Saltwater & Reef

William · 12-29-2003, 07:21 PM

I lost the book that came with it so I need to know, is there a way to increase/decrease the flow rate?

Because my filter has just, over the past week, dropped to a trickle.

It has a brand new, fresh filter in it and the biowheel spins freely [ No gunk between it and the overflow ]

So I don't know whats wrong.

When it was new it used to chug the water out, this filter is less than a month or two old.

Why do filters die on my so fricken quick? and I'm in the middle of heattreatments for ich do and need the aggitation..

TankGirl · 12-29-2003, 07:27 PM

I would check the impeller first. Take out the intake tube and pull out the impeller, and see if there is any problem with the way it is seated in the hole, or if the little plastic bearing that it spins on spins freely. I can't think of anything else on a new filter that would cause this, other than the motor having poor contact with the impeller, or vice versa.

cindywindy · 12-29-2003, 08:52 PM

William,

I had this same trouble with this filter before. They are a total pain in the neck for this reason and I got so frustrated that I literally drop-kicked mine out the front door. It is hard to swallow paying what is considered top dollar for a filter that has a weak flow.

I have AquaClears on every one of my tanks and now that I've switched I wouldn't dream of having anything else. Full flow, 24/7 ... quiet motor, adjustable flow rate AND inexpensive !

Bearfan · 12-29-2003, 08:55 PM

I've had my Penguin Emporer for over a decade now, and all I've had to do is replace the media and the impeller once, but I clean my impeller every other week or so since built up and motors do not handle each other well.

fish_doc · 12-29-2003, 11:37 PM

I use whispers on my smaller tanks and have no problems. But all filters are basically the same. I would suggest you check your uptake tube and impeller and make sure they are clean. And if the filters seem to dirty quickly it is probably due to the fish being overfed. Unless you have something like goldfish They are a normally dirty but beautiful fish.

captainGregor · 12-30-2003, 12:10 AM

If your impeller is clean, the plastic bearings are clean, your intake is clean, etc., call Marineland customer service. They will gladly send you another impeller for absolutely free without any proof of anything. Be prepared to wait a few minutes before live operator, but I got mine in 3 days flat for my powerhead, no problems.

tkos · 12-30-2003, 07:41 AM

If you have any snails they are great at climbing up and getting stuck in impellors.

William · 12-30-2003, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fish_doc

I use whispers on my smaller tanks and have no problems. But all filters are basically the same. I would suggest you check your uptake tube and impeller and make sure they are clean. And if the filters seem to dirty quickly it is probably due to the fish being overfed. Unless you have something like goldfish They are a normally dirty but beautiful fish.

I feed my fish every 3 days, only enough where they eat in about 10 minutes and the rest [ Altho theres hardly ever any extra ] is scooped out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tkos

If you have any snails they are great at climbing up and getting stuck in impellors.

No snails small enough.

fish_doc · 12-30-2003, 01:19 PM

If you don't overfeed the other cause of filter clog may be your live plants. I noticed in your signature you have live plants. Sometimes the dead leaves will get into your filter and clog them up quickly. tkos - mentioned snails -They will eat the dead tissue off of plants and despite what many think they do not attack healthy leaves on the plants. But it looks like you have snails in some of your tanks already.

One other thing you may want to try to fix the slow flow is to get a razor and scrape the magnet on the impeller. Sometimes they tend to rust up causing them to run slower. This is quicker and cheaper than getting a new impeller. Just be cautious not to get cut up.