Aqua One Powerhead Noisy/vibrates

[Thommo]

I have 2 AquaOnes neither have EVER come even close to clogging. May I suggest that any filter that clogs is due to lack of care and or maintanance and not due to design
Vibrate yes....a bit Easily fixed with a little common sense. Pump Vibration=2 surfaces touching....solution= stop them touching. Either move the pump by sliding the spray bar one way or the other then hold in place by positioning the rubber gromet against the cut out in the tray as per instructions or pack a little floss around the rising tube from the pump head.

No matter what make of tank/pump filter you purchase and how ever much you spend it is still a cheaply made plastic incased mechinism that runs day and night so it is bound to need a little help now and again.

Sorry, it just gets my goat when people jump on the band wagon and say that AquaOne's are crap, same goes with Juwel filters. I have one that has been used since '2006 by 2 previous owner and it's working great for me right now after an amazing 3 week cycle and a very clear tank.

Some people may have a problem with something but that is not a controlled survey, just their experience so to say that particular thing is a peice of junk is unfounded. Sheep follow sheep IMO

Oh jeees I'm getting tired and grumpy (made redundant today ) going to bed.........

Sorry to hear about your job Doresy. World economic down turn?

Had a look at some of your other posts and looks like you are pretty up with getting the best out of your Aqua ones. Good idea with the rubber block. Will try that next. I have already made sure that the pump outlet isn’t touching the sides but still get some vibes into the filter(through the mounting I suppose).

I'm going to go to the fish shop when I get home and fill the filter jam pack as much as i can with sintered media. And floss of course

After some of the replies in regards to the Hood filter not being able to handle the bioload. I emailed the fella I’m going to get the fish from enquiring if he had an external filter and if so what did he want for it. (He is getting rid of his tank) Turns out he has an Aqua one 120(running for a few years), next step down from me(no external) with the hood filter on top and has had no issues at all. Apparently he even had over 200 fishes (cardinals, rummy nose etc.) in there with no issues at all. Makes me feel a bit better now as I’m obviously going to have the exact same fish he has but with an even larger filter as mine is the 150.

Doresy, When you are in more of a mood. I'm interested in your mods that you have done over the time to your Aqua one. I'm pretty handy when it comes to that sort of thing (maintenance fitter) Got my own DIY pressurised CO2 setup made for $130 (about 2 pound) . So I should be able to grasp any of you explanations pretty quickly.

Hopefully it is just the pump. Taking it in on Thursday to the LFS so they can have a look at it.

Thanks to all of you for your input. This forum is a great way to learn the Hobby in a very quick time. I appreciate all of your experiences and opinions and have given me way too much to think about

I'm thinking now of going down the track of just the hood filter, but if I can't get it to SHUT UP I’ll be looking at other options in the future.

 

[pippoodle]

I have 2 AquaOnes neither have EVER come even close to clogging. May I suggest that any filter that clogs is due to lack of care and or maintanance and not due to design
Vibrate yes....a bit Easily fixed with a little common sense. Pump Vibration=2 surfaces touching....solution= stop them touching. Either move the pump by sliding the spray bar one way or the other then hold in place by positioning the rubber gromet against the cut out in the tray as per instructions or pack a little floss around the rising tube from the pump head.

No matter what make of tank/pump filter you purchase and how ever much you spend it is still a cheaply made plastic incased mechinism that runs day and night so it is bound to need a little help now and again.

Sorry, it just gets my goat when people jump on the band wagon and say that AquaOne's are crap, same goes with Juwel filters. I have one that has been used since '2006 by 2 previous owner and it's working great for me right now after an amazing 3 week cycle and a very clear tank.

Some people may have a problem with something but that is not a controlled survey, just their experience so to say that particular thing is a peice of junk is unfounded. Sheep follow sheep IMO

Oh jeees I'm getting tired and grumpy (made redundant today ) going to bed.........

sorry to hear about your job hun

i have to agree with you
i do weekly maintenance on my filters - changing floss checking and cleaning the powerhead and havent had any probs with my juwel internals or my aquaone hood trickle filter
then once a month doing the normal rinsing in tank water
i think a lot of people dont do the weekly maintenance and that is the main reason they go wrong

BTW was so glad you helped me decide to get the aquaone ar620 t - its a brilliant tank
take care hun

Sarah xx

 

[doresy]

sorry bout last night

Job hunting today so can't be here long......back tonight

Anybody need a Pattern Maker

More info on the AquaOne tonight maybe

PS, thanks all for the regards

 

[Thommo]

Took the pump to the LFS to get it checked out, and as I thought, there was nothing wrong with it

guess its back to the drawing board.

Will update pics tonight for anyone who might be interested

[/img]

Some of my mods which havn't helped much

The two 16mm hoses which stopped the gurgling. The course foam stops any draining sounds

Photo of the mount which as you can see is rubber mounted to STOP vibration.

Tank before the Algae cleanup and plant trimming.

 

[doresy]

NICE with envy....makes my 850 look like a Betta tank

Well looks like you've tried everything......nearly Have you made sure the strainer isn't touching the side of the tank? Also have you tried either pushing the back section of the canopy (that houses the filter) toward the back of the tank or pulling it against the front section? Or maybe side to side?

Running out of options here

 

[rabbut]

One person wonders if it's the spray bar against it's mounts caursing the racket. I still think if you are going down the Discus route you need to get an exturnal on there, either along side or instead of that filter supplied

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Thommo]

Well here is an update.

After a multitude of trial and error mountings in the tank for the power head nothing worked

So I then spat my chewy

After actually sitting back and thinking for a bit I came up with NOTHING

I then thought well nothing else to loose so I thought lets try the power head that I use for my water changes. (Just a cheap thing from EBay (god bless them) After a bit of fiddling around and finding some hose that fit for the connections, hey presto it fitted, although not that pretty looking.

The results, well 95% better. No vibration, just the hum of the 50Hz from the power grid. I have been informed where I live we have dirty power which results in a bit of humming.

Anyway, I currently have the EBay power head still installed so hopefully the wife might be able to get a better sleep. The power head is 4000L/hr compared to 2000 so naturally I was a little worried about overflowing the filter but as yet(fingers crossed) nothing is different in water levels etc.

So i rang the LFS where I got the aquarium and told them what I did and they are getting in a new power head to replace mine( after a fair bit of convincing from me ) If I'm lucky it has been the power head all along.

Will keep you updated

 

[mm23]

Will keep you updated

Any news on this? Did you get the replacement and did it fix it?.

I have a new Aqua one Grande 180 aquarium with exactly the same issue. I also found taking the powerhead out of the tank and putting it in a bucket stops the noise. I am pretty sure it is not the filter box vibrating. I think when it is under load ie having to force water through the spray bar it causes the impellor to vibrate hence the noise.

 

[Thommo]

Will keep you updated

Any news on this? Did you get the replacement and did it fix it?.

I have a new Aqua one Grande 180 aquarium with exactly the same issue. I also found taking the powerhead out of the tank and putting it in a bucket stops the noise. I am pretty sure it is not the filter box vibrating. I think when it is under load ie having to force water through the spray bar it causes the impellor to vibrate hence the noise.

Well here is the update in regards to the filter.

Finally got the new power head from the fish shop when I got home. Installed it and well the noise is a hell of a lot quieter. Unfortunately nowhere near as quiet as when I had the elcheapo Ebay 4000lph power head. It is still currently in the tank as I have to work up the enthusiasm to stuff around with it again.

The new power head was quieter but every 10-20 seconds it made a whirling noise. After a bit of detective work I found that clamping/restricting the flow a bit it actually stopped the whirling noise altogether. I put a fold back clip onto the flexible elbow to give a permanent minute clamping force.

I'm pretty sure the noise now is just the humming of the electrics in the pump. Which still isn't good. I am eventually (very soon) be converting this to Canister filters as I just do not seem to be having any luck.

In summary: the original power head was CRAP, the new one isn't much better. My cheep power head is a hell of a lot better than the 2 put together.

I now have a theory that there isn't enough restriction to the discharge of the pump which would explain why a 4000lph (more flow, more restriction) doesn't make any noise and clamping the flexible elbow slightly alleviates the noise also.

I finally got my fish yesterday and the guy it got them from has a aquagrande 120 and I noticed his filter water level was a hell of a lot higher than mine which has the 2000lph pump on it. The water levels were comparitable however when I had the 4000lph pump on there. Which probably supports my theory that the standard pumps do not have enough guts.

MM23
Sorry I cannot be of any help except see If you can fit a larger flow power head (not too much otherwise you will overflow).

180 hey, NICE . Wish I got the larger one too great looking tank and stand. A little disappointing about the pump though and a pain in the ass to do any maintenance on the tank with such a long hood but it is all worth it.

If you have any more questions on some of the mods I made to quieten down the filter just PM me.

 

[mm23]

Wow the way you've setup your tank looks really good.

I took my power head back to the shop and they swapped it over no problems. Only trouble is the new one is just as bad. I guess it is just a cheap poorly made power head. I agree with you that it doesn't have enough power. I had to stick some foam down the exit tube to stop it making a loud gurgling sound as the water level is not quite high enough. They use the same power head on all 3 tank sizes which is a bit silly.

I'd be interested to know the brand of the cheap ebay you got as I am thinking of buying one to replace it. Are they still available on ebay?

It's a pity they don't come with a canister filter. Getting rid of the supplied filter, moving the light to the back and having an opening door at the front would be a much more practical design.

 

[Thommo]

Wow the way you've setup your tank looks really good.

I took my power head back to the shop and they swapped it over no problems. Only trouble is the new one is just as bad. I guess it is just a cheap poorly made power head. I agree with you that it doesn't have enough power. I had to stick some foam down the exit tube to stop it making a loud gurgling sound as the water level is not quite high enough. They use the same power head on all 3 tank sizes which is a bit silly.

I'd be interested to know the brand of the cheap ebay you got as I am thinking of buying one to replace it. Are they still available on ebay?

It's a pity they don't come with a canister filter. Getting rid of the supplied filter, moving the light to the back and having an opening door at the front would be a much more practical design.

Hi MM23

Thanks for the nice words on the tank, I think it looks pretty good myself . I can't stop looking at it. Much to the anoyance of my wife

For my exit tube I first just put the same foam over the top of the hole which stops the gurgling but every now and then it would start getting a large glug glug sound from the water bubbles it formed. I then cut 2 12/16mm pieces of hosing with a 45 cut on the bottom of each on and placed into the exit tube so the top is sitting just above to top of the exit tube. This directs the flow and stops the drain effect which generates all the noise. I then put the foam back on top for good measure.

The power head that I got of ebay is a Tota 4000lph brand I've never heard of them before. I only bought it to do water changes so it isn't really designed to fit in there properly. A very ugly adaptation was made to get it to fit while I waited for a new pump. If you are handy you might be able to do something to make it look a bit nicer.

Good luck with your tank

CHEERS
Thommo

 

[Thommo]

Will b installing 2 external canister filters and getting rid of the hood filter. I am doing this purely because of the noise factor . I have tried every thing and have finally had to bite the bullet and fork out even more cash for the externals.
I will be totally removing the hood filter housing and making a cover out of perspex.
Will post pics once this is done.
CHEERS
Thommo

 

[tbone83]

thanx for the advice on the powerhead, i just bought an aquagrande 120 in a black finish last week havent filled it up yet just waiting on some substrate.
im a bit worried about the same problems every one else is having im not a huge fan of aquaone, there like the kmart brand of fishkeeping but i really wanted a big tank with the curved sides so allready having experiance with aqua one, noisy #105### air pump and cruddy chinese decor i wasnt suprised when i got my tank home. the clear perspex under the light was cracked and chiped not to mention waterdamage on the wrapping it took my 2 hrs to peal off!! bless aqua one. any how i was prepared for any set backs eg.. poor lighting #105### filtration so when i orded the tank i also got an eheim 2228 canister that can take bio load up to 600 litres, you can always rely on good ol german engineering hense gunther eheim invented the canister filter, so if the powerhead fails and is more noisier than my 2 stroke moto im off to replace the chinese jackhammer with an eheim sorry 2 offend any aquaone lovers out there.

 

[waterdrop]

thanx for the advice on the powerhead, i just bought an aquagrande 120 in a black finish last week havent filled it up yet just waiting on some substrate.
im a bit worried about the same problems every one else is having im not a huge fan of aquaone, there like the kmart brand of fishkeeping but i really wanted a big tank with the curved sides so allready having experiance with aqua one, noisy #105### air pump and cruddy chinese decor i wasnt suprised when i got my tank home. the clear perspex under the light was cracked and chiped not to mention waterdamage on the wrapping it took my 2 hrs to peal off!! bless aqua one. any how i was prepared for any set backs eg.. poor lighting #105### filtration so when i orded the tank i also got an eheim 2228 canister that can take bio load up to 600 litres, you can always rely on good ol german engineering hense gunther eheim invented the canister filter, so if the powerhead fails and is more noisier than my 2 stroke moto im off to replace the chinese jackhammer with an eheim sorry 2 offend any aquaone lovers out there.

Yes, agree that searching the old threads can turn up good information! Obviously this old one from January was helpful to you. My eheim has been an utterly silent awesome piece of machinery. I've been thinking of trying a separate little Hydor Koralia (nano or #1, can't decide) to supplement my bottom circulation but have read mixed reviews, some people reporting they got noisy ones. I wonder if its just hard to get separate powerheads that are quiet?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[tbone83]

thanx for the advice on the powerhead, i just bought an aquagrande 120 in a black finish last week havent filled it up yet just waiting on some substrate.
im a bit worried about the same problems every one else is having im not a huge fan of aquaone, there like the kmart brand of fishkeeping but i really wanted a big tank with the curved sides so allready having experiance with aqua one, noisy #105### air pump and cruddy chinese decor i wasnt suprised when i got my tank home. the clear perspex under the light was cracked and chiped not to mention waterdamage on the wrapping it took my 2 hrs to peal off!! bless aqua one. any how i was prepared for any set backs eg.. poor lighting #105### filtration so when i orded the tank i also got an eheim 2228 canister that can take bio load up to 600 litres, you can always rely on good ol german engineering hense gunther eheim invented the canister filter, so if the powerhead fails and is more noisier than my 2 stroke moto im off to replace the chinese jackhammer with an eheim sorry 2 offend any aquaone lovers out there.

Yes, agree that searching the old threads can turn up good information! Obviously this old one from January was helpful to you. My eheim has been an utterly silent awesome piece of machinery. I've been thinking of trying a separate little Hydor Koralia (nano or #1, can't decide) to supplement my bottom circulation but have read mixed reviews, some people reporting they got noisy ones. I wonder if its just hard to get separate powerheads that are quiet?

~~waterdrop~~

hey waterdrop
eheim make a great internal/external powerhead called a classic plus, there is 3 models depending on Ltrs/hr the only downfall is there quiet exy about $210 aus for the mid model but the fully adjustable flow outlets and noiseless motor's are sweet