i have a 54g, has water & bubble features in it, no filtration system yet. Water is now slightly cloudy. Do i need UV or will this canister help?
804751
Use of any filter should help, just be sure to include activated carbon to the filter media to control the cloudiness in your tank. You may even want the bigger model for a tank that size.
296656
I have a 150g set up with two canister filters. I have two of these, one on each filter.
1847499
Honestly, I have never cleaned mine. They do get pretty nasty but that is normal and has happened on all of the canister filters I have owned. As long as they don't get clogged and effect the flow of water I don't worry about it. My water is crystal clear. My suggestion is to either buy new hoses, any hardware store such as home depot carries plastic hose in various sizes that you can cut to fit, spray them out with water pressure or use a long pipe cleaner brush. I hope this helps some.
533364
I would go with 150 more filtration for your tank, I have regular 29 gallon tank and I have Marineland 200 filter works great. 2 month went by and water still clear and all water tests pass.
1583986
I have an all in one filter/UV/fountain, the light is in the unit, in the water. I haven't had green water or string algae since I started using a UV light system in my pond. I highly recommend it.
396981
Some people do, but I didn't for my aquarium. You don't have to, and some people prefer to keep it dirty. Just a heads up, your tank will be very cloudy for a few days, but this is perfectly normal and it will settle on its own. Just keep your filter running.
414515
Yes and No. You need to check what the PPM is. The 500 GPD states that it is good for up to 1000 PPM. You may need a pre-filter system and perhaps a UV. I have very dirty water that mixes with ocean water. That's what I did and I have 3 of them and very happy with them.
176535
Not sure if it can be hooked up this way but even if it can it is a bad idea. You want the UV filter to be AFTER all other filtration to reduce the amount of contaminates that could potentially become trapped inside the UV tank. The more 'gunk' you allow to get trapped inside the UV tank, the less effective the UV bulb will be. As others have also pointed out, you also want to keep the good bacteria in your filter element. Despite the filters and/or UV treatment, it is the good bacteria that is doing the majority of the work in keeping your water balanced and (hopefully) clear.
2249760
From my experience, 6 months seems to be a reasonable time to have the UV bulb, now if you notice the water quality diminishing that would be a good sign that it's not working, but that's my experience anyway. I have had success by regular tank management (weekly 5 - 10 % water changes), sea salt, combined with the bulb have been fine. No problems.
703992
I've had them for more than two years now. The effectiveness of the UV light doesn't seem to be affected with buildup although I change the light every year. The filtering is on the weak side.
1208987
I had my water a bit cloudy too, and i filter a few times and toss it, until the water was cristal clear. I never experienced any headaches because of this water though.
1900489
I agree with Anthony...either use filtered or distilled water. I also have the blue block filter in the bottom and one of those round things in the tank itself and it sat like that all summer until I just cleaned it out to use this winter (last night in fact). Very little slime had built up which surprised me but the block filter was gross so I don't recommend letting it sit for very long without using it. Hope that helps some. The one I put in the water tank itself was a ProTec PC1 and that really helps keep the gunk from forming.
890401
I have this up and running and have never seen what you are speaking of tho maybe it might help if you could say where the bubbles are at. Where them seem to be coming from. Might be able to help if I had abit more info. Had fish tanks for over 30 years and seen alot of different things with different filters.
1239733
The more filtration the better, plus you can adjust the flow rate on the unit. I have the 406 in my 55g and it keeps the water crystal clear...and I mean CRYSTAL clear!!!! You should be fine. This is my first canister filter and I love it. I have to check behind the tank sometimes to make sure its running it that quiet.
1945590
My experience says you should always use a bubbler in addition to your filter! I add a bubbler for extra breaking of the surface tension and gas release from the aquarium (which helps saturate more oxygen in the water). I've run these Aqueon filters without a bubbler, but the fish seem to be more lethargic with the filter alone. The bubbler is cheap insurance. I am currently running nine tanks ranging from 10 gallons to 180 gallons and have put a bubbler in all of them. On most of the tanks the bubbler is on a battery backup. If a power failure takes down your filter, a bubbler alone can keep a healthy tank alive for days. My experience says you should always use a bubbler in addition to your filter! I add a bubbler for extra breaking of the surface tension and gas release from the aquarium (which helps saturate more oxygen in the water). I've run these Aqueon filters without a bubbler, but the fish seem to be more lethargic with the filter alone. The bubbler is cheap insurance. I am currently running nine tanks ranging from 10 gallons to 180 gallons and have put a bubbler in all of them. On most of the tanks the bubbler is on a battery backup. If a power failure takes down your filter, a bubbler alone can... » Read More My experience says you should always use a bubbler in addition to your filter! I add a bubbler for extra breaking of the surface tension and gas release from the aquarium (which helps saturate more oxygen in the water). I've run these Aqueon filters without a bubbler, but the fish seem to be more lethargic with the filter alone. The bubbler is cheap insurance. I am currently running nine tanks ranging from 10 gallons to 180 gallons and have put a bubbler in all of them. On most of the tanks the bubbler is on a battery backup. If a power failure takes down your filter, a bubbler alone can keep a healthy tank alive for days. « Show Less
1856450
I install my system 2 weeks ago and I have the same problem ( is like a "rubber" taste)... is not the UV unit .Probably is the reverse osmosis unit (first choice) I will by pass this unit to see if the bad taste continue ( or not...)...
2222937
Unsure about the UV filter, but weigh down the filter with a brick. It won't be necessary once the filter is completely full of water, but until it is full, there is air trapped in the filter. That makes it buoyant.