AHHHH - Leaking Rena canister filter

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
PoopSmart

PoopSmart

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jun 26, 2007
1,418
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mars
Its leaking out of the top, its not the hoses, but its the side of the lid. I have an xp3 and an xp1 on the 125 now and the xp1 is the one that is leaking. I just turned it off and I can't figure out why is leaking. It has been a loooong day today. I got done setting up aquarium stuff a couple hours ago (9PM) and I had been doing it since 1 PM.

If anyone has ever had this problem please provide any help.

Also since its an Xp1, and that is kind of weak, could I instead put my emperor 400 on it with the xp3, i mean it would have a greater turnover rate, and a booster of beneficial bacteria. Or is a canister filter more efficient when it comes to actually filtering the water?
 
Is it leaking where the motor/pump meets the "canister"? ( where the "O" ring is)
Possibly a little piece of crud in where the seal sits.
 
You're lucky you caught the leak before it got messy. Give yourself a pad on the back for that. It wouldn't hurt to run an Emperor 400 over the XP1 if you don't want to deal with fixing the leak. The only downside is the the XP1 probably hold more media. The good side is that the Emeperor400 will boost your turnover filtration and mechanical filtration.

My guess for the leak is that a bad rubber o-ring or like he said a piece of fish crap or rock could be causing it not seal properly. How old is your XP1? If it's pretty old you should either replace the most of the rubber seals since they do harden over time or buy another filter.
 
Yeah its old, but the xp3 works like a dream. I think its newer than the xp3, but should I unscrew the lid (there are 4 screws connecting to it) and then thats how I get to the O ring? I am not quite sure how I get to the O ring, I will go read the online manual some more and see if it tells me, if anyone knows exactly where to looks tell me.

Yeah I thought the biowheel filter would be great for biological filtration though too. Since canister filters have almost no contact with air, it would make sense to use a sponge filter or a biowheel that house some beneficial bacteria (especially during the startup, I am going to take my old one off my 75 since I have 2on it and put it on the 125, I will just leave my newest one on the 75 with my flowerhorn and that will probably be sufficient filtration for just one fish, if not I will add the sponge powerhead).
 
it might be a good idea before you order any parts to check a hardware store, they sell orings for pennies!! & it won't take a week to get it.:D
 
One of my XP's had a leak on the lid by one of the clips awhile back. If that is wear it is leaking, it could be a bad clip, I had accidentally bent one of my clips a little to hard when snapping it in place and it ruined the "air tight seal" I got a new clip for like $3 bucks and it has been wonderful since.

The O-ring is located in the impeller housing area I believe. Its the black seal that goes around it. There should be no screw removal to get to it. Simply take off the blue motor housing (the top part of the filter) and unscrew the circular part. That is the impeller area and the rubber ring around it is the O-ring. Check to make sure it has a good seal by looking for any foreign objects (sand, dirt, etc.) around it, also check to make sure there isnt any damage to it.

If you are still unsure of where the O-ring is located let me know and I can make a quick video for you.
 
Ok, I think I found the O-ring, but it isn;t a complete O, there is maybe a half a centimeter of space that would connect to make it a complete O.

Also its the inside of the top that is full of water, that should never be full of water, because I unscrewed it and there aren't any compartments where the water should be inside the lid.

Now I am deciding if its the o rings on the quick release knobs (the 2 male pipes that insert into the canister and pull out when you need to replace filter media).

I will go back to the hardware store today and try to find matching o rings, otherwise I have no idea how the water is getting into that empty space inside the top of the filter.
 
PoopSmart;1379196; said:
Ok, I think I found the O-ring, but it isn;t a complete O, there is maybe a half a centimeter of space that would connect to make it a complete O.

Also its the inside of the top that is full of water, that should never be full of water, because I unscrewed it and there aren't any compartments where the water should be inside the lid.

Now I am deciding if its the o rings on the quick release knobs (the 2 male pipes that insert into the canister and pull out when you need to replace filter media).

I will go back to the hardware store today and try to find matching o rings, otherwise I have no idea how the water is getting into that empty space inside the top of the filter.
Click to expand...


The O-ring is not actually an "O". I had probs with my X4 and was reff. to this web site. DID IT EVER HHHEEELLLPPP!!!!! http://www.marsfishcare.co.uk/en_us/index.asp

Try to call, The Rena guys are VERY helpful!!!!
Try to take out all the media inside the canister and run it for a day or two with nothing in it. What this is doing is it might be the media inside that is messing up the flow. Also try to put a lil vasoline around all the O-rings, it might be that the rings are worn down and a lil air is getting threw. If it from the top part, when you take off the top part after pulling the lever up there are 2 small O-rings that might need to be replaced but try the vasoline to buy you time. I highly Recom. to call these guys, they keep records of all the peeps they talk to and what is wrong with the filter. They try everything to help you fix it before having to buy parts, Hell you might even have warranty on the Canister like I did and they sent me O-rings, and a new lever piece-thing (whatever you call it, I forgot!). I've had the Canister for a while too.
G/L hope it helps
 
i have several xp3 on my tanks. i have 2 of them that started leaking where the plug comes out of the top. hard to see, but thats where i found it both times. lost around 30g overnight from my 75g retic/ram tank just 2 weeks ago from this

i just globbed a bunch of silicon around the hole and plug, and ive been fine. so far......

and dont worry about having water in the lid. after i remove the hoses, ALWAYS have water sloshing around in there. its just what was left sitting in the intake path. a few shakes upside down, and the water will come out if it bothers you that much.
 
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