Constant Bubbles From G6

[sam91]

So I set up my first planted tank recently and everything's going to plan with the exception of a little problem I'm having with my Fluval G6. The filter almost constantly spits out air bubbles from the spray bar outlet and every few minutes there is a large evacuation of bubbles all at once. I've tried shaking the filter, tilting the filter, toggling the filters power on and off, emptying and re-priming the filter and pressing the priming button down until I could do it no more and still I have many tiny air bubbles from the outlet. Where are all these bubbles coming from? How do I stop it? Thanks guys.

 

[nry]

Air leak in a pipe somewhere?

 

[sam91]

I don't think so. I've got them on pretty tight. I pushed the pipes into the locks as hard as I could and sealed the locks all the way. There's only a few places there could be a leak.

 

[Antipofish]

are you running co2 with the feed to an inline diffuser on the inlet pipe, or do you have an o2 stone running near the inlet strainer of the filter ?

 

[sam91]

I'm running co2 through a simply glass diffuser on the other end of the tank so I don't think it's that either.

 

[Antipofish]

Is it a new filter ?

 

[sam91]

It is a new filter. It's been running for 5 days. I thought initially that might be the problem but 5 days should be long enough to work out the air shouldn't it?

 

[Antipofish]

It is a new filter. It's been running for 5 days. I thought initially that might be the problem but 5 days should be long enough to work out the air shouldn't it?

Absolutley. Check the inlet pipe. Sometimes the bit that goes over the top of the tank is not a tight seal and that sucks in a bit of air. You are getting decent flow ? You have taken the plastic bag off of the chemical media ?

 

[G H Nelson]

Hi
Could be the connections onto the spraybar.
hoggie

 

[sam91]

Thanks for the replies guys. So I checked the connections to the inlet and outlet and it's possible that the inlet was slightly loose. I even had a friend who is slightly stronger than me check them all and with the slight exception of the inlet, everything is definitely on as hard as the average person could get it. I checked about an hour after doing so and still plenty of bubbles . So what can I do now?

 

[Ady34]

Hi,
mine used to do it a little when i ran in tank diffuser which confused me...it wasnt a great amount, more of an occasional burping, so put it down to gradual build up of c02/02 gas drawn in through the inlet....it does it all the time now i run inline diffuser on the inlet
No leaks/weeps from the actual filter seal where the top fits to the bottom section? Maybe worth checking the integrity of that main red seal to ensure no kinks, splits etc where a venturi effect may occur?
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[sam91]

Hey Ady. Thanks for the tips. It may be where co2 is being drawn in through the inlet but combined with the co2 coming from the glass diffuser that looks like a lot of co2 bubbles in the tank. I think I'll take it apart again and check that all the seals are correctly aligned and undamaged. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[sam91]

So I've spent another few hours trying to solve this problem. I've taken the filter apart again and inspected for damage or poorly fitted parts but still couldn't find anything. I've now spent a few more hours shaking, toggling the power, swearing and head butting and I still can't get these damned bubbles to stop . Maybe I'll try and contact Hagen and see what they suggest.

 

[Antipofish]

Thanks for the replies guys. So I checked the connections to the inlet and outlet and it's possible that the inlet was slightly loose. I even had a friend who is slightly stronger than me check them all and with the slight exception of the inlet, everything is definitely on as hard as the average person could get it. I checked about an hour after doing so and still plenty of bubbles . So what can I do now?

Take it back, get a refund and buy an Eheim. G6's seem to be increasingly problematic. Im being serious here, and sorry to sound negative, but its not a cheap filter by a long shot and all it seems is that people have issues with them one way or another. You are in a prime position, with it being brand new, to change if you want to. Whitey will concur that the Eheim 2078 electronic that he (and I) both have is an awesome filter. Whether you get this one looked at or swapped for another G6 and hope that it doesnt go wrong again, one way or another the shop should sort something out. Good luck Sam.