Fluval 305- Slow Flow

[FrankdaTank]

Hello All,

I am writing this post about a Fluval 305 I acquired recently. My wife bought me a really nice 55 gallon tank off Craigslist and it came with a Fluval 305 canister filter. I was moving up from a 29 gallon tank to the 55 and I had never owned a canister filter before. The tank has been up for a little over a month, all the residents of the old tank are moved over. I just recently noticed that there seemed to be almost no flow coming out of the powerhead. I pulled the return out of the water and the is a little more than a trickle. I know this filter is supposed to perform some serious water turnover so this is obviously wrong. To be completely honest, I was so worried about getting the tank cycled that I just assumed it had been pumping water and this was the first I had noticed it. (I have an aquaclear 20 pushing water around on the other side of the tank away from the return).

Has anyone ever experienced any trouble with a canister filter like this? Or does anyone have a lot of experience with these and any suggestions? I disconnected the tubes from the canister and re-set them. I have made sure that the handles that set the flow are pushed down as far as possible. Is there something else I might try? I haven't opened up the canister since I set it up but that is probably my next step to make sure there aren't any physical obstructions inside the canister.

I was pretty excited to get this filter and I am hoping that it is salvageable considering I just spent a pretty penny stocking up on replacement filter media.

Thanks for any help,
FrankdaTank.

 

[Electric Warrior]

Well, one thing to remember is that flow is reduced quite a bit when the filter is filled with media. Most of the output ratings that you see per the manufacturer are done with no media in the filter, so your turnover will actually not be that high in the real world... But you say it's just a trickle? I am assuming that the motor is not making any strange noises, that there is no hissing sounds coming from the outlet indicating trapped air, etc.?

 

[Erik]

Sounds like you have blockage somewhere or the impellor is not functioning fully. You probably need to tear it down to determine the problem(s).

 

[FrankdaTank]

Thanks to both of you. I will be tearing apart over Thanksgiving. Electric, no strange noises, in fact its quiet as a mouse. The impellor does seem to be running but again the flow is very minimal, like it doesn't even give the fish a little push even if they swim right in front of it. I'll let you know once i tear it apart to see if there is anything going on. I hope it doesn't need any serious fixin'.

 

[ebo100]

I have this problem too with my Fluvel 205, after a bit of internet digging to looks like it could be down to debris clogging up the hoses and the area around the impellor. Have read of this thread
http/forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/showthread.php?t=41965

I'll try tomorrow to give my pipes a good deep clean

 

[JenCliBee]

The 05 range is renowned for clogging easily and quickly so taking apart and giving a good is likely needed a little more often than some of the other externals.

 

[josh_g]

I bought a fluval cleaning pack for my old 305 . It has sized brushes for all of the piping. It does help but you still have to do it often as it clogs alot. Probs easier just to go with a diff external

 

[doresy]

you either have a blockage in the pipes or media. Or the impeller is slipping.

Another thing to check have you got the top on the right way round? When assembled you should read FLUVAL right by the seam between the top and bottom.

Lastly you could have an air lock