Setting Up A Juwel Compact Filter?

[shellyboylan]

can anyone tell me which order i should be having the sponges in my juwel compact filter? i'm also missing a pad and i'm not sure which (got the filter with 2nd hand tank 3 months ago, pads had been recently replaced) also, how often should i be replacing most of the pads? i change the top one weekly, rinse the top section ones through with tank water about every 2 weeks, and the very bottom 1s every 4 - i don't want to destroy the charcoal. what should i be doing here? thanks.

 

[shellyboylan]

surely someone knows?

 

[davys]

Shelley,

Starting from the bottom: the 2 fine blue filter pads, then it's the 2 course blue filter pads, followed by the charcoal/carbon pad, topped with the white polypad.

The white polypad should be changed weekly, but's its cheaper to use a thin layer of normal filter wool rather than the one sold by Juwel (2 pounds for 5 pads).
Carbon sponge should be replaced every 6 weeks.
Top course blue sponge - rinse every 4 weeks in water from aquarium at water change time
Bottom blue course - rinse every 6 weeks in aquarium water
Top blue fine sponge - rinse every 8 weeks
Bottom blue fine sponge - rinse every 16 weeks.

I've been doing this on my Rio 180 for 5 years now - keeps the water nice and clear (assuming fortnightly 25% water changes. I replace the blue pads one at a time once a year, but others may recommend washing and keeping them until they fall apart. You can purchase 'baskets' for the pads which will make cleaning/changing them much easier.

Good luck,
David

 

[shellyboylan]

argh! i've been doing it all totally wrong!

will get it all sorted this week though including new pads, got the baskets already i thought they were standard

i feel so cruel, thanks for your advice though my fish will be very grateful

btw, do u happen to know what pads 2 course dark green pads and a course black (different than carbon) pad could be?

 

[moggy]

here is the link from the juwel site http/www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/aktuelle_modelle303.htm click the pdf download button in my juwel 125 i have the from bottom to top 2 fine in one basket then course then nitrate (green) then carbon(black) then poly filter (white) on top i replace poly filter weekly i then clean all filter sponges in tank water weekly replacing carbon & nitrate every 8 weeks and only replace other filter sponges about 1 yr i have done this method for the last 12 months and checked my water readings weekly ie ammonia,nitrite nitrate all been fine

 

[juwelfan]

Hi,

This info has really helped me to, thanks.
So its OK to use standard/any-old-brand wool/fiber white pads? 'cos the Juwel ones are a little costly.

Oh btw, just found out that you can use some standard 6mm tube to go into the bottom of the pump (you have to pull out a little black stopper first thou) to act as a air diffuser (venturi). The bubbles look great and the fish seem to be alot more energetic.

 

[BHornsey]

Hi,

This info has really helped me to, thanks.
So its OK to use standard/any-old-brand wool/fiber white pads? 'cos the Juwel ones are a little costly.

Oh btw, just found out that you can use some standard 6mm tube to go into the bottom of the pump (you have to pull out a little black stopper first thou) to act as a air diffuser (venturi). The bubbles look great and the fish seem to be alot more energetic.

Which tank is it going in? Recently Juwel have changed the filters (1 or 2 fine filters depending on tank, a course filter, a green nitrate reducing filter, a carbon and finally, at the top, the poly pre filter)

Be careful feeding air into the bottom of the pump housing. It displaces the water around the impellor and the pump loses efficiency and can even stall.

As for the poly pads, I use a standard large sheet of pond poly filter and cut it to size. A couple of quids worth of material gives me about 50 or so pads; an enormous saving.

 

[shellyboylan]

i've just got some new filter wool pads from this dude on ebay, they look brilliant quality, though haven't yet put one in tank to check how they're working but they seem identical to the others - anyway the price is pretty good, much better than the 2.20 i was gonna pay for 5 branded pads!

 

[shellyboylan]

would it be ok for me to put the link to this guys shop up here or would i be banned for advertising or something? im new here not 100% on the rules yet

 

[moggy]

juwel do a venturi which fit on pipe coming out of the top of the filter it has a small air line connected to it just pushes onto outlet pipe since using in my juwel fish tank fish seem to enjoy it it makes loads of tiny air bubbles in tank which can't be bad for the fish best £6.00 i have spent highly reccommed it

 

[juwelfan]

juwel do a venturi which fit on pipe coming out of the top of the filter it has a small air line connected to it just pushes onto outlet pipe since using in my juwel fish tank fish seem to enjoy it it makes loads of tiny air bubbles in tank which can't be bad for the fish best £6.00 i have spent highly reccommed it

I bought one just last week, (mine was 95p more thou) but after a few days i'd get back from work to find it no longer putting out bubbles. I had a good play about with it, even tried a different length of tube. I couldnt get it to work again. I took out the pump and gave everything a check, everything was fine, but stil no bubbles.

Do you have any ideas as to why i still cant get it to put out bubbles? - I'm a little worried now about my pump stalling 'cos of my DIY method.

 

[moggy]

juwel do a venturi which fit on pipe coming out of the top of the filter it has a small air line connected to it just pushes onto outlet pipe since using in my juwel fish tank fish seem to enjoy it it makes loads of tiny air bubbles in tank which can't be bad for the fish best £6.00 i have spent highly reccommed it

I bought one just last week, (mine was 95p more thou) but after a few days i'd get back from work to find it no longer putting out bubbles. I had a good play about with it, even tried a different length of tube. I couldnt get it to work again. I took out the pump and gave everything a check, everything was fine, but stil no bubbles.

Do you have any ideas as to why i still cant get it to put out bubbles? - I'm a little worried now about my pump stalling 'cos of my DIY method.

on the end of the air tube is a blue cover turn end of it until bubbles appear

 

[juwelfan]

[/quote]
on the end of the air tube is a blue cover turn end of it until bubbles appear
[/quote]

LOL! I've done that! Serious i spent like over an hour playing with every part of it and the pipes and the filter and the tube and the nozzel... and well everything.

I may have to try again soon, but right now i dont wana risk having the extra air stop 'cos of the Ich treatment.

 

[Albaba]

Hi there i have the Venturi bubble unit and quite often it stops making bubbles. Every time this has been due to the filter pads becoming blocked up. Mainly the top white poly pad. As the pump is not pumping as much water through due to blockages, it doesnt have enough power to pull the bubbles down the tube

So all you need to do is change your poly pad and give the other sponges a rinse. This is very handy as when the bubbles stop you know its time for a filter change.

Hope that is of some help

Ali

 

[Bloo]

Most people will probably tell you to ditch the carbon (black) and the nitrate (green) sponges. Just stick to the blue ones (they last for years, so don't bother replacing them unless they start falling apart).
I had to rinse all of them 2 weekly (in siphoned tank water) and replace the white filter pad completely. And also rinse the impellor as sludge built up in it too quickly.

And I didn't even have heavy waste producers in my tank or a heavily stocked / planted tank.

So due to frustrations keeping the filter running smoothly, I ripped it out and replaced with an external.