# ?? conclusions on Fluval equip and microbubbles?



## cich2it (Jul 23, 2012)

After reading threads awhile back on FX5, 406 etc.. did anyone actually come to a conclusion on what causes this problem?
I have a "cheap" 306 fluval and now its doing that bubble thing...Its a little annoying but ...is it all just something we all deal with on this product?

Comments welcome,,,even snarky ones.. :lol: opcorn:


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Trial and error as I think there are many different causes. I think two of the main ones are a improper gasket seal and clogged or too much media.


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## Dawg2012 (May 10, 2012)

I've had the FX5 microbubble problem a few times, and so far I've had good luck solving it by cycling the power several times (until no more air escapes when the unit is powered down).

Haven't had any issues with my 305 or 405, but I'd try that if it happened.

As for what causes the problem - I'm not sure. Obviously there's air in the unit, but why it's there I don't know. It has a self imposed power down/up cycle that it does every 24 hours, which tells me the manufacturer is aware of the problem and that's their attempt to resolve it.

The FX5 has a very high flow rate, which I speculate creates a highly dynamic environment inside the filter, which would make it more sensitive to any issues, such as cavitation or a leaky seal.


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## S2K_Alex (Jul 2, 2012)

im not too sure what your talking about the microbubbles but i know when i do a large water change sometimes the intake tube lets some water out or when im servicing the filter and when i turn it on it just spit out bubbles for about 5 min max, but every now and then il catch it spitting out bubbles but thats because i have an air stone next to the outlet of the fluval so oxygen can be disbursed thus creating little bubbles all over the tank and well obviously the filter will suck in some of those little bubbles then release them but i noticed before i got the air stone if your having problems with the bubbles while you have the filter running tilt the canister foward to let the air out and youl see that you wont have anymore in there and it'll quite it down the unit too, that way when you tilt it your allowing the air to go to the hose and you can get rid of the air but if you have an air stone with bubbles all over the tank logically some bubbles will be sucked in and then creats a large air bubble in the canister and eventually it needs to release it so thats why you see microbubbles thats the only thing i can think of.


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## kittyk (Sep 20, 2012)

S2K_Alex said:


> im not too sure what your talking about the microbubbles but i know when i do a large water change sometimes the intake tube lets some water out or when im servicing the filter and when i turn it on it just spit out bubbles for about 5 min max, but every now and then il catch it spitting out bubbles but thats because i have an air stone next to the outlet of the fluval so oxygen can be disbursed thus creating little bubbles all over the tank and well obviously the filter will suck in some of those little bubbles then release them but i noticed before i got the air stone if your having problems with the bubbles while you have the filter running tilt the canister foward to let the air out and youl see that you wont have anymore in there and it'll quite it down the unit too, that way when you tilt it your allowing the air to go to the hose and you can get rid of the air but if you have an air stone with bubbles all over the tank logically some bubbles will be sucked in and then creats a large air bubble in the canister and eventually it needs to release it so thats why you see microbubbles thats the only thing i can think of.


Are you talking about when you disconnect the hoses from the cannister. Mine several times has squirt water straight up and all over the place...comes out of the connister connection holes. I was wondering if possibly i do something wrong. Maybe not releasing pressure


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## Dawg2012 (May 10, 2012)

On the 305/405 you simply have to very gingerly remove the connection piece. If you do it carefully enough you can do it without having water shoot up.

The FX5 has a drain on the bottom that you can connect to a hose to remove some of the debris from the bottom of the canister, which is a good idea to periodically do. It also alleviates the pressure. Without doing that I always loose a little bit of water when I disconnect either of the hoses - usually enough to get the stand wet.

Someone on here did say that if you shut off the valves in a certain order it alleviated the pressure. Hmmm... maybe I can find that thread.


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## kittyk (Sep 20, 2012)

I put the cannister into a small shallow tub and will have a towel ready next time in case it shoots out. I'll try removing the connection slowly.


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