Hi, the clamps should go back in easily enough, maybe you need to post a photo of the head and clamp to see if anything is broken?
Regarding setting up this filter, it's pretty easy. Did you get a set of taps with it? If not I would highly recommend buying them as they make things so much simpler.
What media did you get with it?
Firstly you need to put teh media in the basket. The top of the filter basket lifts off with a slight turn anti-clockwise. I have the ceramic rings/tubes first, as mechanical pre-filter, then the blue foam on top of that. Next goes the substratpro biomedia (balls) if you have them, followed by teh white foam pad (fine filter) and then, if you wanted, the carbon pad on top of that. Pop the lid back on the basket and lock with a clockwise turn. Sit the basket in the canister, attach the head.
Pipes should be cut to length to suit the tank. They say equal lengths but I never have and don't see why.
The inlet pipe goes to teh bottom of the filter canister, the outlet to the top. If you have the valves put these near to the canister. I cut a 2" piece of pipe, attached that to the canister, then the valves, then the pipe to the tank.
Right, you are ready to go.
Open the valves if you have them, and if you are lucky the system will start to fill, syphoning from the tank into the filter, and expelling any air. Once you think the canister is full, give it a shake and you'll hear it fill some more. Once you think it's as full as it gets, plug it in and give it a bit more of a shake for 10-30 seconds until it quietens down (all teh air is out).
That should be it.
Cleaning is easy (again, with the valves).
Unplug, close all of the valves, remove the filter from the cabinet. Take the lot to your cleaning area/bucket, then open the top and bottom valve. The filter will drain into the bucket, backwashing all the debris out with it (good for the garden plants so keep this water!).
Remove the head and then the basket, rinse the white pad, empty the bioballs into the canister (you don't want to clean these!!) then rinse the blue pad. I then rinse the basket and pre-filter together, so you can leave the prefilter in the basket). Return the media to teh basket, rinse the canister, then refit.
When you come to start the pump, attach the pipes from the tank, open the bottom valve and then the top valve, and you will see teh syphon start automatically and go through the same strarting procedure as before.
Phew, hope that's what you wanted to know :-?
