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Guest
Guest
Do you have to turn off your canister filter when you are making a partial water change? I don't right now, but from several posts it sounds like others are. Why?
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mattrox
Aquarium Advice Addict
If I am really lazy....... I turn off the filter.... then put the outflow into a bucket and turn it back on..... hehehe.
If I am doing a regular change I leave it on.
If I am doing a regular change I leave it on.
OP
OP
Guest
Guest
Any reason someone would turn it off?
mattrox
Aquarium Advice Addict
Doing large PWC's and the water level drops below the intake pipe. Ie with Large water changes on Discus.
OP
OP
Guest
Guest
Damn, it would take about a 90% water change for that to happen in my tank. Thanks for the info. mattrox
mattrox
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sometimes that is what is called for in a Discus tank, rarely but it happens. However the water would have been off-gassed and heated to the correct temp first. ALso if the "waterfall is going to make too much racket for the fish it might be good to turn it off.
There is always the electricity + water spill = death equation to consider.
There is always the electricity + water spill = death equation to consider.
TomK2
Aquarium Advice Addict
Well, the water does splash and make quite a bit of noise when the water level drops. I was turning them off only because they were on the same power strip as a holding tank heater that I wanted disabled during a water change (didn't want the water level to drop below the working heater when pumping out of the holding tank). I have since set the heater on the bottom of the holding tank so this is not a concern, and now I don't bother to turn the fluvals off. If I were going to do some other maintenance on the decorations or during a gravel vac, I would turn the fluvals off to reduce turbulence and splashing in the tank.
A reminder: if your fluval has a removable ceramic shaft for the impeller, make sure it is re-installed properly or the fluval will have difficulty self starting after turning it off. On the 404 the ceramic shaft is removable. When you clean the impeller housing, put the ceramic shaft back in, then drop the impeller over the shaft. if you put the impeller in first, then stick the ceramic shaft through the impeller, the ceramic shaft will not properly seat. When the filter is then turned off, you will often have to rattle it around to get the impeller moving again.
A reminder: if your fluval has a removable ceramic shaft for the impeller, make sure it is re-installed properly or the fluval will have difficulty self starting after turning it off. On the 404 the ceramic shaft is removable. When you clean the impeller housing, put the ceramic shaft back in, then drop the impeller over the shaft. if you put the impeller in first, then stick the ceramic shaft through the impeller, the ceramic shaft will not properly seat. When the filter is then turned off, you will often have to rattle it around to get the impeller moving again.
ScottVinVA
Aquarium Advice Activist
mattrox said:
WOW thats a great idea, I don't see any reason why that can't be done normally. Just pull the output out of the tank and stick it in the bucket.
?
jsoong
Aquarium Advice Addict
sdveirs said:
Why not go a step further, hook it up to a long hose & directely to a drain!
Better yet, put a Tee/valve in the output & permanently plumb it, now all you have to do is flip a valve to change from draining to circulating .....
Jchillin
Aquarium Advice Addict
The canister maintenance referenced is actually two separate sections. The canister itself in usually under the stand. The hoses for the outflow are insulated and does not pose a threat to electric shock.
OP
OP
Guest
Guest
To put your mind at ease cat, when I put in my UV I made a huge mess and spilled about a gallon of water all over my surge protector with everything plugged into it. Absolutely nothing happened.
OP
OP
Guest
Guest
catwumman said:Thanks Tony. I will sleep well tonight!!!! HeHe
(I'm still paranoid)
Seriously, there was water everywhere and not a spark to be seen. Everything still works and the surge protection didn't even kick in. I'm talking I had to basically pour water out of the outlet holes.
TomK2
Aquarium Advice Addict
Surge protection and ground fault interruption are two different things. A surge protector is to stop large voltage and amperage spikes going downstream into sensative appliances (tv's, computers). A GFI is to shut the circuit off if the current returning is not the same as the current going in, for example: if the current was going through you instead.
You can immerse an electric appliance in water and it will not trip a GFI as long as the water does not short it out and let the current leave the circuit. Such is the case with your properly functioning submersible products. In theory, if the submersible product has a short that will let current leave the circuit (via you) the GFI will shut off in milliseconds to prevent your death, but it would still likely hurt. The only way a surge protector would supply any protection is if the short circuit allows enough current to be drawn that exceeds the surge protectors fuse. This will typically be 15 or 20 amps, and you don't want that much going through you.
That being said, I routinely stick my limbs in the tanks in both GFI and non GFI circuits without fear.
OP
OP
Guest
Guest
Oh, I wasn't implying that the surge protector was the reason I was fine, just that aquarium water spills, even on electrical outlets, are not as bad as you might imagine. For me, it was not bad at all.
TomK2
Aquarium Advice Addict
Thank goodness. I have actually had wiring related shocks on 110V 20 amp circuits. That's how I discoverd the fact that two circuits can share the same nuetral? wire, and the unbalanced? load can be, well, unbalancing
Ouch. The old construction had been wired goofy, so even turning off the breaker for the light I was working on didn't protect me, since the nuetral wire was common with another circuit that was still on. I had to turn off all the breakers to be sure since I didn't have a meter. Now I test the wires with a meter rather than my fingers! 
This topic came up once before, and very few people had experienced even minor aquarium related shocks, let alone bigger ones. I"ve never even had a tingle with the aquarium.Glad you didn't get bitten.
OP
OP
Guest
Guest
TomK2 said:
Me too Tom, me too.
shawmutt
Aquarium Advice Addict
I turn mine off because I also clean the filter out when I change the water.
