Canaster Height Matter - Fluval 407 Setup Question

[BigSnapDaddy]

First post! My wife runs a daycare and we are starting up a 75 gallon tank. We have built a stand so the tank is about ten inches off the ground. The kids have been really good with the 37 gallon tank we have had for years and like to sit and look at the fish. It also serves as good night light during rest time.

We purchased a Fluval 407 and are starting the set up process. In the materials it says that height matters. We were planning on having the canister sit in a cabinet next to the tank. Are we okay? The tank is raised about 10 inches off the floor so the canister is lower than that but not like the directions indicate which assume it is directly below the tank.

Also any other tips on how to get the tank set up and cycling before we move the fish over would be appreciated.

 

[BlueJungle]

Hi! I should think the filter would be fine, set up as you described.

When you are ready to cycle the new tank, you can either just move the filter from your old tank and place it on your new tank for a month or 2, or take the media out of your old filter and place it in the 407. This will instantly cycle your tank to the bio-load of your fish, as around 95% of the nitrifying bacteria live in the filter.

Once you have moved your fish across to the new tank monitor your water parameters for a couple of weeks, if all is good you can gradually start increasing your stocking level.

 

[Dajuyu]

First post! My wife runs a daycare and we are starting up a 75 gallon tank. We have built a stand so the tank is about ten inches off the ground. The kids have been really good with the 37 gallon tank we have had for years and like to sit and look at the fish. It also serves as good night light during rest time.

We purchased a Fluval 407 and are starting the set up process. In the materials it says that height matters. We were planning on having the canister sit in a cabinet next to the tank. Are we okay? The tank is raised about 10 inches off the floor so the canister is lower than that but not like the directions indicate which assume it is directly below the tank.

Also any other tips on how to get the tank set up and cycling before we move the fish over would be appreciated.

I place my Canister on the side of the tank and use only one of the hose tube that was provided , in that case the hose to and fro the tank are shorter so that it won't be stressing up the pump and impeller ....

By using only one hose also I have extra if I needed to replace it ...

IMHO if you place the Canister too low and use the long hose it will just mean the water travel distance is longer and will have less water throughput circulation ..

 

[P J]

Fluval provide guidance in the manual as to the maximum head allowable in the manual, just make sure that height is not exceeded and allow ample space and hose slackness to facilitate maintenance access. Check the removal procedure as the double pipe connector into the canister is removed with the flow locked and needs to be placed somewhere safe whilst the canister is removed for maintenance- hence keeping the canister on the floor is a good choice or at the bottom of a cabinet.

 

[BigSnapDaddy]

Thanks for the suggestions the filter seems to be working well. Cycling the tank is proving much harder than I had thought and I am not dealing with Ammonia levels much higher than I would like. At this point water changes is what I am going for to bring it back down. I started with a fishless but I think I added too much ammonia and may have killed any good stuff that was starting to grow in there.

 

[BlueJungle]

Ammonia or nitrite levels of above 5 ppm can stall a cycle. A partial water change to lower these levels can get things back on track.

 

[BigSnapDaddy]

Ammonia or nitrite levels of above 5 ppm can stall a cycle. A partial water change to lower these levels can get things back on track.

Just what I needed to hear thank you.

 

[P J]

Be patient don’t put any fish in whilst cycling and don’t carry out water changes or filter change or cleaning the high ammonia levels are essential for a complete cycle, this will take up to four weeks.

 

[anewbie]

Height matters in both direction. If the canister is too low the motor has to work harder to push water back into the tank. Conversely the canister filter takes advantage of gravity feed to push water into the canister filter. If 10 inches is all you have then that is all you have. How it will impact the canister filter long term i cannot say exactly but it might eventually shorten the life of the filter (whether that means reducing 30 years to 27 years or 5 years to 4 years I cannot say).
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Long term canister filters should not be cleaned too often and they really only require cleaning when flow is impacted. One frequent mistake people make is over cleaning their filters. Also when you do clean it it is best to just use tank or treated water. I have some 5 gallon pails so i just fill them with tank water when doing a water change and use that to clean the filter once every 6 or 12 months as needed.