Drenon88 Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 (edited) I'm not happy with the Fluval 207 that I put on my 29 gallon four weeks ago. My 207 cannot keep the water clear! It is working, there is plenty of flow coming from the outlet, but there is a lot of particles constantly floating around the water column and it's unsightly. I have a spare Aquaclear HOB that I put course sponge and some filter floss in and it clears the water up within 90 minutes, but I don't really want to keep both filters running - I feel like the Fluval canister should keep a 29g clear! Am I expecting too much from this filter? I think I'm going to return the Fluval to Petco and find something better, but I'm not sure what to get. I'm kind of in experimental mode when it comes to filters, I haven't found anything that I'm really happy with. I don't mind HOB filters, if they were guaranteed not to rattle and were more quiet. I know sponge filters are highly recommended, but my aquascape is complete and I don't want to switch to a sponge for the 29g until I'm ready to complete redo the tank. What am I not considering? Any suggestions for a replacement for the 207 that will keep the water nice and clear? Edited October 20, 2020 by David Olszewski Typo and clarification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 Did you rinse the media before putting anything in it? ie. bio rings, purigen etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drenon88 Posted October 20, 2020 Author Share Posted October 20, 2020 1 hour ago, Sleepy said: Did you rinse the media before putting anything in it? ie. bio rings, purigen etc. II've cleaned the filter and rinsed the media twice since I got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 Hmmmm yeah that filter should be able to handle a 29 with no issue I would just double check to make sure you the have all the sponges seated correctly and in the proper spots maybe look at a youtube video (just in case) Also like I do with all my canister filters (when I still ran them I also have a 207) I put some finer sponge/filter floss to line the bottom of the trays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drenon88 Posted October 20, 2020 Author Share Posted October 20, 2020 I'm confident that I have all the sponges and trays seated correctly. I'm not using charcoal so the top tray is completely filled with filter floss; you'd think that would be good enough. Thanks Sleepy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChemBob Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 I have a 207 on a 20 gallon and haven't had any issues. It keeps my water very clear. The only thing I can think would be to ensure the flow through your whole tank is good. It you have dead spots or eddies in your tank, that may be causing the problem. The additional flow or different flow pattern from the HOB may be removing this zones. I'd play around with the return and intake nozzle direction and placement a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drenon88 Posted October 20, 2020 Author Share Posted October 20, 2020 37 minutes ago, ChemBob said: I have a 207 on a 20 gallon and haven't had any issues. It keeps my water very clear. The only thing I can think would be to ensure the flow through your whole tank is good. It you have dead spots or eddies in your tank, that may be causing the problem. The additional flow or different flow pattern from the HOB may be removing this zones. I'd play around with the return and intake nozzle direction and placement a bit. I only put the HOB in to clear up the tank because the 207 isn't doing it - then I remove again afterward. I've adjusted the output nozzle in varying positions, but I don't really see a difference when I point the nozzle parallel to the back glass, at a 45° toward the front of the tank or at 90° toward the front. Now that I'm thinking about it, it doesn't seem like it's producing much flow. I haven't had a 207 or seen one in use before so I don't know how strong the flow is supposed to be. Before I posted here I was looking into a powerhead or circulation fan of some sort to add to the tank but I keep returning to my initial thought that this filter should be more than adequate for a 29g. Maybe I just got a bad filter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 That's odd because I have a 207 on a 29 and a 30, and both are clear. I have the fluval foam in the bottom tray, and K1 media in the upper trays. I have the intake and output both in the same back corner. Intake in corner, and output a few inches away directed diagonally across the tank. I'm actually reducing the flow a bit (their manual says you can do so up to half way without impact on the motor). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChemBob Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 How packed is your filter? If you have over packed the filter, that may be causing additional flow restrictions causing low flow. In some cases, less is more. Also, I'd check to ensure everything is connected correctly and there aren't any blockages in the hoses or housing, especially around the pump and pump intake. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 Honestly aside from having a dud the only other things I could think of is maybe the canister head isnt seated or sealing properly or maybe its got air stuck in and it needs to be primed a bit more when its been taken apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drenon88 Posted October 21, 2020 Author Share Posted October 21, 2020 1 hour ago, ChemBob said: How packed is your filter? If you have over packed the filter, that may be causing additional flow restrictions causing low flow. In some cases, less is more. Also, I'd check to ensure everything is connected correctly and there aren't any blockages in the hoses or housing, especially around the pump and pump intake. You may be onto something. I may have too much floss in the top media tray. I’ll reduce it by half and report back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drenon88 Posted October 21, 2020 Author Share Posted October 21, 2020 On 10/20/2020 at 1:35 PM, Bill said: That's odd because I have a 207 on a 29 and a 30, and both are clear. I have the fluval foam in the bottom tray, and K1 media in the upper trays. I have the intake and output both in the same back corner. Intake in corner, and output a few inches away directed diagonally across the tank. I'm actually reducing the flow a bit (their manual says you can do so up to half way without impact on the motor). My IN & OUT are in opposite corners - I thought that was ideal? Does it make little difference if there isn’t much separation between them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 (edited) 20 minutes ago, David Olszewski said: My IN & OUT are in opposite corners - I thought that was ideal? Does it make little difference if there isn’t much separation between them! Yes, opposite corners is the usual location. But on the 29 it's small enough so it works out fine if you put them in the same corner as long as the output is pointing diagonally away. If I feed with the filter on full output I can literally see the food swept across to the opposite corner. And with the intake at the bottom and output at top, there's good circulation. I usually don't even run it at full output. And this also makes it so that the tubing can be at minimal length. Edited October 21, 2020 by Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drenon88 Posted October 21, 2020 Author Share Posted October 21, 2020 Cleaned the filter and removed about 50% of the filter floss from the top media tray. The outflow is noticeably improved! Going to see how clear the water is in a couple of days ... I hope this resolves my issues! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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