e Now open the big clip locks (4.6) and lift them from
their seats. Now loosen the small clip locks (4.7) and
lift the filter head (4.8) by the small clip locks off the
filter case. Place the filter head on a soft mat as to
prevent damages of seals.
f You can now take the separate filter media baskets
out by their handles (4.9). The filter media baskets are
equipped for optimal pollutant breakdown. Please
note that the water flows downwards. Prefilter media
– filter mat (floss, 3.3.1) and filter sponge (3.3.2) – are
therefore located on top, biological media such as
sera siporax (3.5) at the bottom.
Rinse the sera filter mat (floss, 3.3.1) and the sera fil-
ter sponge (3.3.2) a few times with warm tap water
without detergents before using them.
In case of strongly polluted aquarium water it is
advisable to place the black filter sponge on top of
the white filter mat, as to prevent the mat from
clogging too quickly.
g The sera siporax filter medium is included separate-
ly. Open the bag and rinse the sera siporax. It is best
to use conditioned (e.g. with sera aquatan) aquari-
um water for this purpose, as this will neutralize pol-
lutants in the tap water that are dangerous to micro
organisms. Do not pour the water used for rinsing
back into the aquarium. Now put the sera siporax
(3.5) into the filter media basket.
h Now the sera siporax is activated biologically. Drip
sera filter biostart (3.17) onto the moist sera siporax
to do so.
i Now insert the equipped filter media baskets again.
Be very careful to stack the baskets precisely. The fil-
ter cannot be closed in case the filter media baskets
did not snap in properly. Make sure that all seal rings
are in place as to prevent the water flow taking a
"shortcut". Fill the filter case with accordingly condi-
tioned (e.g. with sera aquatan) aquarium water.
The filter case may only be filled with aquarium
water up to 4 cm (1.6 in.) below the sealing edge, oth-
erwise excessive water will leak out of the sealing
edge when the filter power head is attached.
j Put the filter head back in place. Make sure the head
seal ring lies straight and is not bent. Then first close
the small clip locks, afterwards the big clip locks.
k Now insert the multi-purpose valve back into the fil-
ter (4.1) and press the multi-purpose handle (4.5)
down. The hose valves are now open.
l Push the intake tube (3.13) halfway through the right
opening at the back cover edge (5.1) of the sera
Biotop Cube 130 XXL. ttach the intake strainer (3.14)
to the intake tube (3.13) and hang the intake strainer
into the aquarium. Connect the hose attached to the
"IN" side (4.1) to the intake tube.
m Push the outlet tube (3.7) halfway through the left
opening at the back cover edge (5.2). Now connect
the spray bar (3.10) to the 90° angle piece (3.9) and
this to the outlet tube (3.7). Use the connector
pieces (3.8) to do so. Hang the tube assembled this
way into the aquarium on the side of the intake
tube. Connect the hose attached to the "OUT" side
(4.1) to the outlet tube (3.7). You can extend the
spray bar (3.10) with the second part. Close the spray
bar with the stopper (3.11). You can attach the tubes
and hoses to the aquarium glass with the suction
cup holders (3.15). Direct the spray bar in a position
parallel to the left side of the aquarium.
n Plug in the power/mains plug when all connections
are fastened. In case the filter should not start
pumping water, press button (4.10) until the water
flow begins. The remaining air will be pumped out of
the filter case over the time.
4. Maintenance and cleaning
The filter is the biological purification system of your
aquarium. Common detergents destroy almost all
purification bacteria. s a consequence, pollutants are
not broken down for several weeks and the animals in
the aquarium are in acute danger.
nitrivec after the filter cleaning accelerates the (new)
formation of a dense bacterial population within the
biological filter materials. While cleaning the filter, the
hoses and the running unit (rotor) should also be
checked and cleaned, if necessary.
a Concerning filter media, "cleaning" only means thor-
ough rinsing with temperate, conditioned tap water
(or with aquarium water). It is best to rinse the filter
media in a bucket. You may also use water from a
water change for this purpose. The bucket must
never have had contact with detergents.
b Depending on the fish stock, the mechanical filter
media sera filter mat (floss) and sera filter sponge
need to be cleaned weekly. These filter media should
be replaced with new ones in case of severe clogg -
ing.
c You should only clean the filter or the biological fil-
ter media when really necessary. Necessity is indicat-
ed by a very considerably reduced water flow rate.
lways clean only a part of the filter media while
doing so (see 4a), never all at once. If you do not
want to wait until the water flow rate decreases you
may clean the filter media in the following intervals:
normal fish stock: every 3 to 4 months
optimal fish stock: every 6 to 12 months
Filter case and filter media baskets are only rinsed
under running water without any detergents. It is
possible that the filter is too small for the current
aquarium with its fish stock if the filter clogs more
frequently than every 6 – 9 months.
d Cleaning or replacing the running unit (fig. 6)
1) Loosen the rotor chamber lid by turning it and
take it off (6.1).
2) Gently pull the rotor out of the rotor chamber
(6.2).
3) The shaft can also be pulled out afterwards. First
pull off the shaft locator on the rotor (6.2.1). Clean
the now empty tube (6.2.2) inside the filter head
and the running tube with a bottle brush. In case
of damages at the shaft, rotor or rubber shaft
locators these must be replaced as to prevent
consequential damage.
Reassemble the filter in inverse order after you have
finished maintenance.
17
dding sera bio