AGGGGH! I hd to step away from the thing, or I swear, it was about to go flying through my living room window.
I have never cleaned nor dealt with Mark's canister filter on the 125g tank. Well, Mark has been so busy lately that his tank was starting to look filthy. I figured, how hard could cleaning out the canister be? First thing's first, I went to dismantle the thing as the tank was draining.. water SPURTED all over me!! I literally had to change every item of clothing I was wearing, I was that drenched; not to mention the floor!
Well, taking apart and replacing the charcoal/floss was a piece of cake. So I replace everything.. got the lid on fine, first try. I filled it about halfway full of water, thinking, that should be enough to get her going.. Plugged in, switched it on.. nope. There was not enough water force to get the filter going enough to, well, filter. So I removed the lid and filled it to the brim.. BUT I can NOT get the danged lid back on!!!! I tried for a half hour to just attach the hoses to the lid alone. I got them awesomely secured finally did.. so my work area is a tiny, dark area under the tank.. I can't see my hand in front of my face! And the nearest light is 10 feet away.. I guess I can somehow rig one of the tank lights so it is shining on me. See, the lid has to be aligned just right, so that the hose connects with the other hose thingie; and 4 clips have to be lined up just so to seal it..
So go ahead, laugh at my expense. I sure am!