fine bubbles from cannister filter

[natureAddict]

my friend gave me 2 cannister filters and both are giving out fine bubbles at intervals of a few minutes. i have been running them for about 1 week. any advice??? perturbed

[enhanzed]

probably a leak somewhere ...try tilting it at different angles

[Jimmy]

do you run with a surface skimmer? mine is due to that, at times it sucks some bubbles into he cannister and i thought my cannister is leaking and no matter how i ensure no bubble inside, the bubbles still come back. only after i tried disable the skimmer then i realise it. so this is one possibilities. hopefully it is not leak which will be troublesome.

[natureAddict]

thanks for your advices. i will try playing with the tilt. i dont think there is a leak. any idea if O rings need to be changed?

[felix_fx2]

bro, if there is a leak you should find some water near your canister.

can put a small pail to see if it gets wet. likewise any air supply found near the intake?

[natureAddict]

oh no, now my other canister also spitting out fine bubbles- the one that used to be good....whats the problem????

[Cross]

Check your piping joints. Sometimes when its not fitted properly, it will not leak, but the flow of water will suck in some air bubbles

[bossteck]

Are you filter sitting at the same level as your tanks?
Are your pipes excessively long?

[natureAddict]

i have tightened the joints already.

i must say the pipes are quite long, 3ft plus.

i have 1 cannister filter below tank level and 2 on the same level - does it make a difference?

quite often the cannister make some noise like gargling or shooting - hope it helps in the analysis.

[bossteck]

Last time I tried running a canister at the same level as my tank, it behaved like what you described.

I think there wasn't sufficient siphon action to bring water from inlet into the filter and the motor is 'complaining'.

Observed that the same thing may happen if piping are excessively long.

But all the above are for my cheapo made in China canister filter, so I am not sure if it could be generalize to apply for all makes / brands.

[Fuzzy]

I've also experienced these problems with cheapo china canisters and an old eheim classic 2213.

They both exhibited such behavior when they were located at tank level or higher.

[natureAddict]

i got 1French Fluvial brand and 2 china cannister -all pissing bubbles -what a pain!! i think i will try playing with the levels ie replace it below the tank, (but the tubes will be longer?). anyway will try whatever and let you guys know if it works. thanks for sharing

[shanshine]

i have been using this dolhin c1000 canister filter and its been fine after 1 time broke down due to o-ring is spoilt. and after that, its been working very well for more than 2 years already. ok, if there is a leak near the cover of your c.filter, probab;y is the o-ring is spoilt and it can be changed, look for your lfs to match the change of the o-ring. As for the bubbles, it could be either there is a lot of air being trapped inside the c.f and u can pump out the bubbles. if u are using a surface skimmer, try adjust your surface skimmer abit then pump the water out and your rainbar(if any) cover up the water above the rainbar level and it will solved your problem . hope this helps.

[natureAddict]

update....my Fluvial i placed it below my tank and after 1 week seems no more fine bubbles; the tubes are rather long though. my china jebo when i place below my tank started leaking at the o rings - straight to the dust bin, too much frustration to bear. another china-brand Atman is quite ok (and i have heard that this is the better china brand, for pumps too), occasional spewing of fine bubble, but tolerable. 'happy nature watching'