Brown slime broke my filter

[nirbhao]

When the light brown goo started affecting my filter's flow, I assumed that some snail jelly had gotten caught up in it. I wiped things down and moved on.

When the flow started to slow again, I thought I hadn't put things together again correctly.

The impeller is missing a blade. It was rattling and the motor was hot.

I looked up jelly algae. The results did not fill me with unbridled joy. It looks too brown to be cyanobacteria. I don't have a microscope (and the apps that claim to be, unless they have the special lenses, just zoom in a lot) so I can't check for flagella.

I turned off the lights, turned on the air pump, and adjusted the heater down to 76°.

Help? Hints? Hope?

 

[Potluck]

I've never saw an impeller that looked like that, is this a canister filter, hob?

 

[nirbhao]

AquaClear 30

 

[coralbandit]

IMO the brown crap is a combo of diatoms and over feeding?
Not overfeeding like extra food all over but even if all food is eaten it is still turned to waste that the filter must deal with....

I do know that any defect in the impellar will cause endless irritation .
Either rattling or even possibly not working at all.
Get another impellar or clip the opposite blade so it is balanced....
The lights off will do nothing if it is truly diatoms....
I love my aquaclears and now run somewhere over 20 of them! Last order was for 6 @AC30....

 

[nirbhao]

Well diatoms are a lot better than dinoflagellates! Still not awesome.

I have a new impeller on order. Should be here by Sunday. I'll take off the opposite blade in the meantime.

 

[Potluck]

AquaClear 30

I have all aquaclear filters 2 30's on my 20 gal a 110 and a 70 on my 55, is that pic of a piece if decor? Doesn't look like any of my impellers and I clean them once a month they have 4 blades

 

[Potluck]

I wouldn't think diatoms would do it maybe something was pulled in to the inlet and chucked the impeller, on my 20 gallon my impellers are always crammed with diatoms cause well idk lol I can't get them out of the tank, maybe sand, a small pebble (not likely) idk tbh but that's whats awesome about aquaclear they have replacement parts for everything

 

[nirbhao]

I have all aquaclear filters 2 30's on my 20 gal a 110 and a 70 on my 55, is that pic of a piece if decor? Doesn't look like any of my impellers and I clean them once a month they have 4 blades

Yes, that is decor. The impeller is the magnetic rod with four blades on top.

 

[nirbhao]

I broke off the opposite tab, but it still cavitated after a few minutes.

 

[Autumnsky]

My issues are usually from MTS being very tiny then maybe growing up big enough to jam up the impeller. It is always slimmy when cleaning it out. I use a q-tip in the impeller slot works perfectly. I don't do the deep clean on the filter impeller slot all the time every few months, I guess that's why the darn MTS have time to grow up and stop them.

They are solid filters.

 

[nirbhao]

I can't think of what else would have broken it. The stuff feels soft and malleable but does not stretch.

I did my water change and removed what had suddenly become a frosting of what looked like the same thing, except it was crunchy. Still slimy. Such a weird combination.

 

[Potluck]

Yes, that is decor. The impeller is the magnetic rod with four blades on top.

Right okay I was like this pic is the weirdest impeller I've ever saw lol

 

[nirbhao]

I was showing the brown stuff.

 

[henningc]

Get some nerite snails to eat diotoms outside of the filter-It really does work

 

[nirbhao]

I love my nerites.

I got the new impeller yesterday. Somehow, with only the hacked Aqueon, there was no ammonia. Pleasantly surprised.

I see some more brown on the sand so I'll have to get that out this evening.