FX6 filling with air

[Kelly]

My Fluval FX6 keeps filling with air and I can't detect any leaks, I have no idea where it is sucking air because when I turn it off there are no water leaks. Does anyone know if this is a common problem with the FX6? I have a 306 on my 55 and it runs great with no air issues at all.

[FishBuddy]

My Fluval FX6 keeps filling with air and I can't detect any leaks, I have no idea where it is sucking air because when I turn it off there are no water leaks. Does anyone know if this is a common problem with the FX6? I have a 306 on my 55 and it runs great with no air issues at all.

I have both a FX-5 and FX-6 running for over 2 years now with no issues.  These beasts are awesome canisters!  Even though your unit might take in air from time to time, the unit will purge itself twice a day (on a 12-hour schedule) which basically gets rid of the air. 

Did you see your FX-6 purges twice a day?  Were you able to confirm this?  Also, make sure your intake strainer is not near any air bubblers   These unit are powerful and takes in large volume of water each minute.

[Kelly]

It's not near the air bubbler, and it does purge twice daily. if i unplug the filter between purges it takes in an extreme amount of water leaving me to believe it's not filtering properly or at least not well. When I do my water change and cleaning this weekend I think I'll move the filter from under my stand to the side of it. I'm not sure but I think the culprit could be that I can't put enough force down on the connections when I clean the filter and somehow it draws in air when running.

[tanksalot360]

My experience is with the FX5
- double check that the air purging "straw" on the underside of the lid is not obstructed
- make sure the media in the baskets allow for flow - I've had fine filter pads actually stop the flow from moving from the bottom basket upwards
- use some silicon lubricant (no petroleum base - should be clear and not yellow) for the quick connects on the top of the unit - theyll slide on and click - (I found some at lowes in a little baby blue/clear container about 2in diameter - looks like lipbalm - hanging on a card in the plumbing department with a bunch of small parts, but can also check pool supply)
- ensure the cut end of the hose is below the waterline in the tank, and the rubber end is well seated on the end of the hose.
- otherwise I know hagen sells the main gasket/ring for replacement, this could be replaced but I've never known anyone that has had to replace it
I'm sure you've checked all this out, but I thought I'd give it a shot!

[Kelly]

Thanks for the info, the silicon lube is a great idea, I don't have a lot of top clearance to push the quick connects on so maybe that's the problem, I'll give it a try.

[Kelly]

I couldn't find silicone lube at the big box stores so I ordered spray from BA and then a friend suggested trying vegetable or olive oil, worked like a charm, no more air filling the filter. Guess I'll cancel that spray.

[lucius]

Here's the silicone lube that tanksalot is talking about.  I use the same stuff.  It's in the area with all the spare parts in the plumbing section.

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.silicone-lubricant.1000515837.html