How do I know if my canister filter is working properly ?

[joshv155]

I have an aquatop 400 canister filter. First time using a filter like this. I set it up several weeks ago and I am in the process of trying a fishless cycling of my 75 gallon tank. How do I know if the filter is working properly. Power went out because of a snow storm and came back on when we were gone after 2 days...it just seems like there isn't much flow coming out of the return tube...there is water coming out of it. And should there be suction on the out take tube ? I can't feel any....can't see any water going through the intake/outake tubes either and my tank has small particles floating around...

Note: I tried cycling with fish prior to reading up and realizing this was a bad idea. They all died...I found one under the sand and he must have been there a few days. I think some of the stuff floating around may be the the fish that was decomposing. Shouldn't my filter take care of this ? Not big pieces or anything just small stuff....seems like my tank should be much less polluted.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[rreekers]

your filter should take care of it yes!

I would say disconnect the hoses and take the canister to the tub. check to make sure the impeller and magnet are clean .. that's where I would start

 

[jsoong]

Canisters that had power cut for a few days should be opened & cleaned. The anaerobic conditions inside the canister during the power out can cause the bacteria to produce bad stuff (H2S, eg) that is harmful to fish.

I would take the filter apart & rinse all media in dechlor water. And cleaning the impeller & the various water flow paths will help restore flow.

Also, if the canister is not totally air-tight, a slow leak of air in a joint (during the power out) may produce an airlock, decreasing the flow. So, after cleaning, reprime the unit to see if that helps.

 

[joshv155]

Okay. Thanks for the help....patience is not my strong suite and I thought o was doing something wrong.