Filter Positioning

[Fishyglenn]

I have a fluval u2 in my 90 litre tank. I was wondering where the best place is to put it. Generally I know people put the filter in the corner of the tank but this filter takes water in from both sides so i thought if it was in the corner it wouldn't work to its full capacity therefore i have it in the middle but it doesn't look great there. I may just be worrying about nothing. Thanks guys.

 

[fluttermoth]

It'll be fine in the corner. Most filters do take in from both sides, so you can use them at either end of the tank. Best to leave a couple of centimetres or so between the filter and the side of the tank

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Yep, that's exactly what I do. Mine is in the corner with about 1 1/2 inches between the glass and one of the sides. To me, its most important to point the spout so that it circulates the water best in the whole tank as not to leave dead spots.

 

[alistairw]

As above, I did the same.

I have recently upgraded to an external tetra tek ex600 and its much better!! I would highly recommend that you consider doing the same as the water clarity is now much better and there is more room in the tank.

Otherwise, a couple of cm off the corner will be fine. Just a word of advice on the U2.......if it doesn't switch back on when giving a quick clean, take the impellor out, give a clean, put back in and turn on. It seems to get gunged up and then stick when powered off. It happened to me, I panicked and went and bought a new one! Exactly the same think happened about 2 months later with the new one. I now have 2 working internals and a brilliant external!!

 

[Fishyglenn]

Thanks for the advice guys. Just cleaned the tank and put it in the corner and my tank looks much better now. Cheers.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Thats exactly what happened to my U3 recently and someone on here said clean the impellor... I hadn't known it even comes out... now its good as new!

 

[alistairw]

Thats exactly what happened to my U3 recently and someone on here said clean the impellor... I hadn't known it even comes out... now its good as new!

Yes, I wish I had read that before I bought a new one!! I only took the impellor out in desperation to try and get the thing to work. I was just waiting for my external to be delivered so didnt want to get another internal and didnt fancy to a load of water changes every day till it came!!!

 

[raptorrex]

Thats exactly what happened to my U3 recently and someone on here said clean the impellor... I hadn't known it even comes out... now its good as new!

Thats exactly what happened to my U3 recently and someone on here said clean the impellor... I hadn't known it even comes out... now its good as new!

Yes, I wish I had read that before I bought a new one!! I only took the impellor out in desperation to try and get the thing to work. I was just waiting for my external to be delivered so didnt want to get another internal and didnt fancy to a load of water changes every day till it came!!!

Really?
doesn't anyone read instruction any more?
dont you think its important to know how something works, before you start using it?
especially something so important to your hobby!
I don't mean any (much) offence, but i find that astonishing. guess I'm getting old. lol

 

[alistairw]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing Raptorrex and I did learn from my mistake.

I was (and still am) new too fish keeping and panicked not knowing how to fix it after dumping a load of sh**t into the tank. I now know how. I also know how my new external filter works (hopefully) and how to maintain.

My aplogies for my inexperience at the time, it shall not happen again.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Thats exactly what happened to my U3 recently and someone on here said clean the impellor... I hadn't known it even comes out... now its good as new!

Thats exactly what happened to my U3 recently and someone on here said clean the impellor... I hadn't known it even comes out... now its good as new!

Yes, I wish I had read that before I bought a new one!! I only took the impellor out in desperation to try and get the thing to work. I was just waiting for my external to be delivered so didnt want to get another internal and didnt fancy to a load of water changes every day till it came!!!

Really?
doesn't anyone read instruction any more?
dont you think its important to know how something works, before you start using it?
especially something so important to your hobby!
I don't mean any (much) offence, but i find that astonishing. guess I'm getting old. lol

I have 3 filters, two of which I bought second hand and did not therefore have instructions and the third is a very basic filter and doesn't not include intructions on cleaning other than it saying to replace the sponges every few weeks... which is obviously bad advice.

 

[raptorrex]

Thats exactly what happened to my U3 recently and someone on here said clean the impellor... I hadn't known it even comes out... now its good as new!

Thats exactly what happened to my U3 recently and someone on here said clean the impellor... I hadn't known it even comes out... now its good as new!

Yes, I wish I had read that before I bought a new one!! I only took the impellor out in desperation to try and get the thing to work. I was just waiting for my external to be delivered so didnt want to get another internal and didnt fancy to a load of water changes every day till it came!!!

Really?
doesn't anyone read instruction any more?
dont you think its important to know how something works, before you start using it?
especially something so important to your hobby!
I don't mean any (much) offence, but i find that astonishing. guess I'm getting old. lol

I have 3 filters, two of which I bought second hand and did not therefore have instructions and the third is a very basic filter and doesn't not include intructions on cleaning other than it saying to replace the sponges every few weeks... which is obviously bad advice.

G??gle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! all instruction, and a fair few user experiences, are available free from there!
All the gear i buy is, stripped lubed and checked, before its even switched on.
new or second hand.
I just couldn't use something so important. without knowing just how it worked first.
just as i, now, check on any stock i might considerer keeping.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Do you know what is amazing.... the things people don't know and therefore don't know they have a reason to google anything.

For example me.... I started off with a simple filter in a smaller tank... read all the instructione which weren't good ones and didn't mention the impellor as a part of cleaning. I decide to upgrade, but due to lack of funds, did so with second hand equipment that didn't come with manuals... filter looked similar but bigger and with more compartments... not having had an issue with the smaller one and having read that manual.... didn't think there was anything to look up other than tank cycling. SHOCKING I KNOW... imagine not being aware you don't know stuff!

Decided to get another even bigger tank... same scenario and second hand equipment and... wow imagine, it happened again! In fact, this time around didn't even know what brand of filter I had until it had been running for 2 months and I found a picture of it online... shocking... can't see a make or model on the filter itself.

Had I a fairygodmotherfishmistress following me to enlighten me... things may have been different... but when you don't know you don't know something... what would you google?

 

[SandraNewbie]

Let's put those flames out shall we?

The reasonable position is probably somewhere in between. Google new kit to see if there is something you need to know. But people will trust the information source that comes with things.

I have a filter I haven't yet been able to identify, and you can't get at the impellor on it.