If you have a hard time trying to prime water into your Fluval 107, 207, 307 or 407 canister filter, then you can take a look at this troubleshooting article from Aquarium Blueprints.
1. To start off, make sure you set up the filter properly.
The Fluval 07 series works best when it is placed below your fish tank since it relies on gravity. With that said, make sure that the bottom of the canister is no more than 4.5 feet (or 1.4 meter) the top of the water line of your fish tank.
The hosing should also be as straight as possible to allow a direct path in and out of the filter.
2. When it comes to priming, do not put the intake of your filter next to an air stone or bubbler as you don’t want air getting in.
3. Furthermore, you should put the output nozzle to above the water line; if it underwater, then the output nozzle may end up sucking in air instead.
4. It is also important to note that the Fluval 107, 207, 307 and 407 do not feature automatic priming. Instead, you have to add water to the canister manually.
In order to prime, you need to take the following steps:
- Make sure that the filter is unplugged from the power outlet.
- You should also make sure you position the canister, intake and output nozzle correctly as stated above.
- Furthermore, the hosing should also be securely connected.
- For priming, the AquaStop valve next to the intake and output connectors of the top cover is pushed all the way down.
- You then need to grip the grey-colored instant-prime handle at the top cover.
- Afterwards, pull the instant-prime handle upwards and then push it back downwards again.
- Keep pulling the handle up and then pushing it back down until you see water coming out of the output nozzle. This should take at least three pumps.
3. If using the handle does not prime your canister, then make sure that the aforementioned AquaStop valve has been pushed all the way down to allow for maximum water flow.
4. You should also try checking to see if there are any leaks from the hosing and/or canister as these may be hindering the water flow. If you spot a leak, then make sure that the hosting and the top of the canister are tightly connected.
5. Furthermore, you should check for any blockage in the hosing as well as the intake or output nozzle. If there is, try to clean these parts before attempting to prime your 107, 207, 307 or 407 again.
6. There is a possibility that the instant-prime handle up may be defective. Since this is a moving part, it can wear and tear over time. In this case, you may want to get a replacement.
The instant-prime handle is attached to the top cover of the canister, which is the motor head. Therefore, you may need to replace the entire motor head unit in order to get an instant-prime handle that works.
You can take a look at our replacement parts guide for the Fluval 107, 207, 307 and 407 to find the part number of the motor head for your canister filter.
