Aqua C Remora HOB overflow box problems

[The Escaped Ape]

Anyone here order the prefilter box with their Aqua C HOB? I did, and am now finding it difficult to get it to sit right in the tank. It seems semi-buoyant, which means it's rising slowly, making the level difficult to adjust. It's also continually tilting up on one side and doesn't sit flush with the side of the tank (the bottom lifts up, meaning it currently tilts away from the aquarium glass as well).

As far as I can see, there is no way to fix the overflow/prefilter box to the aquarium glass, just a couple of screws to fix it to the pump. Am I missing something obvious, though?

I'm thinking of wedging it against the glass with some LR, but any other hints/tips gratefully received.

Tom

[The Escaped Ape]

I've e-mailed the company to see if they have any tips, so if and when I get a reply, I'll post the advice here.

If anyone has their own ideas/experience, I'd still be interested to hear it though.

[jpluttme]

Get 2 over the door plastic hooks from home depot or wherever. Cut the hooks off leaving only the part that goes over the top of the door. Use nylon screws and nuts to attach the hooks to the box (you'll need to drill into the box.) You'll then have 2 hangers on your box which will hold the box securely on the aquarium (you won't have to use the screws to fasten the pump to the box anymore) and the weight of the remora resting on the hooks you just installed will keep the box in place.

[The Escaped Ape]

Thanks jpluttme. Excellent answer. I'll look into rigging something similar up.

Kind of annoying that you have to do this though. You'd think it'd just work properly from the get go...

[jpluttme]

Yeah, unfortunately the plastic tubing that connect the pump to the remora isn't too great for keeping the box level. You may want to have 3 hooks- 2 for the back, and one for the side if it's up against the side of the aquarium. Would have been nice if they built some sort of hook or brace in already. Oh, and be careful when drilling the box- it's a pain and cracks easilly if you don't go slow.

[The Escaped Ape]

Eek. With DIY not my strong point, that's a bit of a worry. I might just go for the superglue option...

Thanks again.

[The Escaped Ape]

A quick update. Got a prompt response from AquaC, so no fault to their customer service so far.

"The surface prefilter box does not have to be fixed against the side of tank. You should have it set up so that the pump is in the chamber on the left that has the teeth and it should be in there so that the intake is to the right, the cord is to the left and the output is facing up. The water return ledge should hang into the chamber on the right and everything fits together once you tighten the screws against the pump."

I'd done pretty much all this already, but I'm not sure whether the way I've positioned the Maxijet matches this. I'm going to try fiddling with the positioning and see if this helps (which I'm guessing it conceivably could).

[gussy]

I super glued sucktion cups to the back of the pre-filter. Four little ones will do as it never falls off.

[The Escaped Ape]

Originally posted by gussy
I super glued sucktion cups to the back of the pre-filter. Four little ones will do as it never falls off.

Well, seeing as it turns out I had installed the thing along the same lines as the advice from Aqua-C, this looks like an excellent option Gussy. Thanks for the helpful advice!

[nick540]

I have the exact same problem with mine, i used LR to prop it in place as a temporary solution. This box is so big and ugly and takes up a lot of swimming space for my fish, i wonder if it really is worth it in the end!