I hate my stupid filter

I have a Marineland 350 canister filter for my 55 gal FOWLR that I eventually want to turn into a reef. It is LOUD, it stops working sometimes for no apparent reason, and there is always air in there no matter what I do. Can I just get a protein skimmer and throw the thing out the window, or do I need it for the carbon. Oh, I also have about 70 lbs of live rock, and live sand. Tanks been up for almost a year now and that's all the filtration I've ever had, but I really hate it.
 

veni vidi vici

Active Member
Get a good protien skimmer and you wont need the canister filter.You can use the canister to run carbon every now and then if ya like. You might want to look into a sump/refugium too.
 
I've been reading on here about sumps, and I would really like to do one, but I'm confused...again. I understand the different chambers and how to get the water in (I don't have a drilled tank) but the plumbing and the getting the water back to the tank is not so understood.
 

veni vidi vici

Active Member
Google DIY refugium .I built mine ,and it works great.You can also use the search option here to look for DIY refugiums ....Lots of good info on this board..

I could type you along post here trying to explain everything i can ,but im not the best at trying to explain things and i would probably confuse the both of us.
 
C

curve

Guest
The loudness is probably coming from sand getting into the canister. I used hang on back filters for awhile and sand would eat one up every 6 months and they would just make horrible noises from time to time. Definately get you a skimmer and take the canister off.
 
D

dennis210

Guest
I run two Marineland 350's and love em. Try this - unplug cannister, unlatch from base, and carry to sink. Remove all innards and clean. Rinse out down the slot where the impeller sits. Feel the magnet of impeller for imperfections. If you find any grooves or burs then order a new impeller. Improper maintainance can lead to carbon grains getting into base. Once cleaned and impeller ready then reload. When you reload the carbon do not fill past 2/3 - 3/4 level. The carbon expands as it gets wet. Rinse carbon dust out with tap water. Replace blue sleeve material. Put back together making sure both gaskets (flat) are in place above and below the carbon cartridge. Align and drop into place. Before putting top on make sure valves are open and top gasket seal are in place. Align it and flip over the four latches. Use aquarium water poured through top hoses to fill until water comes out of other one. Close valves and carry back to base. Hook up hoses and open valves then restart. It should run immediately and quietly! If not you have some other mechanical problem. Usually the impeller is the only week link in the system. Good luck!
 

andy51632

Member
It sounds like one of your o-rings is failing or missing. With a mag 350 you need 2 thick O-rings, 1 small O-ring, and a very large O-ring to seal the lid. Take a look at these and see if they are there and not streched out. They are very cheap to replace. Your mechnical sleeve should stop any sand from reaching the impellor so I would not think that is it.
 

rotarygeek

Member
I run a marineland biowheel 350 and its whisper quiet. Do you have the water all the way up to the edge of the filter? that was my problem and it created lots of air bubbles in the water too. I gotta say after doing a water change this morning and seeing how clean the filters were after 2 weeks im really impressed. Put one of those on my freshwater tanks and they would be wrecked by now.
 
Top