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fx5 making bubbles

2K views 28 replies 4 participants last post by  Rob1984 
#1 ·
so i have the fx5 and have the dredded micro bubble sindrome now it seems.... looks like i have lots of debris floating around but there tiny bubbles.... does that mean i need to replace the filter pads i have in the top basket one fine and one coarse (only pad sin the fx5 beside the factory outside ones)

i actually just took it part to change the carbon few days ago, sponges on the sides looked fairly clean still so i left them and everything alone and just swapped the carbon so cant be that there dirty ....

how does everyone slove this issue... never did it when i got it (used) and i have not moved it around in the house other then to maintain it and etc during water changes
 
#3 ·
13razorbackfan said:
If you put in the fine polishing pads you will likely get micro bubbles. If the media baskets are too full and compacted then you can get micro bubbles as well.

What do you have in your three baskets?
bottom basket has blue bio balls, middle basket has ehiem substrate, top basket has carbon, one fine and one coarse pad
 
#9 ·
Make sure the unit is sealed properly. The hoses, lid, clamps, even the bottom drain valve. Maybe sucking a little air.
 
#10 ·
smitty said:
Make sure the unit is sealed properly. The hoses, lid, clamps, even the bottom drain valve. Maybe sucking a little air.
is there a way to check if my lid is sealed 100% i can double check the hose clamps but im sure they are tight unless they rattled loose ? it didnt do it when i first got it but lately it been doing it...
 
#13 ·
well i took the filter apart for maintence to fully clean it all... well that was not fun 90% WC emtpy and fill tear down and re assemble filter 3.5hrs :( stupid fx5 wouldnt turn back on had some substrate or sand wedged inside the impeller .... but when i took it apart i noticed in my middle basket i had the ehiem substrate media and underneath i had 2 filter pads, one coarse and one medium pad (white) wasnt fine and wasnt a coarse one... so i took the white pad out and just kept the coarse pad in the middle basket on the top... and the top basket i kept the carbon on the bottom then have the coarse pad on top of it... so far there isnt any bubbles, but i will check it and post back after a few days...manual says 48-72 hrs for it to work the entire air out of the system...
 
#21 ·
Yep I know that as I shut it off when doing large WC's... It wouldn't kick up and run cuz it had some substrate rocks or sand wedged in the motor and what not not allowing it to turn and run like it suppose

Deeda said:
Cleaned up the extraneous quotes to make reading the thread a bit more manageable.

Glad to hear the FX5 is running better for you. Just be aware the filter does shut down every 24 hrs for 2 minutes to purge any accumulated air from the filter.
 
#23 ·
Rob1984 said:
Well been a few days and still have them tiny bubbles coming out my intake grrrr... I wonder if it getting air in it some how ? But wouldn't know how to check....
How old are the sponges and the other filter media? You say you cleaned them recently, worked well for a couple days and now it is back to blowing bubbles? You could go around tightening all the connections, make sure the intake is away from the bubble wall...

Also...I am not sure how you have yours connected but on the intake(the part with the strainer) where it attached to the ribbed hose HAS to be under the water. If you are getting good surface disturbance and at times(maybe a second here or there) and if any part of that connection is out of the water then that could be your problem.

Go to youtube and watch the install video..it is two parts. Make double sure you follow all the guidelines set by fluval just to be sure.
 
#24 ·
Hmmm, well the intake connector is just at my water level.... These are the way it was when I got it from the previous owner... I guess I could always cut the intake down 1-2" ..... It odd cuz it never had micro bubble or anything when I first set it up, and I haven't got a clue how old the sponges are, or even the media or bio balls... The bubble wall is prolly 8" away from the intake you can't see any bubbles getting sucked in it at all...
 
#25 ·
Rob1984 said:
Hmmm, well the intake connector is just at my water level.... These are the way it was when I got it from the previous owner... I guess I could always cut the intake down 1-2" ..... It odd cuz it never had micro bubble or anything when I first set it up, and I haven't got a clue how old the sponges are, or even the media or bio balls... The bubble wall is prolly 8" away from the intake you can't see any bubbles getting sucked in it at all...
I can't say for sure the intake is the issue just a guess. I know that fluval says that the connection must be below the water line and I could have swore they said 1". I would do at least 1" regardless simply due to evaporation and the dropping of the water line. You should try to do this and see if it fixes your issue. Just a suggestion.
 
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