Please help with canister filter set up

[TealStarlight]

Anyone got the sunsun hw-3000 canister filter that could help me with the instructions? What pieces go together and how to stack the floss? I know how to stack the biomedia but do you keep them in the zip bag? If somebody could draw arrows with markup on these pics would really help out.

For the number 2 mark up'd pic my question is would i stack 2 of these floss pads on the blue pad? What should i do with the other 2 of the 4 floss pads? For 1 10.5" long comet goldfish in 125 gallon tank

[Guppysnail]

First canister filters are intimidating.  I do not have this type so cannot help.  If I recall I believe @dasaltemelosguy and @NOLANANO have of these.  
 

 

[mynameisnobody]

I could walk you through it, but I think it would be much more effective to check YouTube for a walk through. The visuals will help much more than words can. Good luck. 

[NOLANANO]

I have a sun sun and its pretty straight forward. I agree that Youtube would be your best friend in this situation. To answer a couple of you questions:

1) I would not keep the bio ring in the bag. I don't think the tray would sit right if they aren't spread out in a single layer.

2)As for the sponges, if you are using only what they gave you (thats fine if you are), I would put the blue sponge at the bottom and the filter floss above it. Its up to you if you want multple layers of filter floss in a single tray or if you want to line each tray with a filter floss pad.

As for how I have my filter trays set up, I purchased the sponges in the below link and I put the coarsest sponges (3 of them) at the bottom, and then the second coarsest (3 of them) in the second trey, and then the finest (1 of them) in the 3rd tray with bio balls on top, and then a filter pad (1 of them) in the top tray with the bio rings on top.  This way the larger particles can be caught by the coarser pads and the filter floss can just get the finer particles. this helps avoid clogging.

 

Amazon.com : AQUANEAT 9 pcs Replacement Aquarium Canister Filter Pads Compatible with SUNSUN HW-304B/404B/704B/3000 CF500 Filter Pads Bio Sponges : Pet Supplies

[dasaltemelosguy]

On 3/26/2024 at 6:35 PM, TealStarlight said:

Anyone got the sunsun hw-3000 canister filter that could help me with the instructions? What pieces go together and how to stack the floss? I know how to stack the biomedia but do you keep them in the zip bag? If somebody could draw arrows with markup on these pics would really help out.

For the number 2 mark up'd pic my question is would i stack 2 of these floss pads on the blue pad? What should i do with the other 2 of the 4 floss pads? For 1 10.5" long comet goldfish in 125 gallon tank

This video from the Pond Guru shows how he loads his SunSun 302 but they are all similar except for the number of trays (i.e. the 704b has 4 trays). They are all pretty much similar in that the flow is from bottom-to-top, so you want the first tray to have the filter pads that @NOLANANO suggested. i used the same ones. From bottom up: Coarse filter, Medium filter, Fine filter and the rest of the trays are filled with biomedia. Pond Guru uses Biohome but use whatever biomedia you prefer or have in its place. They often add some ceramic rings in the very bottom, below the trays as it's supposed to help prevent clogs and improve flow into the trays.

Amazon.com : Fluval Pre-Filter Media, Mechanical Filter Media for Aquariums, Ceramic Rings, 26.45 oz., A1470 : Aquarium Water Pumps : Pet Supplies

Most people recommend using these in the very bottom. I just add more rings there. 

It's not easy to find a better choice/$ than a SunSun for media capacity and GPH. Good luck. 

 

Edited March 27 by dasaltemelosguy

[TealStarlight]

On 3/27/2024 at 5:02 AM, Guppysnail said:

First canister filters are intimidating.  I do not have this type so cannot help.  If I recall I believe @dasaltemelosguy and @NOLANANO have of these.  
 

 

Thank you very much for your kindness and help. Both members actually replied, and we’re very helpful. I am very grateful. 

[NOLANANO]

@TealStarlight the only other advice I’d give about the sun sun is open the lid as seldom as possible. The reviews on it say that it is prone to leak but I have had mine for over 2 years without any issues and I think it’s because I have only opened the lid like 3-4 times to do maintenance. Otherwise the lid stays shut. 

[TealStarlight]

On 3/28/2024 at 8:25 AM, NOLANANO said:

@TealStarlight the only other advice I’d give about the sun sun is open the lid as seldom as possible. The reviews on it say that it is prone to leak but I have had mine for over 2 years without any issues and I think it’s because I have only opened the lid like 3-4 times to do maintenance. Otherwise the lid stays shut. 

Oh thank you very much. I actually have a list of questions I wrote. Can you please help with them?

1. The O-ring around the lid and The 2 seal O-rings  around the number 1 on directions inlet & outlet discreteness. How do I know when it’s time to replace it? How will I know when its going bad before its too late and starts leaking? One YouTube video (link below) said when it starts to get hard but how long should I wait? I can’t find the information. I’m really confused. 
2. Where can I find this information ? 
3. What would prevent a large water leak like one amazon 1 star review said 50% of gallon tank was on floor. Keeping the inlet high to the top of tank or smthng? 
4. What kind of grease do I use for the gasket?  Pics attached.  One youtube video said to use silicone and grease around the gasket where do I apply it at how often do I apply it? and where can I buy the silicone grease? 
5. Is petroleum jelly safe to use on gaskets and it safe for fish such as comet Goldfish? 
6. Where can i get Gasket replacement parts and 4 seal rings for inlet&outlet discreteness piece cuz im still waiting to hear back from the company. Super grateful for the help I love my goldfish so much. I am so grateful for the help.

 

 

[TealStarlight]

On 3/27/2024 at 9:54 AM, dasaltemelosguy said:

This video from the Pond Guru shows how he loads his SunSun 302 but they are all similar except for the number of trays (i.e. the 704b has 4 trays). They are all pretty much similar in that the flow is from bottom-to-top, so you want the first tray to have the filter pads that @NOLANANO suggested. i used the same ones. From bottom up: Coarse filter, Medium filter, Fine filter and the rest of the trays are filled with biomedia. Pond Guru uses Biohome but use whatever biomedia you prefer or have in its place. They often add some ceramic rings in the very bottom, below the trays as it's supposed to help prevent clogs and improve flow into the trays.

Amazon.com : Fluval Pre-Filter Media, Mechanical Filter Media for Aquariums, Ceramic Rings, 26.45 oz., A1470 : Aquarium Water Pumps : Pet Supplies

Most people recommend using these in the very bottom. I just add more rings there. 

It's not easy to find a better choice/$ than a SunSun for media capacity and GPH. Good luck. 

 

Oh thank you very much. I actually have a list of questions I wrote. Can you please help with them?

1. The O-ring around the lid and The 2 seal O-rings  around the number 1 on directions inlet & outlet discreteness. How do I know when it’s time to replace it? How will I know when its going bad before its too late and starts leaking? One YouTube video (link below) said when it starts to get hard but how long should I wait? I can’t find the information. I’m really confused. 
3. Where can I find this information ? 
4. What would prevent a large water leak like one amazon 1 star review said 50% of gallon tank was on floor. Keeping the inlet high to the top of tank or smthng? 
5. What kind of grease do I use for the gasket?  Pics attached.  One youtube video said to use silicone and grease around the gasket where do I apply it at how often do I apply it? and where can I buy the silicone grease? 
6. Is petroleum jelly safe to use on gaskets and it safe for fish such as comet Goldfish? 
7. Where can i get Gasket replacement parts and 4 seal rings for inlet&outlet discreteness piece cuz im still waiting to hear back from the company. Super grateful for the help I love my goldfish so much. I am so grateful for the help.

 

 

[dasaltemelosguy]

1. @TealStarlight, The O-ring around the lid and The 2 seal O-rings  around the number 1 on directions inlet & outlet discreteness. How do I know when it’s time to replace it? How will I know when its going bad before its too late and starts leaking? One YouTube video (link below) said when it starts to get hard but how long should I wait? I can’t find the information. I’m really confused. 

It will start leaking air well before it leaks water. When you start getting a lot of bubbles in the output, it will need some attention. 

2. Where can I find this information ? 

The SunSun's use a pressure fitting so as they wear, you cannot compensate by tightening a screw or the like. On all of my 704's I had to add Teflon tape around the channel where the O-ring goes to make the O-ring tighter and that has always worked for me. 

 

PLUMBERS TEFLON THREAD SEAL TAPE 1/2" X 520" PIPE FITTING AIR GAS LINES | eBay

3. What would prevent a large water leak like one amazon 1 star review said 50% of gallon tank was on floor. Keeping the inlet high to the top of tank or smthng? 

I have only seen the top "pop" when the output was completely obstructed so the internal pressure built up too high. 

5. What kind of grease do I use for the gasket?  Pics attached.  One youtube video said to use silicone and grease around the gasket where do I apply it at how often do I apply it? and where can I buy the silicone grease? 
6. Is petroleum jelly safe to use on gaskets and it safe for fish such as comet Goldfish? 

I use plumbers' silicone. It's made for faucets and the like so it's non-toxic and non-caustic to the ring material and has always fixed any leaks I've had. 

 

Waterproof Food Grade Silicone Lubricant Grease for O Rings Ring Faucet Plumbers | eBay

7. Where can i get Gasket replacement parts and 4 seal rings for inlet&outlet discreteness piece cuz im still waiting to hear back from the company. Super grateful for the help I love my goldfish so much. I am so grateful for the help.

I've never needed to replace a gasket on mine. Teflon tape and silicone has done the trick for the past 5 years. But if you need them, eBay is a great source for these parts at a discount. 

 

SUNSUN CANISTER O-RING GASKET HW-302 303 304 402 403 404 702 703 704 3000 5000 | eBay

 

The only area I have had consistent trouble with SunSun's is the UV bulb gets hot enough to melt the tube structure in the trays. This took several years to deform enough to have to replace them (I used 2" PVC pipes-or you can buy replacement trays) though, but it happened on all 3 of my SunSun's. 

 

The only other aspect of note that may be redundant is the base must be aligned with the front or the UV light will not turn on. It uses a small magnet glued on the front to trigger a magnetic switch to turn off the UV if you open it. 

 

As a whole, the output and reliability is hard to beat a SunSun for the money.