Issues with a DIY canister filter - help!

[JamieOxford]

So I started building a canister filter a few weeks back and I fianlly finished it today. It works well at pumping out the water, clearing 250 ml in around 10 seconds.

My issue is that the pump isn't sucking the water back in through the other tube. I used this article here for inspiration.

http://www.petfrd.com/forum/articles.php?action=viewarticle&artid=87&page=3

I adapted it slightly to include two canister to make it easier to remove and also to give me more space for filtration and bacteria to grow.

Here are some pictures of the setup at present:






Help would be appreciated and I just want to get it up and running so I can start planting and cycling!

 

[G H Nelson]

Hi
Are the two canisters connected to each other?
Why not just use a bigger single canister?
Probably air trapped somewhere or the pump is not strong enough.
Or its not configured properly
Regards
hoggie

 

[Nelson]

as Hoggie says.how powerful is the pump ?.
it could also be sucking air in from one of the joins or seals even if theres no leaks.have you tried placing the filter lower.

 

[ceg4048]

So I started building a canister filter a few weeks back and I fianlly finished it today. It works well at pumping out the water, clearing 250 ml in around 10 seconds.

Err..mate either you have a misplaced decimal point or you need a bigger pump. It takes 10 seconds to move a measly quarter of a litre? That's only 90 LPH (23 GPH).

My issue is that the pump isn't sucking the water back in through the other tube.

I adapted it slightly to include two canister to make it easier to remove and also to give me more space for filtration and bacteria to grow.

I like the idea of using multiple buckets instead of one big one. Easier to clean and to fit into awkward spaces and so forth but what "other tube" are we talking about. Do you have a schematic or can you describe the plumbing so we can get a clearer idea. This might explain the low throughput.

Cheers,