Noisy, Bubbly Marineland C360

[Daisy]

Hello there,

Today, I bought my first canister filter (Marineland C360) for my 90 gallon tank.  I have no experience with canister filters, so followed the directions slavishly, to get it going. 

It started up fine and is running... but it's noisy. Specifically, it whooshes and sputters every few seconds as air bubbles seem to be expelled through the hoses.

Another OVAS member who has been very helpful has suggested that, since I did not fill the canister with water before priming it to start (the instructions did not tell me to fill the canister, first...), that the air in the media and canister is being expelled and that this will take awhile.  I'm really hoping that's all it is.

Anyone else had the whooshing / sputtering problem?  Are there solutions out there?  Thought there'd be no harming in asking the group, too...

Entirely possible that I've done something wrong... and hope I can fix it if so. 
Because otherwise, I can't sleep for all the noise!

Thanks, all.

Daisy.

[Funkmotor]

If it's not taking air in somehow, then it's only expelling what's in there.

So, yeah, probably nothing to worry about.

If you give it a bit of a shake now and then, it will go quicker.

[Daisy]

Thanks for this - yes, the other OVAS member gave me this advice too.  Am a bit worried though,  since it's been over 2hrs and it's still sputtering quite a bit, with no apparent end in sight.

Will keep giving it small shakes... and hope it clears up.

Guess I should have filled it with water before turning it on in the first place... !

[Daisy]

And I can't imagine where it could be taking IN air... the hoses are tight, the canister itself is sealed, so.... 

Hrmph.

[jetstream]

Few things you could try:

Shake the canister once a while until all the air get out if your filter location provides enough downward intake pressure. Which means your tank location is high enough from the filter.
Unplug and plug your filter few times to give the air bubble chance get out of the impeller.
Try tilt and rotate the filter slowly, there's chance at certain spots, the impeller sucks out the air inside the filter better and faster.
Last, make sure the intake and outward valves are fully open (if they come with your filter like Eheim), otherwise the back pressure will stop the air bubble that trapped inside the impeller from getting out.

If none of the above work for you... then you need to get help and suggestions from other member!  

[Daisy]

thank you  -  I will try all of this!

this fishtank is in my bedroom ... which I'm now thinking might have been a 90 gallon strategic error :-) 

[ciaus]

The media that comes with the c360 has a very large amount of air that gets trapped in the bottom sponge and the charcoal bags.  Since you primed the canister from dry you are gong to have many hours of gurgling until it evacuates all the air, mostly small bubbles.bubbles.

Stop the canister, unplug it.
disconnect the hose assembly from the canister top.
take the canister to the sink.
open the canister top.
remove the media trays
rinse  the charcoal bags in water until they run clear, initially the run off will be polluted with charcoal dust....
compress the mechanical sponge with your hand, while it is submerged, that will expell most of the trapped air.
reassemble the trays, be sure to align the baskets correctly....
place baskets back into canister housing and top off the canister with tank water.
reattach the canister lid.
return to the aquarium, reconnect eh hose assembly to the canister top.
press and release the prime button a few times, you should hear some water flow and a little bit of air may escape up the output hose...
plug in the canister...and repeat eh primer button a few more times.  The unit should be 90% quiet within an hour, and gentle shaking of the canister body will ensure any residual air gets moved out...The system will gurgle for as long as there is trapped air...but if you follow what I have written here, you sholud have very litttle residual trapped air.

PS: Go buy more ceramic rings form Pet Smart for 11 bux (Eheim brand 1kg box) and add them into the top basket with the supplied ceramic rings....you will be able to support a larger colony of the good guy bacteria if you do this.  You may also decide to remove or never use charcoal in the canister as others have suggested, but that is a personal decision you will need to make for yourself, knowing it needs to be cleaned/replaced at least on a monthly basis. which means stopping and starting the whole canister system.   

PS: Who ever you were speaking to before sure sounds like they knew what they were talking about, probably a smart guy too.  You should send him a box of beer!
HTH
Best regards,

Ciaus.

[Daisy]

GREAT :-)
Thank you again, for this.
I've followed every step VERY carefully... will see!

(One irritating design flaw that I noticed when I disassembled / reassembled the canister was that the little plastic balls in the media compartment that is presumably for... biological filtration... float!;  not only does this main re-assembly of the media trays problematic, but these little balls also precisely the same size as the airway that allows water to run through the filter... and so they easily block it, unless you check with your finger to ensure the airway is clear.) Grrrrrr.

While I wait for my filter to stop gurgling, I am bringing my stress level down by watching my 2 new sterbae (?) corydoras....  Is it possible for such little fish to have personalities?  These guys are very neat looking, and also really active in the tank, hanging out at mid level as much as on the bottom, in fact :-)   I quite like corydoras :-)

Sorry - not an equipment observation.  I'll abide by the rules.

Cheers - I'll report back later on whether filter problem is resolved!  Thanks to everyone for the help with this.

Daisy.

[elk]

Your first mistake was buying this canister filter from Marineland,dont get me wrong Marineland makes great power filters like the Emperor series but they are now making canisters and never buy a new design or product.
If you can,I would return it and buy either a Fluval 305 or 405 which costs about 50.00 more but its worth it or if you can afford an Eheim product.
If you bought it at Petsmart you have 30 days exchange or return with bill of sale and no questions asked but if you bought it at Bigals youre probably stuck with it.

[ordi260]

hello,

i own 2 marinelands canisters and i had no problems so far...you can check for those little tightening plastic things located on the hoses, make sure they are tight enough.

Those filters are quite quiet and deliver correct performance.
Mine aren't making any noise...let me know if it helps!

[Daisy]

Hi there - thanks for this :-)

Yes, indeed - I have checked the hoses and tightened everything that I can find.  The problem persists!

I've called the shop, and they've said they'll take a look on Tuesday.   

Glad yours are working very well -  I'm hopeful I can make it work, since (if only it were quieter), I quite like the filter!

Thanks for chiming in - I appreciate that.

[charlie]

I also have a smaller model of this filter, with no issues, it`s as quiet as any of the 5 Eheims i run & so far the build quailty ain`t too shabby.
Regards
P.S. Is there any air bubblers close to the pick up line of the filter?

[Daisy]

Hi Charlie, thanks for this.
For now, I've actually unplugged it, because it was driving me crazy :-)
But, I will try again tomorrow, before heading back to the shop.
Sorry - can you help:  what do you mean by "pick up line"?  Do you mean... the intake? In the tank?
Hmmm.
Daisy.

[charlie]

Hi Daisy, yes i`m referring to the intake.
Regards

[Daisy]

Mysteriously, I did see what seemed to be a very little bit of air in the hose from the intake, and close to where the hose joins the intake gizmo / attachment.  I thought that possibly the clamp wasn't tight enough around the hose (where it joins the gizmo), so I pulled it as tight as I could - and I just can't imagine that any air is getting in, there.  Everything looks very sealed up tight.

Just can't figure it out.
Anyhow - I don't want to take up everyone's evening :-) 
I will sort it out and report back :-)
Thanks Charlie.

[Rob Labonte]

I have a c-360 and ive had to return it twice in the first month I bought it.

these filters have a recall on them. if you call marineland, they will send you a whole new head for the filter for free. takes a few days. I suggest taking your filter back, getting a replacement and still calling marineland to get a new head. this way you'll have a spare.

my filter wasnt even part of the recalled batch and I still had problems. Im always afraid to take it apart to clean because this is when ive always had a problem with it.

If you read reviews of this filters you'll see its pretty 50/50. some get lucky and have no problems and others get screwed.

problem with them is the seals in the motor head. you get water in the head and air comming in.

when my filter does work....it takes up to a day for it to stop making noises. so id wait it out a day or 2 and watch for leaks.

also bear in mind that water is way more oxygenated in the winter and if you have just put water in your tank then it will take longer as these fine bubbles will get into the filter as well.

also....you dont need any water in the filter when you prime it. set up filter dry, pump your prime button (not plugged in) and then wait for your outake to stop bubbling, then plug in.

I dont recommend pushing the prime button while theirs  water in the filter. I think this is what screwed my other ones up.

[Daisy]

Holy smokes... mixed reviews indeed :-(

Thanks for this feedback, even if discouraging.

I'm taking the filter back to X shop tomorrow night.

Based on your review, I'm inclined to seek a full refund and to look at another filter altogether.  I shouldn't have this much trouble in the first two days of ownership; and I don't want this to drive me crazy for years to come.  (Ironic, since fish tanks are supposed to be relaxing...!)

Plus, we're Canadian, so it's winter 9 months of the year :-)  That's a lot of bubbles to tolerate.

How would I find out which batch of C-360s were subject to the recall?  And thanks for the tip on this, by the way.  I did not see any reference to any such recall online.

Quite a frustrating initiation to canister filters, I have to say...  And while not the absolute top of the line, this one was not cheap, either!

Thanks again for your help.

[Daisy]

So - reporting back on progress.
(?)

Attempted to return the faulty Marineland 360 (which doesn't work), and was very disappointed to only be offered store credit for a broken product.  Hmmmm.

Best they would do is provide me with a brand new.... Marineland 360.

Stay tuned for more plaintive email from me :-)

I'll set it up on the weekend, since I can't face it just yet. 
Need to steel my nerves :-)

[ciaus]

Couple of suggestions....if you want.

1)  You pick up a new c360 from BA, bring it still sealed, to my place and we can set it up on my system verify is runs quiet. (I live in Rockland.)
2)  I can help you set it up at your place.
3)  Bring it to the auction on the weekend, still sealed, and we can set it up on a tank that might be there, or set it up against a sink full of tap water....

I am completely flexible in terms of what you wish to do, I am merely offering.

I know these are sound devices, (pun intended).

Let me know.
Ciaus

PS: One thing I have not asked and  I notice no one else has asked either, at your aquarium, is the canister housing below the bottom of the intake point in the aquarium?  You aren't trying to draft water horizontally or upward are you?

[Daisy]

Ciaus -  thanks for these further suggestions and the offer; I'll think about all of that, and appreciate it.

I'm taking a day or two off from the filter problem, to regain my sense of humour :-)

And as for the placement -  I obediently followed instructions, put the canister under the tank, and measured the distance from the bottom of canister to top of tank, to ensure it fit the rules.  No drafting of water, sideways or upside down :-)

When they set up my filter at the store last night, they could not get it to stop drawing air, from the point where the hose joined the out-take gizmo.  So, the filter was flawed (in that, and probably other areas.)

Grrrr.
Thanks for the help.
Daisy