Firstly let me start by say is anyone having any issues with the above setup?
I don't know when my issue started exactly but I do believe it was after installing the sera 500.
The issue is after routine maintenance/water change that I have a nightmare getting the flow restored some of this may have been down to me allowing the water to drop below the strainer it was 3/4" from the soil level(in the past), this has now been rectified by extending the strainer back to the soil surface and not draining below the start of the strainer.
I did contact big Al's on the recommendation of Aquarium gardens about this and was told a few things about it, its gravity feed, make sure lines are clear and flowing and he recommended the pump tank be empty when I re-connect hoses. The filter input is clear so no issues there. Last weekend (Sunday) I checked all the seals and I applied silicon spray to them, after doing my regular water change I followed the above advice, empty tank, it did fill but very very slowly.
While I was out on Tues I got a panicked phone call from my partner stating there was water on the floor and in the cabinet below the tank. I wasn't local (on way to south Wales) so told her to pull the plugs to stop all the necessary kit until I get home. When I arrived home I promptly had a look for cracks or reasons for said leak, I didn't find anything, next was to remove the pump from the tank, I was glad I was in my wet room as the pump was full of water I expected a little bit of water as usual but never had that much before. My conclusion was that the internal seal of the suction button must have moved when putting housing back on (other seals couldn't move) so I strip it down but this time instead of using silicon spray I applied a good dollop of Vaseline to help stick it in place.
Time to get pump re-connected (I emptied filter tank pre-re-connect also greasing), Obviously I was nervous about another potential leak and the fact that there had been no water movement in the tank for about 8hrs (fish fatalities), so I sat on the floor and watched the water drip into filter tank (with the help of a torch) it didn't take long before it stopped rising 10-15mm from the base I gave a quick few pumps on the button which had no effect
, So I released the lines and heard a small rush of air I had to do this numerous times to get the filter tank filled again trying all the time to power up filter, filter would run just wouldn't pump the water through until the tank had completely filled.
Sorry for the long-windedness of the explanation but I cant understand why any of this (won't pump, won't fill) is happening unless the Sear is acting at an airlock...
I looked through the sera installation just in case there was something I had missed ie sera have to be mounted above the filter height, the pics even show it below the said height. I need to find out what is causing the problems before I can switch my tanks.
![20191226_181821[1].jpg](https://www.ukaps.org/forum/attachments/20191226_181821-1-jpg.130204/ "20191226_181821[1].jpg")
I don't know when my issue started exactly but I do believe it was after installing the sera 500.
The issue is after routine maintenance/water change that I have a nightmare getting the flow restored some of this may have been down to me allowing the water to drop below the strainer it was 3/4" from the soil level(in the past), this has now been rectified by extending the strainer back to the soil surface and not draining below the start of the strainer.
I did contact big Al's on the recommendation of Aquarium gardens about this and was told a few things about it, its gravity feed, make sure lines are clear and flowing and he recommended the pump tank be empty when I re-connect hoses. The filter input is clear so no issues there. Last weekend (Sunday) I checked all the seals and I applied silicon spray to them, after doing my regular water change I followed the above advice, empty tank, it did fill but very very slowly.
While I was out on Tues I got a panicked phone call from my partner stating there was water on the floor and in the cabinet below the tank. I wasn't local (on way to south Wales) so told her to pull the plugs to stop all the necessary kit until I get home. When I arrived home I promptly had a look for cracks or reasons for said leak, I didn't find anything, next was to remove the pump from the tank, I was glad I was in my wet room as the pump was full of water I expected a little bit of water as usual but never had that much before. My conclusion was that the internal seal of the suction button must have moved when putting housing back on (other seals couldn't move) so I strip it down but this time instead of using silicon spray I applied a good dollop of Vaseline to help stick it in place.
Time to get pump re-connected (I emptied filter tank pre-re-connect also greasing), Obviously I was nervous about another potential leak and the fact that there had been no water movement in the tank for about 8hrs (fish fatalities), so I sat on the floor and watched the water drip into filter tank (with the help of a torch) it didn't take long before it stopped rising 10-15mm from the base I gave a quick few pumps on the button which had no effect
, So I released the lines and heard a small rush of air I had to do this numerous times to get the filter tank filled again trying all the time to power up filter, filter would run just wouldn't pump the water through until the tank had completely filled. Sorry for the long-windedness of the explanation but I cant understand why any of this (won't pump, won't fill) is happening unless the Sear is acting at an airlock...
I looked through the sera installation just in case there was something I had missed ie sera have to be mounted above the filter height, the pics even show it below the said height. I need to find out what is causing the problems before I can switch my tanks.
