Equipment Review and Discussion :: Charcoal coming from filter

[thevac]

I have a Magnum 350 canister filter. When I changed the charcoal & media, set it back up & turned it on it spewed a black cloud and charcoal into the tank. I didn't do anything different from the last time I cleaned it. Not that I know of anyway. It's always something & takes all day to clean this tank. I live in an apartment & it's frustrating between finding the right pump to get the water out(which hasn't happened yet) & the right filter. Can you tell I'm new? I don't know what I did wrong. Jack's in my tub in the meantime. Gotta to pump & clean again. Isn't there any equipment that makes all this simple & quicker? I spend most of my days off doing this.

[steve]

They sell drain/refill kits like the Python to make water changes easier. I just buy come clear tubing and use a small powerhead to empty the tank. You can buy adaptors to hook up the hose to a faucet to facilitate the refill. It's much cheaper and faster than a Python.

Charcoal and carbon media need to be rinsed very throughly. You'll probably have to use your strongest faucet or garden hose. How big is your tank?

[thevac]

My tank is about 75 gallons. The first time I cleaned it I had no problem. I don't think I missed anything putting it back together. I'll take it apart & do it again.

[steve]

I have not heard many things about charcoal dust in water bothering turtles, I think fish are much more sensitive to it. A water change seems appropriate.

[devilduck]

I noticed that charcoal brands vary in dustiness. Usually the pricey ones are less dusty. All of them have to be rinsed pretty well before use.

How often do you have to clean your tank/filter? I've never owned one, but looking at the design of the magnum 350 it looks like it will clog pretty quickly with a turtle tank.

[Kansasslider]

If it Actually spewed chunks of charcoal the bag was not closed or you had a hole. I agree with Steve don't waste money on a python you can get a waterbed drain kit and just a plain old fish tank siphon and hose a lot cheaper.

[thevac]

Is there any equipment that just runs consistently with no problems? I have a Magnum 350 that spews charcoal, a top fin aquarium gravel vacuum that stops working before the job is done. I cleaned the tank yesterday; changed the media and cleaned the filter. Got home from work tonight & the bottom of the tank is covered with charcoal. The syphon worked for the first bucket then stopped. Everything is getting slimey already. What am I doing wrong? I know sliders are messy, I can deal with that. What's with the equipment? Jack's enough work without these things that I paid a lot of money for adding more time & work to his daily care.

[Kansasslider]

I'm not sure how your getting charcoal in your tank. Can you take a picture of it in your filter. Is it in a bag? A siphon works on gravity. The exit end of the hose needs to be a lot lower than your tank in order for it to work. A python or water bed drain kit uses water from your sink to cause a siphon.

[steve]

Kansasslider is correct. It takes too long for me, so I attach a small pump to some tubing to drain the tank.

[thevac]

There is no bag. It has a carbon media container with a lid, core & screen. Some how the carbon is getting out of the container & coming up the exhaust tube into the tank. I syphon it out, hours later the bottom of the tank is coated again with the carbon. I have even taken it all apart, cleaned it, pulled out the instructions & went through it all again putting it back together. Same result. I am now in the process of cleaning the whole tank & changing the media. I did this last week but here I go once more. At this point going back to the two hanging filters with cartridges is less aggravating. I spend the same amount of time. actually less because I'm not constantly syphoning out the carbon. Everything in the tank is also covered with the carbon dust when I rinse them off.

[Kansasslider]

you need to put your carbon in a bag. I have no idea what a magmnum filter is but you might look into a sunsun filter. Sorry about your bad luck but this does not happen with good filters. Anyone else have input? Simply put yourfilter has a flaw. I don't know anything about them? Hang on filters can be good if they have a bio wheel. Actually bio wheels use bio filtration better than canister filters.

[thevac]

Well, now that I have figured out how to upload pictures, I'll post shots of the tank, which is about 75 gals & more of the filter. I just uploaded pics of it on a new post. I thought this filter was supposed to be one of the better ones. The filter is a Fluval Magnum 350

[Kansasslider]

I own the flag ship fx5 its an ok filter. Not enough for my new tank and tank mates so I'm looking into pond filters. Can't wait for your pictures please. Once again your should not spew carbon into your tank. Period!!!!

[steve]

Maybe the lid is not tight? Are you using their carbon media?

[thevac]

I purchased a couple bags & put them in the carbon container with the charcoal. It's not spitting out charcoal any longer. I've just read that the Magnum 350 is not a good turtle filter. I'm going to have to agree, I have to change everything after a couple weeks, but I have to hang on to it for a while. I can't just go purchase another. I don't know what is good or isn't good for a turtle tank now & they are awful pricey. So is being a novice at turtle care. I don't understand half the things I read in this forum. I'm no dummy but I sure feel like one here. I'll get it sooner or later.