# Increasing flow out of canister filter?



## KLUG.JOSH (May 19, 2011)

Hello, I am new to canister filters so forgive me if I come across dumb, I recently purchased an eheim canister filter off craigslist. Once I got it set up i found it to not have a very strong flow. i filled it with pot scrubbies so there should not be a restriction. It is an older model number is a typ 381.. My question is can I put an external pump after the canister to boost the water flow through the canister? Or is it designed to have this flow rate to help with biological growth or something. Like I said before I am new to this whole thing so sorry if this is already discussed on another post and I did not see it.
O and the tank is a 55gallon, 12 african cichlids (one inch fry) and one large pleco. also has a hob whisper ex70. 
Thanks
Josh


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## newforestrob (Feb 1, 2010)

putting an external pump is not recommended or needed,I would check the impellor,then I would clean out the hoses,maybe theres debris in the gate valve(shut offs)


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

A point to check which is easy to miss is the small tube where water comes out of the canister. It is easy for the small barrel shaped media to get in there and not be seen. I tie a rag on a thin wire and drag it back and forth through the tubing to clean them.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

My answers are typed in red next to your questions.



KLUG.JOSH said:


> i filled it with pot scrubbies so there should not be a restriction.
> Pot scrubbies are not very efficient in a canister filter.
> 
> It is an older model number is a typ 381.
> ...


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## KLUG.JOSH (May 19, 2011)

Thank you for all your comments, the ehiem is pretty old i think. I would posted a picture of the canister from before i set it up, but i can not figure out how.... the only sticker on the unit just says typ 381.. As for the tubing there are no shut off valves b/c when i bought it it had no tubing. I used clear 1/2 tubing for the outlet and clear 5/8 tubing for the inlet. The little piece between the canister and pump is 1/2 clear tubing as well. I was not aware of scrubbies not working well in canisters. Biomax be a much better way to go? O and what would i be looking for on the impeller as far as it being faulty? 
Again Thank you!


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Josh,
Does it look similar to the filter in the following link?

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... irst-Eheim

If you want to post pics, you need to use a hosting site. I use photobucket & found it easy to use, considering I'm not good with that kind of stuff.

Edit update: Here is a link to your filter from another forum. It appears this model is over 30 years old and parts are not available for it, http://usafishbox.forumotion.com/t8097- ... s-plz-help

But if you should decide you want to part with it, keep me in mind as I would like to purchase it from you.


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## KLUG.JOSH (May 19, 2011)

Yes it is exactly the same as the one in the second link. So I guess I bought a 30 year old filter. Well besides the slow flow it seems to work great.. and is very! quite. So I never got a solid answer on my original question. If I can not find parts for this canister would it be possible for me to stick my external pump after the canister to increase the flow? Would the canister still work as it should?


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## xxbenjamminxx (Jan 22, 2011)

I think Deeda nailed right on the head with you could, BUT you would have to remove the old impeller and not plug in the filter. So you will just be using the canister and hoses and the motor will just "Be there".


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

> So I never got a solid answer on my original question. If I can not find parts for this canister would it be possible for me to stick my external pump after the canister to increase the flow? Would the canister still work as it should?


The first question was answered very well by Deeda, I thought. You amaze me Deeda, btw, with how much you know about filters. The answer to the other question about bio is that it'll work just fine and do bio just fine with an increase in flow.


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## shellies215 (Jan 7, 2011)

I want to add that you would need to be realistic when choosing a pump, The canister is gravity fed, so the pump needs to be sized appropriately for the amount of water that can physically flow into and through the canister.

You can't just put a 1000 gph pump on there and get a 1000 gph filter, If you could, fluval wouldn't be selling too many fx5's


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

Good point, and I'm assuming that there's an effort to only achieve a more reasonable flow from an under achieving filter.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Josh, I've never actually seen this filter in person so I'm not sure what exactly you would need to do in order to circumvent the stock pump and hook up an external pump to improve the flow.

You may be able to remove the existing pump and mount a comparable pump in its place without damaging the original canister lid. It may take some creativity to do this.

Can you determine from the pump label what this filter's rating is? I'm looking specifically for the pump wattage and either GPH or LPH.

Shellies215 has a valid point regarding flow. Since the existing filter has 5/8" tubing on the input and 1/2" tubing on the output, I would consider that it is comparable to an Eheim 2217. You should look for a pump that would have similar input/output sizes & flow rates that would fit the footprint you need if you want to mount it in the same general position.

Tim and xxbenjamminxx, I appreciate the vote of confidence from both of you. I guess I just spend too much time researching solutions to filter problems. I find it fascinating though that this filter still works considering it's age and hope the OP finds a viable solution and shares it with all of us.


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## KLUG.JOSH (May 19, 2011)

Thanks a lot for all the advice. Alright so the eheim 2217 has a 268gph flow rate so I am going to go off of this in regards to a new pump seeing as though there is no other info on this pump I have now. The pump just un bolts from a bracket off the top lid. So taking it off should be a snap. I am going to try and find a pump with similar gph and the right head length. I will keep everyone posted on an update. Have a few other ideas floating around in my head so we will see..
Josh


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Josh, your plan sounds great and I would probably do the exact same thing.

You will probably have to make a mounting platform for the pump you do decide to use. My suggestion would be to use some type of soft rubber spacers or stand offs between the pump bracket/platform to reduce any noise or vibration that would be amplified by hard surfaces.

For instance, my Eheim 2260 filter has an external pump mounted on top of the canister lid that is comparable to your filter style. The pump mounting bracket has 4 small rubber spacers between the bracket and the stand offs molded onto the lid. This reduces the vibrations considerably.

Please post some pics of your design when you do this project. Details are always nice but a picture is worth a thousand words.


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## KLUG.JOSH (May 19, 2011)

Will do. Going to be a few days before I get the pump, iÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m going to shop around a little. Thinking about using a Danner Mag Drive Pump Model 5- 500gph, Its head height says at 5ft tall it flows 286 gph so that should be perfect for the canister. I will post pictures of design once I get the pump and everything all lay out. Again thank you very much for everyoneÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s help. There is a lot of knowledge and good advice on this forum.
Josh


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## KLUG.JOSH (May 19, 2011)

Ok finally got time to make a photo bucket to post pictures. Here is a picture of the canister before I set it up. Just so everyone can see what im working with.
http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/i32 ... 110834.jpg
Josh


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