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I've just set up a new tank to replace my old 120 gallon. I moved my Fluval 404 over to the new tank, and messed it up at first - the spray bar ended up on the 'In' tube, while the intake ended up on the 'out' tube. We corrected this, got them on the right sides, in the tank and everything, pushed on the primer a few times and plugged it in. But it's just not happening, nothing is coming out from the spray bar. We tried everything we could think of, moving it around, making sure there were no bends in the tubes, holding the spray bar above the water, but nothing will make it work. In the end we've given up, leaving it off for the night and hoping for the best. It's worked perfectly fine for the last few months, and worked fine when we first set it up again after moving a couple of weeks ago. It was working fine yesterday even! I'm completely at a loss as to why it's not working, and what I should do next. I have to get this filter working tomorrow morning at the latest!


The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

have you used the intake tube as a syphon to be sure there are no air bubbles in it? thats the one that always gets my filter in a tizz. i just lock off the hoses, hold the intake hose over a bucket, unlock it, and then when its running clean, i lock it again and reattach.

Mine's not a fluval tho



For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Fluval 404's have a mind of their own...

Often they'll work just great, other times you have to talk nice to them.

Some maneuvers:

Start out with an empty tank after cleaning or after shutting the unit down for awhile. If the tank is full, take off the top and contents and empty the tank and replace all contents and the top.

Replace the hoses in the tank, place the hoses on the top and clamp down the small Aqua Stop and then the large Aqua Stop. You should be able to hear the water pouring into the tank.

At this point you can plug in the electrical.

If no water is heard filling the tank then start pumping the primer like your life depended on it until water starts filling the tank. It may take a few pumps or it may take a dozen or more pumps.

When the water starts to flow you'll hear it. That's the time you can plug in the electrical.

Some claim the output tube in the tank should be slightly above the water level to let air out. I found it doesn't really matter that much.

Be persistant. The damn thing will work, take my word for it. I have three of these monsters.

--garyroland.



Last edited by garyroland at 01-Nov-2004 11:58

Do air bubbles really make that much difference? I would think there would have to none after all the time I've spent pumping that primer.

I'll give both of your suggestions a go, in the meantime I took some photos of the setup in case someone can see something wrong that we've done.



just beginning attached this image:


The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

Next

just beginning attached this image:


The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

Next

just beginning attached this image:


The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

Next

just beginning attached this image:


The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

Woohoo, I got it going!

Gary was on the money with that primer - I just hadn't been putting my all into it, I guess. I started pumping the thing until my arms were aching, and kept going after that! When I plugged it in it threatened to fail again, but I kept on that primer and eventually it all kicked in.

Thanks for your help, both of you!

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

Excellent...

Nice photos to judge by.

I suspect, although the unit has functioned ok before, that the proximity of the bends of the hoses as they exit the top of the canister and bend up into the tank is just too much to allow a good natural syphon.

The 404, as with all Fluvals, does best when there's a straight line in the hoses right up to the tank with no L-shaped bends.

Perhaps a little maneuvering to create straight hoses would save a lot of pumping energy at the outset allowing the syphon flow to increase and aid in the rapid water flow.

May I also suggest that the output be raised closer to the surface of the water to allow for more agitation and an improved oxygen/gas exchange.

Just slightly breaking the water surface is very beneficial for trops.

--garyroland.

Last edited by garyroland at 01-Nov-2004 21:12