Equipment Review and Discussion :: how to bring down output pressure of xp2

[turtle2000]

I bought the xp2 for my 20 gallon long tank today and I just got it installed and got it running... but the output pressure is way too strong and loud... need to bring it down... is the power jet nozzle what is used to bring down the pressure or is it for giving more pressure.. help I can't put my baby in a tank with this much current...

[turtle2000]

Nevermind I figured it out

[Muirner]

did you attach the regulator to it? I used the spray bar also just because it helps to diffuse the intensity. I use an XP3

[turtle2000]

the way I did it was I attached the regulator to the spray bar and turned the nob all the way to the left and it brought the pressure down alot.. but now I have been wondering... since I brought the pressure down with the regulator will the intake not pull the water in as much because the out put was brought down... I bought this because I had the zoo med 501 filter and I felt it just wasn't strong enough with the intake causing alot of crap on the bottom of the tank... but now I feel that since I brought the output pressure down that the intake has become that of my zoo med filter and I am back to where I started.... am I wrong about that.. I searched google and couldn't find any info on it.... will petsmart take back a used filter... I mean if I can't put the output pressure high because the current becomes too strong but if I lower the output I feel the intake gets lowered as well...

oh and as of this morning I am noticing foam along the edges of the tank.. what is up with that

[marisa]

If the output pressure was too loud, it sounds like you had the output above the water line. If so, then put it under it so you don't hear the noise.

Put the spray bar under the water and have the holes of the spray bar angled so that they face the wall of the tank to lessen the current. I don't think lowering the pressure by turning the valve down is a good idea for long periods of time---it will affect the beneficial bacteria.

As for the foam, did you rinse all the media well, especially the ceramic rings, before you put them in the filter?

[turtle2000]

thanks marisa did everything you said and it worked like a charm... and the only thing I rinsed was the activated carbon i didn't rinse the stars.. I felt they didn't' give me enough stars.. should I buy another packet or combine them with some ceramic rings? Oh and the intake tubes suck [---] the attachments don't hold well and if you move it a little air starts to get into the intake and the whole filter crashes and stops working and i have to prime it again.. thinking of using silicone to seal the attachments for the intake.. what do you think

[Pizza]

My xP4 came with a pack of 20 Stars, and I knew for sure that they weren't enough. The box says "enough to get you started", but thats under minimum conditions. With 2 empty baskets, I knew for sure I would have to dish out more $$ for more media. I bought 3 more packs of Ceramic Rings.

I would buy one more pack for your xP2, Stars or Rings are fine, but I chose Rings, because I heard they last longer than Stars (and there's more of them in a pack, although they "claim" stars produce more bacteria).

I don't have the same problem about the intake tubes, I used the 4 pieces that came with my xP4, and they only come loose if you tamper with them several times. If you didn't do this, I just applied pressure and jammed them into one another (not so much as to break them, but hold each piece firmly and apply pressure). I found this works slightly better after running them under warm water, since the plastic is less brittle, and expands slightly.

[marisa]

The package of stars is supposed to be good for up to 110 gallons if I remember correctly. You could mix them with the ceramic rings to add more biomedia to the filter. More biomedia doesn't hurt.

[Muirner]

something like 12 stars is good for 110 gallons i think. In the tank i told you about marisa i'm going to have one basket of rings, and that's all, the top basket will be purely a water scrubber, no carbon in the tank.