down flow if it is solid. Good point on the filter GPH on the boxes.