Hi, I need some advise.
Can someone teach me how to prime a caister filter?
I'm using Taiyo 1200.

I filled up the canister with water, and locked the motor head on. The motor is running but it's not sucking water from the tank into the canister.

After reading so many online "how to prime a canister filter" questions, I realized that the in and out valves were closed..
I thought it was for locking the pipes... =_=
The canister filter is working perfectly now.

By the way, does anyone know where I can get clear polycarbonate pipes? Planing to make a few rain bars.

I bought it second hand for RM 100, still in very good condtion.
The specs:

Taiyo 1200
1200L/hour

I'm using it for my 2.5ft tank. It's rather powerful. It'd be suitable for a 3ft tank. I plan to get another one. The motor runs very quietly.

I initially did try pressing very hard on the circular knob(?). On the Taiyo website it said it was called a priming valve and it can be pressed. I tried pressing but nothing happened. So I didn't try any further in case it broke or got damaged.

How much will a new Taiyo 1200 cost? Planing to get another one. My fish keeps damaging the submersible pump's power head.

As for the rain bars, I went to all the LFS in Puchong but none sells them. One LFS said that they can order it, but it's going to be very costly.
So I thought I'd make my own. Just need a clear tube and drill some holes in it.

Does your priming valve move when you press it? Nothing happens to mine. Maybe it's stuck.
And thanks for the tip. It was noisy when I first started the pump. I thought it was faulty but after the water began flowing, it was silent.

This kind of fish:


This one bit the wiring but luckily the electrical leak was minor. I have another smaller one that carries sand in its mouth and makes a small mountain on the submersible pump's head. The sand got sucked into the filter head and destroyed the propeller. The smaller fish spoilt 3 pump heads and the bigger fish has spoilt one (as it is in a bigger tank, the filter head also cost quite a bit =_=)

Yes, I do like DIY. And tomorrow would be a perfect day for it
The grey ones are...unsightly. I did think of using that at first but then... no. Not a nice view for the tank. Maybe I'll use a clear hose and melt holes into it. It'd be like a flexible rain bar. The only problem would be closing off the end part.

Hahahhaha! Looks like your tilapia and my knifefish can be very good friends. I checked online to see if the fish is stressed but I didn't come across anything. Perhaps its their hobby.


The pump in its tank is about 6 inches above the substrate, but it still can manage to spoil it. That fish is just... I dunno. It is bent on destroying power heads

I set up the canister filter for its tank. So far, it inspected the outlet suction head but didn't do anything. Perhaps there is no flat surface for it to built small hills of sand, so its ignoring the piping.

Hahaha, yup. I'm a she. The nickname for this forum was due to my email address (which was due to one of my other hobbies, collecting liquor bottles...hence the very gender confusing nick).


Yeah, it'd be nice to know there are other girls who like aquatics. If they were to decom, I would definately buy from them.


People don't do predator planted tank because the fish can be a real rascal and uproot everything. I tried with cambomba, the fish not only uprooted it, it tore the plants to pieces (almost clogging the filter head). But I would like to make a planted tank with only grass (I don't know what the grass/plant is called). It'd be like a field with one big fish in the tank.

Question:

Can I use sand as substrate for planting? Example, I plant the grass in the sand and supplement with liquid fertliser and other minerals. Is it possible?

OH! So that's what it is. My brother caught one a month ago and thought it was a mutated tilapia mix jaguar cichlid.
He told me to feed it to the lungfish, but now it gets to live. Gonna go catch some more

Can also. How big is it? Mine is about 10cm. It bullied a 15cm peacock bass to death.. =_=
It's not supposed to be that territorial, right? It's my first time coming across such fish. It hides behind the pump head all day, and only comes out at night when it is dark. I think that's when it commited the murder.

That was 20 bucks? What the heck? I should have gone.




By the way, does anyone here know how much a custom made 8ft x 3ft x 3ft tank would cost? And which company provides such service around PJ ?

Yeah, I got your PM, but wasn't so free at that time. I thought of going on the last day, but then changed my mind. Then I saw your RM 20 tank... so regretful now. I'll wait for the next sales then.

My house fan is also turned on 24/7 but my tanks are still at room temperature. No difference. Why don't you share your secret? I'm sure many people would love to have a tank chilled with only a fan. No need to buy expensive chillers.

Errr.. typical Malaysian homes don't have underground rooms.
Mine is also in the living room, that's why I found it strange. How can the temperature drop to 25C just by fan. Usually, fan only reduces the temperature 1 -2 C only. Is it aquarium fan + living room fan, or just living room fan alone?

I read the comments above and deduced this:


Water evaporation = cooled tank ?


But don't you guys feel like it's very troublesome to top up the evaporated water every day, especially if the water loss is 2 - 5 litres per day?

In one week it would be 14 - 35 L water used up. @_@
Is there a method to prevent water loss while using the fan? (On extremely hot days, I drop a block of ice into my 3ft tank to cool my fish down. Trying to find a different method.)

I guess the least troublesome method would be to use a chiller. But then again, chillers don't come cheap.

I thought of something like this:


Water evaporates, condenses, flows back into the tank. Like a rain cycle. Could it work?

Where do you buy the acrylic sheet from?



I thought of covering only half the tank.
So, half of the evaporated water condenses and returns to the tank, the other half simply evaporates into the atmosphere.

I vote for "In the wall".







Can anyone recommand me a reliable mini external canister filter for a 2.5ft tank? Or for a 3ft tank (only half filled with water)?

Thank you.

This post has been edited by beer8bottles: May 13 2012, 11:56 PM

2213 is too powerful.
I need a mini one for the newt tank.

Wow...overnight and more than 3 pages already... This thread is so alive. I've to go back and search for the answers.

About the mini canister filter. Decided to go for ISTA as it is smaller size than the Eheim.


Hey, I have posted the pictures already. You only didn't see them. Hmph.
Did you take the salamanders home?


Everyone's into DIY chillers now
I'd like to learn more too. I like DIY-ing things.

And that chiller (fridge), how did they drill a hole into it? I was thinking of doing this before, but my dad said "Don't be stupid."
I am persisting on being stupid because a second hand chiller (fridge) is a lot cheaper than a second hand aquarium chiller. Plus, I could move the frozen blood worms out of my mom's freezer.

Do you use aquarium sealant to seal the tubings in place so as not to let the cold air from the fridge escape? Is there a more detailed diagram of how it is done?