# Magnum HOT 250



## fubbotubo (Apr 10, 2007)

I just bought a used magnum 250 hot.

When i saw the media container, i was a little disappointed at how little it can hold. For those of you who use it, what is the best way to optimize media and bactiera? I have a lot of floss I can stuff in there.. Is the rite-size sleeve worth buying for the media container? What does it do?

Also, when i see pictures of magnum 250s, they all seem to have a clear container. My magnum, on the other hand, has a black container. Does this mean its an older model? Is there a way to verify that it is indeed a magnum 250? I just want to make sure I wasn't jipped or anything.

Appreciate the help!


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## Coldfire (Aug 20, 2003)

Personally, I do not use the HOT magnum 250 or 350 filters, but here is a pic of the 250.


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

Yes the black cyclinder means it's an older model-

I use magnums on all my tank-Not a finer filter out there IMO-Depends on what one would like to do-Are you wanting to use this for mechanical or bio logical filtration?


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

fubbotubo said:


> I just bought a used magnum 250 hot.
> 
> When i saw the media container, i was a little disappointed at how little it can hold. For those of you who use it, what is the best way to optimize media and bactiera? I have a lot of floss I can stuff in there.. Is the rite-size sleeve worth buying for the media container? What does it do?


I believe those little containers can hold 500ml or half a liter give or take. I filled the media container with Eheim EhfiSubstrat Pro, but any of the smaller biomedias will work. I wouldn't use floss.

The sleeves are a must have for the media containers...they are reusable if rinsed every couple weeks or so.



> Also, when i see pictures of magnum 250s, they all seem to have a clear container. My magnum, on the other hand, has a black container. Does this mean its an older model? Is there a way to verify that it is indeed a magnum 250? I just want to make sure I wasn't jipped or anything.


I've bought 3 HOTs in the past year or so and they all have a darker container...it's not clear and not solid black persay, but more opaque. The Magnum 350 canisters on the other hand are clear. I'm also pretty sure it should say marineland or magnum somewhere on the lid or container...I'll check mine at school when I go in to feed my fish this evening.


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

I have an HOT that is solid black-but then again Ive heard talk that it is over 5 years old though-


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## fubbotubo (Apr 10, 2007)

*thanks for all of the replies, you guys are great.*

Im not to familiar with the magnum series.. but when i checked petsmart, the HOT Theyre selling has the opaque, darker container. Yes Bioteach, i beleive we have the same container. its not completely black, its dark but clear enough to see whats inside. Its not completely clear either.

Whats a good price for a magnum and where do you guys get yours?

*I will be sticking the hot in my room (hopefully it'll be silent!) and its focus will be bio-filtration. (20 gallon tank) *

*whats media do you recommend??

Whats wrong with floss?*

and..

Thanks again!


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## skubasteve! (Feb 14, 2007)

I would just fill most of it with pot scrubbers for bio-media.


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

fubbotubo said:


> *thanks for all of the replies, you guys are great.*
> 
> Im not to familiar with the magnum series.. but when i checked petsmart, the HOT Theyre selling has the opaque, darker container. Yes Bioteach, i beleive we have the same container. its not completely black, its dark but clear enough to see whats inside. Its not completely clear either.
> 
> ...


I paid around 40-50 bucks from Drs. Foster & Smith.

For biofiltration I'd go with Ehfisubstrat, Ehfisubstrat pro, or crushed lava rick (Ehfilav). You can try other biomedia, but those mentioned will be small enough to maximize your media in that container. You could try potscrubbers, but the design of the basket isn't very condusive of that.

Floss is mechanical filtration and will get compacted and reduce flow very quickly in your vertical media basket. Use the media sleeves. I've got a biowheel pro that fits your filter I can sell you cheap for extra biofiltration, but it will make it slightly noisier.


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## fubbotubo (Apr 10, 2007)

BioTeAcH said:


> *thanks for all of the replies, you guys are great.*
> 
> Im not to familiar with the magnum series.. but when i checked petsmart, the HOT Theyre selling has the opaque, darker container. Yes Bioteach, i beleive we have the same container. its not completely black, its dark but clear enough to see whats inside. Its not completely clear either.
> 
> ...


I paid around 40-50 bucks from Drs. Foster & Smith.

For biofiltration I'd go with Ehfisubstrat, Ehfisubstrat pro, or crushed lava rick (Ehfilav). You can try other biomedia, but those mentioned will be small enough to maximize your media in that container. You could try potscrubbers, but the design of the basket isn't very condusive of that.

Floss is mechanical filtration and will get compacted and reduce flow very quickly in your vertical media basket. Use the media sleeves. I've got a biowheel pro that fits your filter I can sell you cheap for extra biofiltration, but it will make it slightly noisier.
[/quote]

Would crushed lava rock ever need to be cleaned after being used for some time? Would a home and garden center sell crushed lava rock?


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

fubbotubo said:


> Would crushed lava rock ever need to be cleaned after being used for some time? Would a home and garden center sell crushed lava rock?


It doesn't need cleaned so much as occasionally rinsed in old tank water (from a water change) to flush away build up debris. You don't want to clean it since that will kill off your bacteria. You should be able to find crushed lava rock in just about any store that has a garden section with the potted plant supplies. Make sure you use the foam sleeve to prevent your media from clogging prematurely.


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## mike123 (Jul 17, 2006)

For any magnum filter i just use the micron filter (the white cylinder thing) that is great for mechanical filtration. I usually use a magnum and then buy a bio wheel filter for biological filtration.


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## fubbotubo (Apr 10, 2007)

BioTeAcH said:


> Would crushed lava rock ever need to be cleaned after being used for some time? Would a home and garden center sell crushed lava rock?


It doesn't need cleaned so much as occasionally rinsed in old tank water (from a water change) to flush away build up debris. You don't want to clean it since that will kill off your bacteria. You should be able to find crushed lava rock in just about any store that has a garden section with the potted plant supplies. Make sure you use the foam sleeve to prevent your media from clogging prematurely.








[/quote]

How crushed is crushed? Iv seen some lava rock that measures 1-2" in diameter.. Would i need to sledgehammer this?


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

fubbotubo said:


> How crushed is crushed? Iv seen some lava rock that measures 1-2" in diameter.. Would i need to sledgehammer this?


Anywhere from pea to marble size should do.


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

are the magnums pretty quiet or what?

good for mechanical??

just fired up my AC 70 and its friggin loud. i need something that i can load some sponges into and HOB.lol. got the eheim classic for bio.


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

Puff said:


> are the magnums pretty quiet or what?
> 
> good for mechanical??
> 
> just fired up my AC 70 and its friggin loud. i need something that i can load some sponges into and HOB.lol. got the eheim classic for bio.


Puff-Trust me when I say this is the best filter(magnums) for mechanical filtration-Nothing will touch them-They are quite but can barely be heard-Not quite as quite as the ehiems but close-

Now I got one filled with bio(350 deluxe) and it makes noise from time to time(just pushing the media around,Could probably be solved by putting more in).

I have ran many other filters with as many tanks as I have-I always go back to the mags.


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

good to hear AK!

its on order right now! im going to use it for mechanical filtration and my eheim for the biological

got a great deal on it as well!


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## fubbotubo (Apr 10, 2007)

Puff said:


> good to hear AK!
> 
> its on order right now! im going to use it for mechanical filtration and my eheim for the biological
> 
> got a great deal on it as well!


what kind of deal and where =O

Ac's quiet down over the weeks imo


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

Puff said:


> good to hear AK!
> 
> its on order right now! im going to use it for mechanical filtration and my eheim for the biological
> 
> got a great deal on it as well!


LOL-Your tanks gonna be crystal clear-Glad to hear it man


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## fubbotubo (Apr 10, 2007)

so i just set up my magnum. For some reason, theres that vibrating noise that every filter seems to inflict me with -_-

I checked the impellor and it looks brand new. Im wondering if the noise will lessen over time (like it did with my ACs)? Reason i ask is because i bought the filter off ebay and if its not working properly i need to send back asap.

thanks for the help


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

fubbotubo said:


> so i just set up my magnum. For some reason, theres that vibrating noise that every filter seems to inflict me with -_-
> 
> I checked the impellor and it looks brand new. Im wondering if the noise will lessen over time (like it did with my ACs)? Reason i ask is because i bought the filter off ebay and if its not working properly i need to send back asap.
> 
> thanks for the help


Did you rinse the lava rock good before you put it in? Impeller noise is usually caused by 2 things: grit (sand, snail shells, lava rock/bio media crumbs, etc...) or air bubbles. Take it apart and rinse everything real good to take care of the grit, and make sure the filter is topped off before you close it to help with air bubbles. Also check to make sure you leveled the filter properly and have it snug to the aquarium frame. Why you have the filter apart, check to make sure the impeller blades don't have any cracks or chips and that the magnet isn't cracked or chipped too.


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## fubbotubo (Apr 10, 2007)

thanks for the advice bio. Im actually running the filter without any media/sleeve. Just wanted to test it out. The impellor looks like theres no damage. Tom i will do everything you said. Its a pretty clean filter from what I see.

does your magnum have an on/off switch bio?

The noise feels like its from vibrations.


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

All mine have a push button switch on the bottom back. All filter motors make some noise, so that may be what you hear. Check to make sure the intake and outake tubes aren't touching a center brace or side of the tank as that can magnify the vibration noise. You may notice a difference too with that sleeve on there.


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## fubbotubo (Apr 10, 2007)

BioTeAcH said:


> All mine have a push button switch on the bottom back. All filter motors make some noise, so that may be what you hear. Check to make sure the intake and outake tubes aren't touching a center brace or side of the tank as that can magnify the vibration noise. You may notice a difference too with that sleeve on there.


ill do all of that. APpreciate the help

Have a good night, ill let you know what helps


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

when i had a filter or two that vibrated i got some of that foam tape. i just stuck a strip or two where the filter touched the tank. in this case it was aqua clear, and it at least cushions the filter more and stops a bit of the vibrations


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## fubbotubo (Apr 10, 2007)

hey again, added the sleeve, rinsed everything out carefully, added pot scrubbers and a bit of sponge in the cannister. Still a bit of noise. I checked the impellor and it looks perfect, so im confused lol.

i took some pics of the impellor, see anything wrong with it?

Do you guys use sand in the tanks that have a magnum filtering it? If so, any problems?



Puff said:


> when i had a filter or two that vibrated i got some of that foam tape. i just stuck a strip or two where the filter touched the tank. in this case it was aqua clear, and it at least cushions the filter more and stops a bit of the vibrations


sorry the pics are a bit dark


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## mike123 (Jul 17, 2006)

the noise may be from trapped air


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## fubbotubo (Apr 10, 2007)

mike123 said:


> the noise may be from trapped air


it sounds like its coming from the motor. the most noise is coming from the bottom area of the cannister, which i assume is the motor. Hopefully it'll wear itself into silence


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

fubbotubo said:


> the noise may be from trapped air


it sounds like its coming from the motor. the most noise is coming from the bottom area of the cannister, which i assume is the motor. Hopefully it'll wear itself into silence








[/quote]

How long has this been running steadily now?


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## fubbotubo (Apr 10, 2007)

How long has this been running steadily now?
[/quote]

last night i took it apart, cleaned it up and added all of the media. so *its been running for 15 hours so far.* I slept through it pretty easily, but i know when im studying or something the noise will get to me eventually lol.

The media cartridge is really really small. I was hoping to fit a bunch of pot scrubbers in there, but only managed 2. I filled the gaps with some sponge, is that alrite?

thaaanks


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## fubbotubo (Apr 10, 2007)

Just another question..

How important is the O-ring? I opened up the magnum last night and found the o-ring split in half and it was hanging out in the center exhaust tube. Just wondering if anything cut it or was it just wear-and-tear? Also, is it possible not to replace it, or will air get in and result in the annoying trickle sound?

thks


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

fubbotubo said:


> Just another question..
> 
> How important is the O-ring? I opened up the magnum last night and found the o-ring split in half and it was hanging out in the center exhaust tube. Just wondering if anything cut it or was it just wear-and-tear? Also, is it possible not to replace it, or will air get in and result in the annoying trickle sound?
> 
> thks


That has to be your problem right there then-It's very important to have that O-ring Sir-It will result in air getting in-


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## fubbotubo (Apr 10, 2007)

it actually just broke.. after i was complaining about the noise. Ill have to pick up another O-ring i guess. Too bad a big rubber band wont do the same job :laugh:


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