Filter dying? Emergency? - Aquarium Advice

cJw · 10-31-2005, 09:37 AM

Heyas!

My wife called me omw into work this morning, to tell me that my filter is 'making noise like when you start it after a water change and it doesn't have enough water in it'... that's as much diagnostic info as I have atm, and was fairly sure the tank would be fine if I had her unplug the filter for the day.

I thought I'd ask 'the experts', though.

So 8 hours w/out filtration won't be a problem, right?

Any guesses as to why a filter would be acting this way?

[acronym:5cf7c1d96a="Thanks in Advance"]tia[/acronym:5cf7c1d96a] - and happy monday (halloween!)

**Fishyfanatic** · 10-31-2005, 09:56 AM

Is the filter full of water? Could it have run dry? There could possibly be something lodged in the impeller. If you do turn off the filter, make sure there is an airstone in the tank.

cJw · 10-31-2005, 10:03 AM

I do have an airstone (two) in the tank, and she said the filter was filled with water...

Jchillin · 10-31-2005, 11:12 AM

The airstone should be enough to keep the water oxygenated. Be prepared for any spikes in your parameters...though they shouldn't be that high. It sounds like the impeller may have come loose. What type of filter is it?

*Happy Halloween to you too.

cJw · 10-31-2005, 11:20 AM

Emporer 280...

I'm hoping to go home, open it up and fix it right up... so perhaps it's just a loose impeller, or maybe Nemo got some gravel up in there again.

TankGirl · 10-31-2005, 11:23 AM

It sounds like what Jchillin suggests - the impeller is probably loose or it has a bit of debris clogged in it. That is what my [acronym:f8965dec52="Hang On Back"]HOB[/acronym:f8965dec52] sounds like if a catfish stirs up the sand under it and a piece of grit gets in there. It just needs to be cleaned out and then it works like a champ. Hopefully that is what it is, but as you obviously know, it should be turned off until it can be dealt with.

tazcrash69 · 10-31-2005, 12:42 PM

If the filter has been off for more than an hour, make sure to drain, and re-fill before plugging it in. The water will go anaerobic, and you don't want to put that back in your tank.

severum mama · 10-31-2005, 01:15 PM

My Emperor 280 started making that noise a while back, and no matter how many times I've taken it apart and cleaned it, the noise never stops. I don't think you need to turn it off, as mine has been running fine (albeit, noisily) for over 6 months now. If you find a way to keep yours quiet, I would love to know!

cJw · 10-31-2005, 02:14 PM

Well, that's certainly not good news, severum mama.

fprintf · 10-31-2005, 03:41 PM

This happened to me last week. So for $18 plus shipping from BigAls the piece of mind was worth getting a new AquaClear 50 for my tank (20 [acronym:c866513913="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:c866513913] long) rather than purchasing a new impeller or worrying that one day my Penguin 170 would just quit on me. The filter bumped along noisily for the week it took the new filter to arrive and seemed like it would keep going that way for quite some time.

The [acronym:c866513913="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:c866513913] wanted $45 for that filter, so a quick run down to the store for a replacement was going to cost me dearly if the filter eventually died.

10-31-2005, 09:37 AM	#1
cJw Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 884 Images: 11	Filter dying? Emergency? Heyas! My wife called me omw into work this morning, to tell me that my filter is 'making noise like when you start it after a water change and it doesn't have enough water in it'... that's as much diagnostic info as I have atm, and was fairly sure the tank would be fine if I had her unplug the filter for the day. I thought I'd ask 'the experts', though. So 8 hours w/out filtration won't be a problem, right? Any guesses as to why a filter would be acting this way? [acronym:5cf7c1d96a="Thanks in Advance"]tia[/acronym:5cf7c1d96a] - and happy monday (halloween!) __________________ 30g long planted fw 1 blue gourami 6 rummy nose tetras 6 gold barbs 3 peppered cory cats 1 'maldito' cory cats= 1 yoyo loach 1 clown pleco 6 ghost shrimp † There are no coincidences. †

10-31-2005, 09:56 AM	#2
Fishyfanatic Aquarium Advice Addict Community Moderator Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Illinois Posts: 10,303 Images: 15	Is the filter full of water? Could it have run dry? There could possibly be something lodged in the impeller. If you do turn off the filter, make sure there is an airstone in the tank. __________________ Vote for Aquarium Advice 10 Gallon Lake Malawi Cichlid Fry 29 Gallon Community 55 Gallon Community 55 Gallon Lake Malawi Cichlid Fry 150 Gallon Lake Malawi Cichlid

10-31-2005, 10:03 AM	#3
cJw Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 884 Images: 11	I do have an airstone (two) in the tank, and she said the filter was filled with water... __________________ 30g long planted fw 1 blue gourami 6 rummy nose tetras 6 gold barbs 3 peppered cory cats 1 'maldito' cory cats= 1 yoyo loach 1 clown pleco 6 ghost shrimp † There are no coincidences. †

10-31-2005, 11:12 AM	#4
Jchillin Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: New York, NY (The Big Apple) Posts: 12,976 Images: 47	The airstone should be enough to keep the water oxygenated. Be prepared for any spikes in your parameters...though they shouldn't be that high. It sounds like the impeller may have come loose. What type of filter is it? *Happy Halloween to you too. __________________ _________________________________

10-31-2005, 11:20 AM	#5
cJw Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 884 Images: 11	Emporer 280... I'm hoping to go home, open it up and fix it right up... so perhaps it's just a loose impeller, or maybe Nemo got some gravel up in there again. __________________ 30g long planted fw 1 blue gourami 6 rummy nose tetras 6 gold barbs 3 peppered cory cats 1 'maldito' cory cats= 1 yoyo loach 1 clown pleco 6 ghost shrimp † There are no coincidences. †

10-31-2005, 11:23 AM	#6
TankGirl Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2003 Location: Richmond VA Posts: 8,279 Images: 16	It sounds like what Jchillin suggests - the impeller is probably loose or it has a bit of debris clogged in it. That is what my [acronym:f8965dec52="Hang On Back"]HOB[/acronym:f8965dec52] sounds like if a catfish stirs up the sand under it and a piece of grit gets in there. It just needs to be cleaned out and then it works like a champ. Hopefully that is what it is, but as you obviously know, it should be turned off until it can be dealt with. __________________ TG Central Virginians click here and join the Regional Forum! View My Gallery Here

10-31-2005, 12:42 PM	#7
tazcrash69 Aquarium Advice Regular Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Hawthorne NJ Posts: 57 Images: 1	If the filter has been off for more than an hour, make sure to drain, and re-fill before plugging it in. The water will go anaerobic, and you don't want to put that back in your tank. __________________ Aquarium: 55 gallon with 60 lbs fluorite 20 lbs gravel Filtration: Eheim 2026 Pimp #168 with Fluval surface skimmer Lighting: [acronym:2871b331de="Power compact fluorescent"]PC[/acronym:2871b331de] 130 watts of 6700k PCs 12hours, 130 watts 10K 4 hours. Co2 suppl.: 10lb tank with Milwaukee al in one. Flora:Java Moss, Water Sprite, Microsword, Anacharis, Water Primrose, Rotala rotundifolia, Cryptocoryne wendtii, Echinodorus x barthii, Bacopa monnieri Fauna: 3 Sailfin Mollies, 8 Tiger barbs, 6 Cory Julii, 6 Ottos, 2 SAEs, 9 Amano shrimp.

10-31-2005, 01:15 PM	#8
severum mama Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 2,771 Images: 22	My Emperor 280 started making that noise a while back, and no matter how many times I've taken it apart and cleaned it, the noise never stops. I don't think you need to turn it off, as mine has been running fine (albeit, noisily) for over 6 months now. If you find a way to keep yours quiet, I would love to know! __________________ WE CAN STAGE A RUNAWAY GOLF CART MARATHON 5 gallon, 45 gallon, and 55 gallon planted 75 gallon SA/CA cichlids 8 gallon Oceanic BioCube nano reef

10-31-2005, 02:14 PM	#9
cJw Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 884 Images: 11	Well, that's certainly not good news, severum mama. __________________ 30g long planted fw 1 blue gourami 6 rummy nose tetras 6 gold barbs 3 peppered cory cats 1 'maldito' cory cats= 1 yoyo loach 1 clown pleco 6 ghost shrimp † There are no coincidences. †

10-31-2005, 03:41 PM	#10
fprintf Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Cheshire, CT Posts: 39 Images: 2	This happened to me last week. So for $18 plus shipping from BigAls the piece of mind was worth getting a new AquaClear 50 for my tank (20 [acronym:c866513913="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:c866513913] long) rather than purchasing a new impeller or worrying that one day my Penguin 170 would just quit on me. The filter bumped along noisily for the week it took the new filter to arrive and seemed like it would keep going that way for quite some time. The [acronym:c866513913="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:c866513913] wanted $45 for that filter, so a quick run down to the store for a replacement was going to cost me dearly if the filter eventually died. __________________ 20 gallon long, setup September 2005. 4 juvenile Malawi ciclids (two Kenyi, two unidentified). 1 small Synodontis Ocellifer catfish. Water parameters as of November 05, 2005: P.H. 8.0, Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 20. Vote for Aquarium Advice Visit the chat room for live help!

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