Aqua One Powerhead Noisy/vibrates

[Thommo]

Hi everyone

I'm new to the forum and firstly would like to say what a great site. I have learnt more in 3 days than 6 months research. I should have joined ages ago. Everyone seems pretty willing to give someone some good advice.

Secondly I have just purchased an Aqua One Aqua Grande 150 Aquarium which I eventually will be housing Discus. I currently have it all setup and carrying out a fishless cycle which is now almost complete. I think the aquarium looks pretty good at the moment even without any fish (if I do say so myself )

When I bought it I specifically asked the LFS guy if it was quiet as I was placing it outside our bedroom door and the Wife has supersonic hearing. He sad it would be fine, if it's too loud shut the door. WELL too loud is an understatement! Let’s just say Wifey aint too happy at the moment because it is extremely loud.

The Aquarium has a hood filter which I think is ok and seems to work fine. Fully cycled in less than 3 weeks! But the gurgling sound from the return was ridiculous. Managed to fix that with some sponge but it was a little hit and miss and sometimes would start sucking big air bubbles and making an even louder noise. I eventually fixed this by inserting 2 16mm pieces of hose with the bottom ends cut off at a 45 deg and with the length of it so they sit just below the water level. Works great!

The problem now I have is that the Power head vibrates like a freight train (has since day one). I really need some help with this as I have tried every position under the sun to try and reduce the vibration. I think the problem is with the vibration being transferred into the hood filter and the spray bar making it even noisier. I have run the pump by itself and no noise. Only when the pump is connected.

I would really appreciate ideas as the Wife isn't very happy at the moment and moving the aquarium isn't really an option now that it is all set-up.

Do all power heads Vibrate? Or is mine just crap?

P.S. have inspected the impeller as it though it might have been stuffed but nothing wrong.

 

[LauraFrog]

Powerheads are supposed to be under water. Is yours?

A photo of the setup of the filtration would help us a lot. What is the powerhead running? The entire filtration setup?
I have several of them running sump filters and mine are all silent without vibration. Mine are all new.

What sized outlet are you using? Is the diameter of the tubing the water passes through significantly less than the actual size of the hole the water comes out of on the powerhead, if that makes sense? Trying to force a lot of water through a small tube can cause pump vibration and I've seen some spectacular and immediate cures by increasing the diameter of the tubing used.

 

[Thommo]

Powerheads are supposed to be under water. Is yours?

A photo of the setup of the filtration would help us a lot. What is the powerhead running? The entire filtration setup?
I have several of them running sump filters and mine are all silent without vibration. Mine are all new.

What sized outlet are you using? Is the diameter of the tubing the water passes through significantly less than the actual size of the hole the water comes out of on the powerhead, if that makes sense? Trying to force a lot of water through a small tube can cause pump vibration and I've seen some spectacular and immediate cures by increasing the diameter of the tubing used.

Thanks for the reply LauraFrog.
Unfortunately I work away and I’m not home a the moment(don't tell the boss I'm on here) . I get home in a few days and I'll get some photos up.

The power head is purely for the hood filtration system. I do have a surface skimmer attached but the noise was the same before I put that on.

You might be onto something about the outlets. I got he wife last night to have a measure and she seems to think the outlet is around 20mm in diameter. Of the top of my head it then goes into a flexible elbow which then reduces into the spray bar which I think would be about 16mm. Due to the setup of the filter compartments I would be unable to put a larger Diam spray bar in there. Do you think drilling out the spray holes might have any effect? Would that affect the filter performance?
I did find also when I squeezed the elbow the vibration reduced. Probably because the flow was reduced also!

If your interested here is a link for the instructions on setting up the aquarium which has pics in it with the filter set up.
http/www.aquaone.co.uk/documents/Aquagra...res_new_000.pdf
And the aquarium itself
http/www.aquaone.co.uk/AquaGrande_aquarium.php

CHEERS

 

[Thommo]

Powerheads are supposed to be under water. Is yours?

A photo of the setup of the filtration would help us a lot. What is the powerhead running? The entire filtration setup?
I have several of them running sump filters and mine are all silent without vibration. Mine are all new.

What sized outlet are you using? Is the diameter of the tubing the water passes through significantly less than the actual size of the hole the water comes out of on the powerhead, if that makes sense? Trying to force a lot of water through a small tube can cause pump vibration and I've seen some spectacular and immediate cures by increasing the diameter of the tubing used.

I also forgot to mention that Yes the pump is fully submerged . I must say that it wasn't to start with because the instructions said to have the water level 5cm below the plastic rim but it looked ugly so i filled it so the level is just above the plastic rim so you can’t see the water line.

Do you think it might have done something to the pump? Like i said the impeller looks ok.

 

[rabbut]

Ah, oh... It's a leaky noisy and generaly iffy (IMO and IME at least...) AquaOne in-hood filter

You want to keep Discus. That filter simply won't cope with their waste load. Solve yourself two problems with one stone and get yourself a nice large exturnal, a Tetratec (marineland outside the UK and Canada) on a budget or an Eheim if cash isn't too much of an issue. When it arrives, throw all the media from the in-hood filter into the exturnal and you are away That looks bigger than Work's display unit Any chance you could tell us the volume so we can get more specific with equipment requirements

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Thommo]

Ah, oh... It's a leaky noisy and generaly iffy (IMO and IME at least...) AquaOne in-hood filter

You want to keep Discus. That filter simply won't cope with their waste load. Solve yourself two problems with one stone and get yourself a nice large exturnal, a Tetratec (marineland outside the UK and Canada) on a budget or an Eheim if cash isn't too much of an issue. When it arrives, throw all the media from the in-hood filter into the exturnal and you are away That looks bigger than Work's display unit Any chance you could tell us the volume so we can get more specific with equipment requirements

All the best
Rabbut

Thanks Rabbut

I have seen some info on the net saying pretty much the same thing about hood filters. I was hoping (probably in vein) that there would have been someone out there with the same problem and managed to fix it. Its got me beat at the moment.

As far as the filtration goes, I didn't know that the hood filter would not cope. I'm getting all the fish of a guy I work with as he doesn't want them any more. There are

6 Discus, largest about 150mm rest between 100mm and 130mm

4 Clown Loach, 1about 150mm the rest 100mm

3 Bronze Catfish

1 Pepper Catfish

12 ish Rummy Nose Tetra

20 ish Cardinal Tetras

10 ish mixed Tetras

The tank is a 375L or 100Gal tank. Looks very nice. After all the décor etc. Water is around 280L. The power head is 2000L per hour. That would make it around 7 times an hour. What rate would you recommend for Discus? Or is it a Media quantity thing? I currently only have 2 trays with noodles and the other 2 only have carbon in them. Could I just use more noodles?

I have read of someone putting the outlet of an external into the Spray bar of the hood filter. This would increase the filtration wouldn't it and I wouldn't have to fork out as much for a large external and get a smaller external. Just bouncing ideas! I really didn't want to spend too much more money as I have spent a bit already, BUT if needs be, needs be.

Lastly of the million questions, have you heard if it is a powered quality issue with Aqua One or a design issue with resonance in the Hood filter? I'm very interested to find out.

Like I said previously I'll get some pic up in a few days.

CHEERS

 

[nickelplates]

Just thought I'd chip in to give a little balance to this thread, I know you have a problem with noise in your setup and I can only think there is something wrong with either the power head or it's mounting. However I wouldn't want you to go away with the impression that the aqua one tank top filters are no good.

I have a AR 620 T and the only filtration is the in hood one. I have taken out all but one of the sponges that come with it leaving one sponge layer to support a thin layer of filter floss immediately under the spraybar, all the rest of the space is filled with high surface area ceramic media, I personally would follow this same philosophy if it was a normal internal or external power filter. The only time my water test has shown other than 0 ammonia 0 nitrite is after a twelve hour power outage, even then within a few hours of the power coming on zero zero again.

Based on my experience I would list the following pros and cons:

for

1. Very effective
2. Quiet
3. Takes up no space in the tank
4. Childishly simple maintenance (replace the floss every week or two, it's only a few pence worth! Replacing it often means the bacteria don't have time to populate the floss, this means your full population of bacteria stays where you want it undisturbed in the ceramics)
5. Since the pump is before the filter and feeds through a spray bar onto the surface the flow rate does not slow as the detritus builds up in the filter floss.
6. Easy to flip back the lid and check it is working properly.

against

1. Takes up space that could have been used for lighting
2......... I honestly havn't found any other drawback.

Actually if you look at how the water flows through it and how it actually functions it is just the same as a sump. If you don't see what I mean try imagining a sump setup where the sump is moved so it is above the tank, to make it work you will need to move the pump to the other end of the sump and hey what you have is the aqua one in hood filter system. Now most seem to think a sump is the ultimate filter system and yet everyone is knocking the aqua one - go figure.

I don't want to start a flame war just trying to restore the balance and stop you going away thinking aqua one are just conning the public with a product that doesn't work when there are very satisfied users out there. And yes I know none of this directly helps with your problem which I can only think must be some kind of fault.

In spite of all the above I have to agree that if you have very messy high bio load fish the in hood filter on it's own may not be enough, it may work like a sump but it isn't actually as big as most sumps.

 

[Thommo]

Thanks Nickelplates,

I've been thinking/HOPING that the pump is defective from day one. I have spoken to the fish shop guy where I bought it from and he said to bring it in and they will have a look at it. That is fine as there currently are no fish in the tank at the moment but I'm worried that without the filter running I’ll loose some or all of my hard earned bacteria. The Fish shop is about 45 minutes away so each way and time to look at the pump it would be at least 2-3 hours without a pump.

As I have said in previous posts I have inspected the pump impeller and it looks ok. I guess it could just be a crappy housing?

In regards to you filter setup, I’d appreciate if you could clarify for me a bit. You have the ceramic noodles in the compartments, with only 1 sponge in the first one with floss on top of that. Are there ceramic noodles in the first one also, with the sponge and floss on top of that? Do you have floss on top of all of the noodles to keep them clean?

What is the reason behind removing the sponges? Are they not as effective as the noodles?

I was wondering/curious why the filter couldn't handle a high bioload, as I managed to cycle the tank with 5ppm ammonia. Isn't the ammonia replicating the waste from the fish? So if the filter can handle 5ppm isn’t that the most Ammonia it will ever see therefore being able to handle a high bioload?

CHEERS

 

[nickelplates]

Thanks Nickelplates,

In regards to you filter setup, I’d appreciate if you could clarify for me a bit. You have the ceramic noodles in the compartments, with only 1 sponge in the first one with floss on top of that. Are there ceramic noodles in the first one also, with the sponge and floss on top of that? Do you have floss on top of all of the noodles to keep them clean?

What is the reason behind removing the sponges? Are they not as effective as the noodles?

I was wondering/curious why the filter couldn't handle a high bioload, as I managed to cycle the tank with 5ppm ammonia. Isn't the ammonia replicating the waste from the fish? So if the filter can handle 5ppm isn’t that the most Ammonia it will ever see therefore being able to handle a high bioload?

CHEERS

In answer to your questions:
My view is that your filter is only there for two things, mechanical filtration and to house those all improtant bacteria. For the bacteria you want media with a massive surface area, sintered glass or ceramic media is the best (better than sponge). So my setup has sintered media (a mixture of noodles and chunks but I don't think that matters much) with a thin layer of filter floss the water has to flow through first so that it is mechanically clean when it goes into the bio media. The sponge layer is purely to stop the floss dissappearing into the ceramics! You actually don't want bacteria growing in the floss as when you change it you would be exporting the bacteria, personally I use a little (maybe a quarter of an inch thick when wet) and change it often; it only takes a minute and that way the bacteria have less time to colonise it. By filtering the water before it goes into the ceramics I hope never to disturb the bacteria colony there as cleaning should be needed very rarely if at all.

As to the bio load, I have a traditional stocking level (only a little more than 1" per gallon and mainly small fish) so I havn't tried the tank with a high bio load, hence the caveat, actualy I suspect it would handle a lot more than I throw at i but never having tried it I couldn't say for sure.

I personally would like to see some research to justify the 4ppm per day figure that is bandied about for amonnia production as I have never come across any (I suspect it is out there somewhere though). The calculations I have done on my nitrate export rate (no plants as I can't stand gardening) are so much lower that I am sceptical of it ever being reached in a normal aquarium. On that basis if your filter is handling 5ppm per day you may well be right about the bioload and I suspect if you replace some more sponge with ceramics it will be even better, personally I plan to add more fish in the future and watch carefully to see how it copes.

 

[rabbut]

The fact that floss is on top of the bio media is it's downfall. In a sump, when the floss cloggs, that media section overflows into the bio one, so only mechanical filtration is by-passed. When the AquaOne filter cloggs, all the water by-passes all the media and goes back into the tank without being filtered Far from ideal, and if you by-pass the bio-media for more than a few hours with Discus in there, ammonia will raise and they will spend the next few days refusing to eat due to stress... These filters are also inherantly noisy without medifications and have a habit of "overflowing" when you least expect it, draining the tank for you

With Disucs, realy you want two large canisters, each of which can handle the tank alone. Adult Discus are worth from about £75 and up in excess of £500 if they are decent quality, and thats a lot of cash to be trusting to a poor filter, like one that suffers bio-media by-pass and has a habit of watering the floor un-expectedly with tank water...

If it were me, a pair of Tetratec EX1200's or Eheim 2028's or Eheim 2217's would be doing the bio filtration, and then mebe convert the AquaOne one into a mechanical filter with corse, medium and then fine sponges with Floss last The exturnals should be packed with some sponge at the bottom and the rest BioBalls, Cinterglass or Bio-Ceramics That should cope with the high waste loads that Discus output. Remember, stressing a Discus is a guarrenteed way to loose some to constant recuring infections, parasites or just loss of apetite purely due to stress

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Thommo]

The fact that floss is on top of the bio media is it's downfall. In a sump, when the floss cloggs, that media section overflows into the bio one, so only mechanical filtration is by-passed. When the AquaOne filter cloggs, all the water by-passes all the media and goes back into the tank without being filtered Far from ideal, and if you by-pass the bio-media for more than a few hours with Discus in there, ammonia will raise and they will spend the next few days refusing to eat due to stress... These filters are also inherantly noisy without medifications and have a habit of "overflowing" when you least expect it, draining the tank for you

With Disucs, realy you want two large canisters, each of which can handle the tank alone. Adult Discus are worth from about £75 and up in excess of £500 if they are decent quality, and thats a lot of cash to be trusting to a poor filter, like one that suffers bio-media by-pass and has a habit of watering the floor un-expectedly with tank water...

If it were me, a pair of Tetratec EX1200's or Eheim 2028's or Eheim 2217's would be doing the bio filtration, and then mebe convert the AquaOne one into a mechanical filter with corse, medium and then fine sponges with Floss last The exturnals should be packed with some sponge at the bottom and the rest BioBalls, Cinterglass or Bio-Ceramics That should cope with the high waste loads that Discus output. Remember, stressing a Discus is a guarrenteed way to loose some to constant recuring infections, parasites or just loss of apetite purely due to stress

All the best
Rabbut

Hmmmmm. You have given me a bit to think about Rabbut. Thanks for the reply. Searching filters as we speak. I wish I had a moey tree out the back like you Rabbut I would love to get a couple of Eheim's but I'm sure it would take a bit of convincing to be able to spend that sort of money. What are your thoughts on an external around 2000L still, but plumbed into the Hood filter having the external as the primary and the hood as a secondary/polishing filter. The chances of the hood filter ever becomming clogged is almos zero. But I would still get alot more surface area for the bac. Thoughts? Concerns?

 

[pippoodle]

i have the ar620t and use the trickle filter - i also have an extra internal but thats just me - paraniod one filter might break lol
the hood trickle filter is very quiet and reliable
as nickle i dont use the standard meida

i use a sponge , floss and noodles

i used a fluval 205 aswell through the trickle system until the powerhead went in that and that worked perfectly so i had double filtration as you are on about
it ran through the fluval external and then through the trickle filter in the hood

 

[nickelplates]

The fact that floss is on top of the bio media is it's downfall. In a sump, when the floss cloggs, that media section overflows into the bio one, so only mechanical filtration is by-passed. When the AquaOne filter cloggs, all the water by-passes all the media and goes back into the tank without being filtered Far from ideal, and if you by-pass the bio-media for more than a few hours with Discus in there, ammonia will raise and they will spend the next few days refusing to eat due to stress... These filters are also inherantly noisy without medifications and have a habit of "overflowing" when you least expect it, draining the tank for you

With Disucs, realy you want two large canisters, each of which can handle the tank alone. Adult Discus are worth from about £75 and up in excess of £500 if they are decent quality, and thats a lot of cash to be trusting to a poor filter, like one that suffers bio-media by-pass and has a habit of watering the floor un-expectedly with tank water...

If it were me, a pair of Tetratec EX1200's or Eheim 2028's or Eheim 2217's would be doing the bio filtration, and then mebe convert the AquaOne one into a mechanical filter with corse, medium and then fine sponges with Floss last The exturnals should be packed with some sponge at the bottom and the rest BioBalls, Cinterglass or Bio-Ceramics That should cope with the high waste loads that Discus output. Remember, stressing a Discus is a guarrenteed way to loose some to constant recuring infections, parasites or just loss of apetite purely due to stress

All the best
Rabbut

I think there are a number of Aqua one in hood filters so my comments may not apply to all. The one I have in the AR 620T is designed in the same way as the sump you describe, if the first chamber clogs the water overflows to and through the second so is still 'seeing' most of the bio media. However what you say may well be true of Aqua Ones smaller tanks where there is less space for a complex system, I have never looked at the others in detail so couldn't comment. Of course this presupposes the floss clogs up in the first place, seems unlikely to me without desperately poor maintenance, certainly I have never seen water getting anywhere near the top of the baffle which divides the chambers in the filter on my tank, mind you as I say I replace the floss frequently. Myself I think mechanical filtration first is the way to go in order to allow the bio filter to remain in as stable an environment as possible.

As far as filters are concerned there are lots of different arrangements that work well and I am just speaking from experience of an arrangement which I know works extremely well I would never claim to know which is best or even better, just what works for me and my (very happy) fish. Nothing wrong with two filters either of course, the more the merrier.

 

[rabbut]

Hmmmmm. You have given me a bit to think about Rabbut. Thanks for the reply. Searching filters as we speak. I wish I had a moey tree out the back like you Rabbut I would love to get a couple of Eheim's but I'm sure it would take a bit of convincing to be able to spend that sort of money. What are your thoughts on an external around 2000L still, but plumbed into the Hood filter having the external as the primary and the hood as a secondary/polishing filter. The chances of the hood filter ever becomming clogged is almos zero. But I would still get alot more surface area for the bac. Thoughts? Concerns?

That would work fine. With the AquaOne filter's reputation for clogging and the fact that a good exturnal would be pushing more flow into the tank though, I would be getting more paranoid about overflowing onto the carpet than with the AquaOne filter being driven by the exturnal. Mebe a single lone exturnal running along side the AquaOne unit would do. Personally, I run Tetratec filters on all my tanks that are fitted with an exturnal (They are sold under the MarineLabs name in the US and most of Europe). I am one that thinks that though the Eheims are good, they are over-rated and over-priced AquaOne and Rena exturnals are OK too. No direct experience with the AquaOnes, but the Renas will want a stash of replacement seals arround the house. They never fail completely, but do appear to seap (just a small slow leak basically) after the unit has been opened a few times, and the seal needs a replacement. Otherwise a good solid reliable unit. One is sat in my garrage ATM as a spare for any tank that needs it...

I would speculate that if you can't afford a canister with Discus, you can't afford the fish themselves. They are expencive to care for, needing a specialist diet and using lots of De-chlorinator at waterchange time... They require 4 feeds a day, with a 50-50 split between a Specialist Discus pellet like Vipakraft Discusin or Tetra Prima and a frozen and/or fresh food diet. Tropical Quintette frozen food and peas when cooked for the family is what mine get They will also need about 2 50% waterchanges a week considering the fact the tank will be fairly heavily stocked in your case, and they are still juviniles, so that's 100g a week in waterchanges for you.... Discus aren't recomended as a beginner fish, but if you research them enough before purchase you can pull it off

All the best
Rabbut

 

[doresy]

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.........