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Temp is too high for some reason

Hi @Mark Keetch

I've just scanned through this thread and I couldn't see what size tank you have. What volume is it? I also see that the FX5 has a (nominally) 50W power consumption. I do believe it has a bit of electronics in there but this will itself not consume much power. So, the pump itself will be taking most of this 50W. And that's 24/7. As previously mentioned, this is likely to be the culprit. There doesn't appear to be any other explanation. Do you have control over flow rate with the FX5? Have you considered contacting Fluval/Hagen about this problem? There must be other FX5 users out there with the same problem as the one you are seeing.

JPC
Hey Jay

So the tank holds about 300 litres of water.

You reckon its worth contacting them then? Is there much they can do about it?

So the final test to do tomorrow is leave the heater unplugged, glass sliders off and lights off (so I will switch the C02 off too) and monitor the temp.
 
I suspect Fluval’s first recommendation will be to stop insulating the canister filter ;)

Use an anti-vibration pad (much more efficient than any towel) - though it’s possible your FX5 is problematic - Fluval should be able to provide noise etc parameters

I’d run the tank tomorrow with lights and CO2, no heater, no glass sliders - it’s not as if you’re going to actually run the tank sans lights :)

For 300 litres @25C and 22C ambient temperature, it’s going to be a fairly slow temperature equilibration
 
I suspect Fluval’s first recommendation will be to stop insulating the canister filter ;)

Use an anti-vibration pad (much more efficient than any towel) - though it’s possible your FX5 is problematic - Fluval should be able to provide noise etc parameters

I’d run the tank tomorrow with lights and CO2, no heater, no glass sliders - it’s not as if you’re going to actually run the tank sans lights :)

For 300 litres @25C and 22C ambient temperature, it’s going to be a fairly slow temperature equilibration

Haha....yeah I've stopped doing that now dude. Lol.
So the whole of today the tank was running with lights and C02 on, and sliders and heater off. And it still held at 25°C. In fact at one point in went up to 25.1°C

So you reckon it's a bad idea to leave lights and C02 off for the whole day? The plan was to get the temp to drop to 24 then start adding the factors back in to see which one causes it to get warmer
 
I wouldn’t say “bad” idea, just to me irrelevant as I’m not going to run the tank without lights - I would run the tank with heater set to 21C (I find most heaters will heat an aquarium past the set point before turning “off”), no glass tops, and remove thermal insulation from the filter (this usually makes the filter run hotter than it would otherwise) - as these are all factors I’d consider changing

I suspect you’ll need to wait 48h for complete “cooling” (again, I’m just not much interested in leaving lights off for a couple days - especially as you’re on a limited timeline re sorting other factors)
 
Could it be a dodgy pump in the filter? Years ago when I had my marine system I had a submerged return pump that worked but was actually faulty and producing excessive heat (and I mean it was border line too hot to touch)? Long shot but at idea. Maybe disconnect the filter and see how hot the internal components are running
 
Could it be a dodgy pump in the filter? Years ago when I had my marine system I had a submerged return pump that worked but was actually faulty and producing excessive heat (and I mean it was border line too hot to touch)? Long shot but at idea. Maybe disconnect the filter and see how hot the internal components are running

That was my thinking too. There isn't much on Google that I could find, except this thread on another forum:

https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfi...otor-unit-is-a-bit-hot-on-the-outside.313444/

And this review (though obviously we can't vouch for its accuracy):

https://meethepet.com/fluval-fx6-canister-filter/

Power consumption
The power consumption is 43 W, which is 10% less than FX5 has. From one hand it’s not that much, but from the other – there’s almost alike filter EHEIM professional 3 2080, which stated water circulation rate through the filter is 1700 liter/hour and it consumes only 30 W, so it means that FX6 is not an energy-efficient one and we have the next point resulting from this.

Water heating
The more power any electric equipment consumes, the more heat it produces, therefore it means that in summer when it’s boiling, FX6 users will have their tanks 20 W more heated, then EHEIM professional 3 2080 users.
 
You reckon its worth contacting them then? Is there much they can do about it?

Yes, I do think it's worth contacting them. If what you are seeing with your FX5 is 'normal' for this filter, then I would argue that it's not 'fit for purpose'. And if it's not 'normal', then your FX5 may have a faulty pump. If so, it is possible that Hagen/Fluval could repair it or offer you an upgrade to the FX6. Only the latter of these two options is really what you would want as you will be without a filter for a period of time - not good. How long have you had the FX5? Is it still covered by the warranty? You are fortunate that they have a UK office, which should make things a little easier for you:

http://uk.hagen.com/contactus

Good luck!

JPC
 
I suspect you’ll need to wait 48h for complete “cooling” (again, I’m just not much interested in leaving lights off for a couple days - especially as you’re on a limited timeline re sorting other factors)
Yeah I suppose having lights and C02 off for 48 hrs will be no good, too much fluctuation. And in trying to get the tank algae free before l leave to make it easier for the wife to maintain.

Could it be a dodgy pump in the filter? Years ago when I had my marine system I had a submerged return pump that worked but was actually faulty and producing excessive heat (and I mean it was border line too hot to touch)? Long shot but at idea. Maybe disconnect the filter and see how hot the internal components are running
So I've just touched the filter housing and the motor housing and they are not hot to touch. The motor housing is luke warm but definitely not hot.

That was my thinking too. There isn't much on Google that I could find, except this thread on another forum:

https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfi...otor-unit-is-a-bit-hot-on-the-outside.313444/

And this review (though obviously we can't vouch for its accuracy):

https://meethepet.com/fluval-fx6-canister-filter/
Thanks bud, I'll have a read of those and see if I can relate to any of them. The plan for when I move house will be to replace the FX5 with a Oase filter anyway.

Yes, I do think it's worth contacting them. If what you are seeing with your FX5 is 'normal' for this filter, then I would argue that it's not 'fit for purpose'. And if it's not 'normal', then your FX5 may have a faulty pump. If so, it is possible that Hagen/Fluval could repair it or offer you an upgrade to the FX6. Only the latter of these two options is really what you would want as you will be without a filter for a period of time - not good. How long have you had the FX5? Is it still covered by the warranty? You are fortunate that they have a UK office, which should make things a little easier for you:

http://uk.hagen.com/contactus

Good luck!

JPC
Thanks Jay. I'll get in contact with them and see what they say. Problem is I bought the FX5 second hand and I have had it for about 5 years.

@Mark Keetch how warm is the pump on the FX5 when you put your hand on it?
It's not that warm at all bud
 
So room heater turned down by half last night and tank heater unplugged all night. Tank water is 24.8 with controller in "cool" mode and the room temp is just over 24.

Strange how I turned the room heater down but yet its warmer in the room this morning than it was the other morning. Its clearly a warmer day today then o_O
 
I have a little 10L Nano without a heater that is warmer than it should be, I’m sure it’s the internal filter causing it.
 
So room heater turned down by half last night and tank heater unplugged all night. Tank water is 24.8 with controller in "cool" mode and the room temp is just over 24.

Strange how I turned the room heater down but yet its warmer in the room this morning than it was the other morning. Its clearly a warmer day today then o_O

You must be cold blooded lol - If the wife ever cranks our thermostat much over 20 degrees, I start sweating and threatening that I'dd start walking around in my pants!
 
So after turning heating down by quite a bit last night, this morning the room temp is 21.5 and tank is sitting at 23.5.

So although there's still a 2°C difference, its looking like it is room temp related rather than hardware in the tank
 
So after turning heating down by quite a bit last night, this morning the room temp is 21.5 and tank is sitting at 23.5.

So although there's still a 2°C difference, its looking like it is room temp related rather than hardware in the tank

It's still a hardware thing to be honest, as something is still adding 2°C of additional heat to your tank, when really it shouldn't be. Otherwise, all things being equal, your tank water and room temperature should reach equilibrium and be the same temperature.
 
It's still a hardware thing to be honest, as something is still adding 2°C of additional heat to your tank, when really it shouldn't be. Otherwise, all things being equal, your tank water and room temperature should reach equilibrium and be the same temperature.
Yeah good point. Fluval replied back to me saying a build up of crap around the impella or media and hoses can cause friction therefore leading to heat. Its definitely not media or pipes as I cleaned them yesterday with WC. Haven't cleaned the impella though in probably over a year. So will check that out next time the filter is out
 
Yeah good point. Fluval replied back to me saying a build up of crap around the impella or media and hoses can cause friction therefore leading to heat. Its definitely not media or pipes as I cleaned them yesterday with WC. Haven't cleaned the impella though in probably over a year. So will check that out next time the filter is out

Well worth having a go at that then as part of your process of elimination.
 
Yeah good point. Fluval replied back to me saying a build up of crap around the impella or media and hoses can cause friction therefore leading to heat. Its definitely not media or pipes as I cleaned them yesterday with WC. Haven't cleaned the impella though in probably over a year. So will check that out next time the filter is out

You'll probably find a marked improvement in the flow once the impellor is cleaned too. It's surprising how much rubbish coats the impellor over time
 
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