Canister Filter is blowing bubbles...

[Suzie Q (Lori)]

I did my monthly maintenance on my canister filter about a week ago and now it is releasing bubbles every once in a while. I thought maybe it was because I cleaned out the black sponge thing in there but now I'm not sure. I did a "complete" clean out...meaning that I used tank water to wash out every basket. The black sponge was "nasty" so I rung it out several times. I think I put it back in "dry". I figured it would have "lost" all the air pockets by now. It is not leaking water out. I did prime the filter, but every time it blows bubbles, I can "shake" it and it will release more.

This is the first time it had done it in the 6 months + that it has been running. I have not taken it apart again to see if there is another cause. I will be doing that soon though because I need to clean the hoses out.

Any ideas why it has started doing that?

(may have to edit language after posting so it makes more sense)

Lori

[goldenpuon]

Since you rinsed it out, there may be air pockets from the rinsing. However, since it has been a week, they (I would imagine) would mostly be gone.

If you changed the carbon/or put in a mesh for nitrifying bacteria, this could also have extra air. As well, if there is a bubbler near it, bubbles catching on it and flowing off the side before going up (I hope that makes sense), may give the impression that air is coming from it.

I am no expert on canister filters. However, I would recommend you take it apart and take a look.

I hope that helps.

[Carl]

Besides the possibility of trapped air, you may have a have a leaky connection on the intake side that would not be detected as a leak.

What happens (I have observed this many time with different canister filters) is the small leak will act like an air injector on a power head and the water being pulled past this small leak will draw air into the filter, where it later will get expelled.
If this leak were on the exhaust side, you would be more likely to see a leak/drip of water (not always though)

One way to test is to turn off the filter and then look for a leak.
Another, especially is the leak is very small, is again to turn off the filter, then to seal either the intake or exhaust and blow into the other end for all you got and look for the leak (if any).

Hope this helps

Carl

[Suzie Q (Lori)]

Just took the time to look at the filter. It had an air pocket at the top. I will have to come in early tomorrow and do the maintance I have been putting off. I totally understand what you are saying Carl. The plan is to fill my 14g tote up with water and run the newly cleaned filter thru a cycle to see if it continues. I may have just rushed thru priming it but I want to find out what is causing it before it becomes major.

Thanks for the advice guys!!!

Lori

[angelminx]

Hi! Before the motor on my XP2 died, the hoses really needed to be cleaned out (they are "black" inside), but I could never get them off (unlike the one I got when they first came out with this filter--or at least when I first heard of them). They are hard enough to get on in the first place. I will eventually be getting the Rio 1000, to convert the filter, per Carl's suggestion, but my tank has more important needs right now since I have the Whisper 60 HOB power filter. However, when I do, I want to replace the hoses (I will need to anyway since I'll be placing the intake/outlet tubes in different places than before) and need suggestions on how to remove them. I also will need to replace the outlet pipe extensions, the outflow regulator, and the power jet nozzle. I had thrown them away because I thought the filter was now trash. I do still have everything else, though.

I, too, eventually (after a couple of years) had problems with the filter literally spitting out jets of bubbles; definitely coming from the nozzle. Will this be a problem when I switch to the Rio powerhead? I had replaced my original XP2 because one day, after about 4 or 5 years(?), my Mom was helping to change the water and clean the filter (I was recently back from the nursing home after breaking my leg, and she had to carry things for me--I did the actual work), and later in the evening when I went into the bedroom, the carpet was soaked, and about 1/3 of the water was missing from the aquarium. She had to come back over and help me clean up and try to figure out what had happened. I'd had no problems before this. It turned out that the filter was leaking from where the cord entered the motor housing.