# rena filstar flow rate question



## rachpreach (May 23, 2006)

I have a rena filstar xp3 and it seems that when i clean it out, the flow is pretty strong, but then in a week or too it becomes very weak. I have 4 of the bigger pored pads in the bottom tray, 4 or the finer pored pads in the second tray, and some chem stars,carbon, and 1 micropad in the top tray. I have a screen seperating the top tray from the lid. So i dont know whats going on here.


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

The sponges are loading up.

Try putting a DIY prefilter on the intake. 

Also remove some of those sponges. At most you need two of each size.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Ya, you have a lot of sponges in there. Maybe 2 of each.

-John N.


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## rachpreach (May 23, 2006)

oh, well i just always followed the picture diagram on how much and where everything went. So just put two of the larger pore sponges in the bottom tray by them selves and then put the two smaller pored sponges in the middle tray by themselves?


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## therizman1 (Apr 16, 2006)

The larger pored sponges are fine... its those smaller pored white ones that ruin everything.. they get full of stuff very easily and then the water can hardly pass through... I change those out every 3-4 weeks at the max to help keep the flow rate up. Having a filter pad on the intake would hurt either to get most of the stuff before it even makes it to the filter. Be glad you are using it with fish... with my turtles I have to tear the filter completely apart at least once a month and clean everything... with fish you can make it last quite a bit longer and only do some quick maitenance here or there.


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## rachpreach (May 23, 2006)

how do I put a filter pad on the intake?


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## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

One thing you can do is buy a pre-filter for a mag pump (usually used in ponds). When you get it it's a big block of filter foam with a hole in the center. You can just cut it down to size and slide the hole over the intake.


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## rachpreach (May 23, 2006)

oh well i have a sponge filter that has a hole in it that I used for raising baby angels. I guess I could use that huh?


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

That sponger filter would be good. I think the pores on sponge filters are finer then a normal foam block, so you'll have to squeeze/clean it out a bit more often, but it will do the trick. A little cleaning with each water change should do the trick and keep you at a regular flow rate.

-John N.


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## rachpreach (May 23, 2006)

ok great thanks for the help....Ill also remove some of the pads from the filter itself to increase flow


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

Aquaclear sponges make great prefilters. I just cut a hole in the correct size of AC sponge and slip it over the intake.


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## rachpreach (May 23, 2006)

what do those look like?


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Aqua Clear sponges, the white ones, are porous like the bigger pads in the canister filter, and similar to standard foam blocks. You get them at petsmart/petco for about $5.

-John N.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

You can also try to use those ceramic "noodles" as the first layer of filter material for the water to go through in the cannister. These are excellent for filtering out larger pieces of debris... in fact, that is their principal role. They can trap larger pieces of debris without restricting water flow.

In all my Eheim cannisters I have the noodles, then coarse sponge, then biofilter media, then the white fine pad. I clean the Eheims about every three months and don't use pre-filter on the intakes. And this even on heavily planted tanks which do generate lots of debris...


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## rachpreach (May 23, 2006)

you mean the noodles that you play with in the pool?


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Haha, that would be funny. But I think the noodles that Laith is refering to is the ceramic ring type noodles. Can serve two purposes, biological and mechanical filtration.









_Big al's Rena Ceramic Rings_

Not those foam pool type noodles that people play with in the pools.










-John N.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

I didn't even know that those pool toys were called noodles!  Amazing what one learns here on APC.

John is correct; I was talking about the ceramic rings...


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## rachpreach (May 23, 2006)

HAHA thanks for the for the pic as a demonstration John! HAHA! Im such a blonde sometimes (I really am a blonde though)


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

LOL you guys are funny. I had a feeling a picture is worth a thousand words in this case. 

-John N.


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## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

I'm having flow rate problems too, but I only have 2 of each sponge pads. Is it cause I have LOTS and LOTS of debris floating around? I was floating a bunch of plants and they broke up easily and stuff.

Also, would that sponge from walmart work? I bought a big bunch of them for my smaller filters and it seemed to cut the flow pretty bad, but people suggested them. Not petcos/petsmarts here, so don't have a lot of stuff xD


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Use a pretty coarse sponge over the intake, or else you will be removing and cleaning that sponge more often. I have used the Aquaclear sponges, and am trying some coarser (pond) sponges that seem to work well. 

If the sponge on the intake is smaller than the sponges inside, then there will be little or no debris to get caught by the coarse sponges in the filter. (It will all get caught on the intake sponge, plugging up that sponge) I noticed this especially with my Fluvals. The Aquaclear sponge is the same material as the Fluval sponges. I could clean the sponge over the intake weekly for at least a month before the filter needed cleaning, and when I opened it the first sponges were pretty clean. The finer filter media that I loaded into the baskets was filled to the point of slowing the flow. 

I load most of my filters with gradually diminishing sponge sizes. Using the Rena XP3 as an example:
Intake (in the tank): Coarse sponges on a manifold that holds 3-5 sponges. 
Inside the filter:
Lowest basket, lowest section: Coarse sponge, but finer than the one over the intake. The two that came with the filter. 
Lowest basket, upper section: Medium sponge (came with the filter)
Middle basket, lower section: Blue and white 'Rite Size' filter media, cut to fit. (Room in this section for more media, too- pick another size and stack accordingly) 
Middle Basket, upper section: Chemical media such as Peat for low pH/soft water tanks, or coral sand for lake Tang tanks in nylon stockings. 
Upper Basket, lower section: Quilt batting (most economical source of polyester fiber) (Or the finest media that came with the filter- it wears out, though) Do not pack this too thick, it will completely stop the filter. Better to loosely set it in, perhaps use a slightly coarser media under it, or simply not fill this basket very full)
Upper basket, upper section: Bio Media. (Yes, the sponges are loaded with bacteria, but I have these silly little things, and room in the filter, so why not)

General concept: The baskets are not so densely packed that the water will not flow through them. Each basket has its cover, and a divider and these keep the media somewhat separated.
There is room in the filter in case something happens and I need to add some activated carbon or other media. Most of the media can be swapped between filters so that a new tank is instantly cycled by taking a little media from each of several tanks' filters. Plants provide a lot of bio-filtration, too.


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## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

Alright, thanks for your input(and even posting it in 2 threads!). I'm wondering where you got your coarse sponge? I'll try and get one of those. The really fine one I have is really fine, lol.


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## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

It seems as if my flow rate dramatically decreased again. I'm gonna push on some kind of mesh very next time I clean the filter -_- This thing is sorta pissing me off xD


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

I use an Aquaclear filter sponge over the intake if there is a lot of stuff in the tank. Coarse stuff that makes it through the intake into the top of the filter seems to stick there, and has blocked my Filstars more than once. 

Look in pond supply places for coarser sponges than are sold for aquariums. You may need to cut to fit, but I have quite a few of these coarse sponges, too.

If the filter is slowing down too much it often means it is getting plugged with debris. Perhaps a thorough cleaning of the tank, gravel vac, and plant clean up will help. Less debris to get into the filter will help it keep going longer.


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## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

Alright. Do you think buying a replacement sponge for sponge filters would work too? Not much stores locally too xD


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## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

*sigh*
The flow rate dropped to something lower than my hob -_- 
I'm gonna have to do a clean out tomorrow some how, even with school. The algae dramatically increased today as the flow dropped a little more. I didn't expect this to happen at all... I'll put a fine sponge over for now as that'd better than nothing. I'll find some coarse ones later(maybe a filter sponge for a canister or hob).


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