Your Fluval 07 Series Performance Canister Filter should pump water out of and in to your fish tank. If the device has stopped pumping, then you can take a look at this troubleshooting article from Aquarium Blueprints.
Before we begin, it should be noted that this guide will cover the following variants:
- Fluval 107 Performance Canister Filter
- Fluval 207 Performance Canister Filter
- Fluval 307 Performance Canister Filter
- Fluval 407 Performance Canister Filter
1. The first step you can take is to make sure you place the canister in the proper location. For the uniformed, the filter needs to be directly underneath the fish tank since it uses gravity.
However, the bottom of the canister should be no more than 4.5 feet (or 1.4 meter) below the top of the water surface of your aquarium. Otherwise, you may encounter pumping problems.
2. You should also make sure that both the intake and output hoses are straight. This is because any loop or knot may cause your filter to not pump water efficiently.
3. Moreover, you should check to see if the hosing is securely connected to the correct openings. The top of the canister should also be tightly sealed. Otherwise, any loosely may result in leaks.
4. Avoid listing the AquaStop valve more than half way as it will lead to pumping issues. For best results, make sure that it is pushed all the way down.
If you are able to get the pump going, then you can move the AquaStop up again to reduce slow rate. With that said, make sure that you don’t move it upwards more than half way.
5. Keep in mind that you need to manually prime water into the canister before plugging the filter into the power outlet in order to turn it on. If you leave the canister empty, then the filter won’t be able pump water.
If you are running into problems when trying to prime water into Fluval 107, 207, 307 or 407, then you can check out this post.
6. There is a possibility that the power outlet you are using may be defective as it may supply enough power to run the device properly.
In this case, you can try plugging the power plug of your filter into a different outlet.
7. If your 07 series canister is still not pumping water, then we recommend that you give the filter a thorough cleaning.
When doing so, make sure you clean the hosing, intake strainer, filter media and impeller as these parts are commonly known to cause pumping issues.
If the sponges are really dirty even after thoroughly rinsing, then you may want to consider replacing them with new ones.
8. If cleaning the filter did not fix the pumping problems, then you may want to try replacing the impeller.
This part of the filter will wear down over time. So, if cleaning the impeller didn’t get it to work normally again, then you may want to consider getting a replacement.
You can take a look at our parts replacement guide for the Fluval 107, 207, 307 and 407 canister filters.