General Care Discussion :: fx4 gurgle after hard piping

[ziggnick]

i am near completion of stand and atba just a few steps to go to make it complete... Recently this past weekend i hard piped my fx5 for a more safe/cleaner look.... I love my fx5 it does everything i wish and have never had a problem with it until after the hard piping so without tearing it all apart Im trying to troubleshoot what i did wrong

The inlet of the pump is almost exactly the same and isbhard piped down to about a foot away from the tank where i picked up flexible to use the aqua stop valves supplied ( don't believe my problem is here)

My outflow tube is exactly the same with flexible coming out of the filter and hard piped to the top
When my two 90degree elbows cross across the tank though i connected another pipe down the rear wall of the aquarium that acts like a spraybar in the water though to keep alot of debris up in the current of the tank to help from settling was my thought...but after i turned the pump on and let it go through its purge cycle i still have gurgles coming from my filter and when i look in my tank where the holes i drilled into the outflow i can see micro sized bubbles coming out with the water

I am wondering a if i could have drilled to many holes or if possibly the fx5 doesn't the pump power to pump it up that far and to also spray while under the water and suggestions would be great

[steve]

Is the water flow rate still the same?

[ziggnick]

flow appears to be the same as before... Sorry about the absence in response for so long been vacationing and catching back up since

i thought i had the issue fixed by removing all of my bio media to see if the influx in flow would help and it quieted the filter down alot but after about a day the gurggle comes back and when it purges days later it seems like it has more air in to push out than before with the normal piping Im wondering if the holes i drilled in the outflow are not large enough because there seems to be alto of pressure coming through the hole, if exposed above water the water will push out a good 12inches before it starts to fall back into tank... but when i did the math i thought i had 7 times the amount i needed? I believe this will be my next step ill check back to see you have any other ideas

[VeipaCray]

So the FX5 uses 1" ID tubing. If the sum area of the holes you drilled are 1" or larger, then you have enough opening. If you used, 8 x1/8" holes or more then your spray bar is OK.

Any chance you could post a video with sound?

Gurgling sounds are usually caused by air in a drain. Yes the fx5 will purge itself of air daily, but it sounds like you may have a leak. Was the PVC properly cemented if using slip fittings? If threaded did you tighten them enough?

Is the spraybar submerged?

[ziggnick]

i used schedule 80 pvc with slip fittings and yes i used cement do not have any leaks or anything of the sort though i believe i read somewhere that even if you don't have a water leak you may have a air leak so not sure how i i could test that idea on each fitting

also have not mentioned but after about a day or so i have the micro bubble issue, pretty sure same issue here but thought it may be worth noting

i can take a video with my phone no problem but how to get it onto here for you to see i have no idea if you can give me an idea how to get it on here id be glad to post the video

[VeipaCray]

youtube is probably the easiest way to get a video on here. Else you can PM me and we can exchange emails. You might want to smear a little clear silicone around each of the PVC joints - this would seal up any pinhole air leaks. Testing for an air leak is a PITA, so just quicker to smear silicone on all of them and let it cure.

Schedule 80 PVC - Hopefully you had some schedule 80 stuff laying around and didn't go out and spend the extra for schedule 80. The regular white schedule 40 PVC is more than adequate to stand up to the minimal pressure from the pump on the canister filter.

[ziggnick]

ya i didn't so much use the schedule 80 because of having it because i didn't and i sure didn't use it for the pressure lol what sold me on it was the color its a grayish black and for me it was just easyer to go to beards up the street and buy it then to try and buy schedule 40 on the net and make sure i have the fittings yata yata... anyways point is i painted back of aquarium black and so i wanted it to blend... not trying to brag but i really hooked my aquarium up after i joined this site and made a first class stand and atba so as soon as i figure this out and add a few more trim pieces ill be ready to show it off

ill work on the video of that gurrgle tonight

[VeipaCray]

I can't wait to see it. Please start a separate build thread for it when you do post pictures.

I'm the same way...any visible piping I like black. I usually just hose down some schedule 40 with some black krylon fusion and call it a day.

[ziggnick]

o i will i plan on adding it to the pages and pages of atba pics after all that is where i got the idea or itch if you will

so anyways for what its worth here is a video of the sound coming from the fx5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMI-Xdm ... ata_player

[ziggnick]

On a side note not that it matters now but maybe for future reference what do you do with the pipe that come in contact with the water as spray paint is a big no no i would think there for chemical reasons but id assume for adhering reasons also

[VeipaCray]

Krylon fusion is aquarium safe for both fresh and marine tanks once its cured. OK to put it in the water. I have plenty of krylon fusion painted parts (my spray bar for example in my planted tank that is submerged). You can google the topic but you'll need to weed out the vast number of uninformed idiots posting on the net. krylon fusion on PVC is perfectly fine to put in your aquarium water. I wouldn't paint a foam background or acrylic or anything else with it.

I listened to your video (that verbiage sounds wrong) and you most definitely have some air trapped in there. Both ends of the plumbing the intake and the return should be completely submerged. All of your PVC joints I would seal with some silicone incase you have a pinhole leak and I would rock your canister back and forth a little to see if you can release the trapped air from the canister as well.

[ziggnick]

ill go ahead and get on sealing all my joints this weekend... do you have any tips for confirming a seal where my barbed fittings are connected to the flexible pipe? For some reason Im thinking that may be my problem but if i tighten down much more Im afraid i may crack the fitting.

[VeipaCray]

If you have hose clamps on those joints you should be good. The hose over the barbs is generally a snug fit already.

[TheSegundos]

My 305 does that when there is an air leak! Make sure all the seals are lubed when closing and all joint are air tight! Like I said my 305 does this and if it doesn't stop after a min, I shut it off and open the top too make sure there is nothing causing the seals to leak air!