FLUVAL FX5 PROBLEM....

[Jgray152]

I run a LOT of canister filters and HAVE run just about all of them over the years at one time or another. That said...the FX5 is FAR from temperimantal....in fact it's one of the best systems I've every used. The problem is that your dealing with SAND on a canister filter with the drive motor on the bottom of the unit rather than the top. Sand will ALWAYS end up on the bottom and even a very small amount can get between the impeller magnet and the drive housing and stop the impeller long enough to burn out the motor.

Sand usually stays on the outside of the baskets since the water flows through the spunges and up the sides, then down into the center baskets. I have never seen sand in the center portion of the baskets.

The small bubbles are usually from clogged material in the Fx5 and the impeller cavitaing.

 

[zennzzo]

Thanks to 'flagtail', removing the blue pad from the middle chamber fixed my filter and saved me from crushing everything in a 10 meter radius in a raging tantrum.

Hagen says to put it in the lower chamber, but I though I was smart and put one in the middle too. haha.

Glad you guys got it figured out....Hagen knows best huh?

 

[Jawss]

Glad you guys got it figured out....Hagen knows best huh?

I can’t believe I found all this on the FX5 I am having the same issue, it's driving me crazy. I took out all the bag medium and left the ceramic in the top and bottom, nothing in the middle. The problem persisted. I will now try to evenly distribute the ceramic medium among all 3 chambers and try again. If that doesn’t work I am going got throw this filter out the window.

 

[q_fish]

my xp3 use to do that. but i check all the clamp and add alittle more media to all and it didnt do it after anymore.. i dink it either has a leak somewhere or it sucking up the air bubble =)

 

[citypainter]

Great post. I googled this problem from Sydney Australia and have learned a lot before I go into a trial and error situation.
Thanks

 

[zennzzo]

sand...even a very small amount can get between the impeller magnet and the drive housing and stop the impeller long enough to burn out the motor.

There is no way, in Gods green earth, that a "magnetic drive" motor, when stalled, can burn anything out...
a "magnetic drive" consists of an "electromagnetic field" (epoxy encapsulated motor housing) and a "permanent magnet" (like the one the impeller is mounted on)...
Sand can wear the housing through and shred the magnet like a piece of sand paper would, but even if enough sand gets into the housing to lock the impeller, nothing will burn out...

 

[NoobGuy]

how many months do you have to replace the seals for the fx5? and how many seals are there to be replace? because i had a fluval 405 and that leaked all over my floor, like about 40% volume of the tank, i though it was just the evaporate cus i was out of town for the weekend... i was pisssed so i just purchased a FX5 today and i'm quite happy with it for now.

 

[dee_nice83]

had this same problem today. Took out the blue pad floss and now no more spraying of bubbles as of now. So we will see. Got scrubbies in the middle and biomax on the bottom tray.

 

[mzhantsche]

Bump the tread. Ditto on everything. They should just print this tread and put it in the owners manual. I have no polishing pads but i do have sand.