Magnum 350 cartridge, LOUD!

[Jason]

Hi all,

Now that my 10G tank is nice and healthy (no losses for 6 months!), I'm
finally getting back to my 55G.

For a few years, I've had a Penguin hang-on-the-back filter, but the
filters never seemed to fit it quite right and I wasn't really sure
that it was big enough for the tank. I've had this Magnum 350 laying
around forever, though (bought for around $75 years ago), and thought
I'd give it a shot instead.

As far as cleaning power goes, this baby is far beyond my old Penguin.
I don't think my tank has ever looked this clear. But man, is this
thing NOISY! I don't think it's the motor I hear, it's more like the
sound of the water coming in.

Anyone know how to turn down the volume on this thing?

TIA,

Jason

[Jim Anderson]

In article . com>,
says...
> Hi all,
>
> Now that my 10G tank is nice and healthy (no losses for 6 months!), I'm
> finally getting back to my 55G.
>
> For a few years, I've had a Penguin hang-on-the-back filter, but the
> filters never seemed to fit it quite right and I wasn't really sure
> that it was big enough for the tank. I've had this Magnum 350 laying
> around forever, though (bought for around $75 years ago), and thought
> I'd give it a shot instead.
>
> As far as cleaning power goes, this baby is far beyond my old Penguin.
> I don't think my tank has ever looked this clear. But man, is this
> thing NOISY! I don't think it's the motor I hear, it's more like the
> sound of the water coming in.
>
> Anyone know how to turn down the volume on this thing?
>
> TIA,
>
> Jason
>
>

The Mag 350 has no bio-filter, it is mechanical only.

--
Jim Anderson
( 8(|) To eMail me, just pull "my_finger"

[Tynk]

Jim Anderson wrote:
> In article . com>,
> says...
> > Hi all,
> >
> > Now that my 10G tank is nice and healthy (no losses for 6 months!), I'm
> > finally getting back to my 55G.
> >
> > For a few years, I've had a Penguin hang-on-the-back filter, but the
> > filters never seemed to fit it quite right and I wasn't really sure
> > that it was big enough for the tank. I've had this Magnum 350 laying
> > around forever, though (bought for around $75 years ago), and thought
> > I'd give it a shot instead.
> >
> > As far as cleaning power goes, this baby is far beyond my old Penguin.
> > I don't think my tank has ever looked this clear. But man, is this
> > thing NOISY! I don't think it's the motor I hear, it's more like the
> > sound of the water coming in.
> >
> > Anyone know how to turn down the volume on this thing?
> >
> > TIA,
> >
> > Jason
> >
> >
>
> The Mag 350 has no bio-filter, it is mechanical only.
>
> --
> Jim Anderson
> ( 8(|) To eMail me, just pull "my_finger"

> The Mag 350 has no bio-filter, it is mechanical only.

Jim, there is an Magnum350 - Bio wheel add on. You can either buy it
later on and add to the esisting Mag, or you can buy it all at once in
one kit.

[Jim Anderson]

In article . com>,
says...
>
> Jim Anderson wrote:
> > In article . com>,
> > says...
> > > Hi all,
> > >
> > > Now that my 10G tank is nice and healthy (no losses for 6 months!), I'm
> > > finally getting back to my 55G.
> > >
> > > For a few years, I've had a Penguin hang-on-the-back filter, but the
> > > filters never seemed to fit it quite right and I wasn't really sure
> > > that it was big enough for the tank. I've had this Magnum 350 laying
> > > around forever, though (bought for around $75 years ago), and thought
> > > I'd give it a shot instead.
> > >
> > > As far as cleaning power goes, this baby is far beyond my old Penguin.
> > > I don't think my tank has ever looked this clear. But man, is this
> > > thing NOISY! I don't think it's the motor I hear, it's more like the
> > > sound of the water coming in.
> > >
> > > Anyone know how to turn down the volume on this thing?
> > >
> > > TIA,
> > >
> > > Jason
> > >
> > >
> >
> > The Mag 350 has no bio-filter, it is mechanical only.
> >
> > --
> > Jim Anderson
> > ( 8(|) To eMail me, just pull "my_finger"
>
> > The Mag 350 has no bio-filter, it is mechanical only.
>
> Jim, there is an Magnum350 - Bio wheel add on. You can either buy it
> later on and add to the esisting Mag, or you can buy it all at once in
> one kit.
>
>

Yes, had the duel, just mentioning it as FYI.

--
Jim Anderson
( 8(|) To eMail me, just pull "my_finger"

[Jason]

I think you guys are right about the air trapped in it. I've turned it
off and back on several times over the last week, and even though it
solves the problem for a little while, the noise comes back.

What's happening is the water in the canister gets low. I just went to
look, and the canister was about half full (or half empty, depending on
your attitude). I turned it off, and the water rushed in to fill the
canister up. I waited about 30 seconds then turned it back on, and it's
not really that loud anymore... but this is the 3rd or 4th time I've
done that and had the same experience, so I know the canister is going
to be half empty again before long.

Is there an easier way to resolve this other than taking the filter
apart and making sure everything is snug? I'll mess around with it and
see if I can get the air out.

Tynk, not trying to rub it in, by I have well water at my house, and it
comes through at a nice pH of 7.0. I lost several fish when I first got
started, though, because I tried to match the temperature of the tank
by turning on the hot water (not realizing that the metals in the hot
water heater were lethal). Now that I've learned the err of my ways, I
rarely have any problems.

I've never had a bio-wheel, and don't know why it's important. I'll do
some research, though, and make a new topic if I have questions (don't
mean to start a debate on this one).

Thanks, all,

Jason

[Todd Carini]

If you keep getting air in your filter you may have air stones or other air
generating device too close to your intake tube. I have done this several
times.

As far as the bio wheel, it acts as a mini wet/dry sump type bio-filter. It
gives a place for your bacteria to grow that does not get disturbed by
cleanings.

Todd Carini

[Jim Anderson]

In article <6d8Lf.9314$lR2.6677@trndny01>,
says...

Or you have a pin-hole leak in the hose connection.
Put clamps on the hoses.

--
Jim Anderson
( 8(|) To eMail me, just pull "my_finger"

[Jason]

Jim, I think you might have it. I don't have any air stones in the tank
at all, and even after dismantling the filter and putting it back
together, I'm having the same result.

When I turn the pump off, should the water stay in the intake tube
(filling it up all the way from the cartridge to the tank, like it does
in the output), or should it go down? It's going down in my case, but I
thought that if it was in a vacuum it would stay where it was.

Thanks for the info, Todd. I would ask how important a bio-wheel is for
what's going to be a somewhat understocked tank, but I have a feeling
that that type of question would trigger a debate. I moderate an online
forum, and I've learned over the years that any question of "is this
really important" will always come with a heavy debate ;-)

J

[Mr. Gardener]

On 23 Feb 2006 01:40:05 -0800, "Jason" > wrote:

>Jim, I think you might have it. I don't have any air stones in the tank
>at all, and even after dismantling the filter and putting it back
>together, I'm having the same result.
>
>When I turn the pump off, should the water stay in the intake tube
>(filling it up all the way from the cartridge to the tank, like it does
>in the output), or should it go down? It's going down in my case, but I
>thought that if it was in a vacuum it would stay where it was.
>
>Thanks for the info, Todd. I would ask how important a bio-wheel is for
>what's going to be a somewhat understocked tank, but I have a feeling
>that that type of question would trigger a debate. I moderate an online
>forum, and I've learned over the years that any question of "is this
>really important" will always come with a heavy debate ;-)
>
>J

I doubt you will find a debate or any disagreement over the need for
biological filtering. The Bio Wheel is one popular method of achieving
that end, everyone has his or her own preferences for the method and
the media, but since there are only a handful of methods to achieve a
strong bio filter, there's not much to disagree about. Read up on the
nitrogen cycle and biological filtration.

-- Mr Gardener

[Jim Anderson]

In article . com>,
says...
> Jim, I think you might have it. I don't have any air stones in the tank
> at all, and even after dismantling the filter and putting it back
> together, I'm having the same result.
>
> When I turn the pump off, should the water stay in the intake tube
> (filling it up all the way from the cartridge to the tank, like it does
> in the output), or should it go down? It's going down in my case, but I
> thought that if it was in a vacuum it would stay where it was.
>
> Thanks for the info, Todd. I would ask how important a bio-wheel is for
> what's going to be a somewhat understocked tank, but I have a feeling
> that that type of question would trigger a debate. I moderate an online
> forum, and I've learned over the years that any question of "is this
> really important" will always come with a heavy debate ;-)
>
> J
>
>

The water in the tubing should stay full and not drop.

If you could attach a tube to the output end and blow that water level
in the tube down a bit, when you stop blowing the water should reverse
and start a syphon from the input side.

I prefer the blowing to the sucking to start a syphon.

Bio-wheels are great, lots of surface area, highly recommended for
overstocked tanks. Some have hade problems with the glop growing lop-
sided on the wheel and stopping the rotation, I never did, mine were
never any trouble. If they stop, just take one of them to the kitchen
sink and clean it with the sprayer, which will also kill all the
bacteria so only clean one at a time. Wait a week or two to do the
other.

--
Jim Anderson
( 8(|) To eMail me, just pull "my_finger"

[Frank]

Jason wrote,
>I've never had a bio-wheel, and don't know why it's important. I'll do
>some research, though, and make a new topic if I have questions (don't
>mean to start a debate on this one). .........

The three forms of pollution needed to be removed by a filter are;
dissolved compounds such as ammonia and nitrites, inorganic pollutants
such as DOCs (Dissolved Organic Compounds) and phosphate, and solid
particulate waste. Bio-wheel filters remove DOCs, where as with most
power filters, the DOCs are just pulled through the filters media and
pumped back into the tank as dissolved pollutants. As for as phospates,

Hagen Green 'X' is a phospate remover - one in the filters box lasts
about a month................. Frank