Filter being noisy twice in 24 hours

[Quin]

My filter is for 5 gallons or less and suctions to the inside of my tank, with intake covered by panty hose (for my betta) and an output that usually has a gentle flow. It is usually pretty quiet, with an acceptable amount of flow.

Yesterday after a water change my filter began to make a grinding noise off and on, accompanied by the pulsing of water that pushed my betta around. I had it off until I cleaned the internal media and it was perfectly fine. I added tetra safestart to my tank about an hour ago and I came back to find it's making the noise again. I'm hesitant to do another media clean as I wonder if all of the bacteria I want in the tank isn't stuck inside. I also can't leave it like this, as the noise is infuriating after time and my fish is drawn to the bubbles and the pushed away occasionally. Does anyone have any experience with this problem, or tips for how to fix it? Thank you!

 

[Metalhead88]

What model filter is this?

What kind of substrate do you have? If you have sand perhaps the filter sucked up some during water change.

Depending on the type of filter you have, maybe the impeller isn't set right. That would make a grinding sound.

 

[Quin]

What model filter is this?

What kind of substrate do you have? If you have sand perhaps the filter sucked up some during water change.

Depending on the type of filter you have, maybe the impeller isn't set right. That would make a grinding sound.

I think I threw the filter box away unfortunately so I'm not sure what type it is, but at the moment I have aquarium gravel. I'm not sure what an impeller is yet, but my filter has a slotted intake on the back and little waterfall output towards the top front with room for filter media taking up almost all of the inside. I was checking it out and saw the media was somewhat sideways, so I put it back in better and it stopped making noise. Hopefully that's all that was wrong with it! I'd hate to make my fish go any longer without a filter

 

[Essjay]

The impeller is a thing a bit like a torpedo which sits in a cavity. It has a magnet as the main part; the motor makes it spin and the fins push the water through the filter. Sometimes air gets trapped in the cavity, and the filter makes an odd noise then a bit of air will get pushed out suddenly.
When this happens with my filters, I lift the filter from it's support and gently tilt it sideways to help get the air out before putting it back on its support. I have to be careful to keep the outflow pointed into the tank or I get a shower. Is it possible to do this with your filter?

 

[Quin]

The impeller is a thing a bit like a torpedo which sits in a cavity. It has a magnet as the main part; the motor makes it spin and the fins push the water through the filter. Sometimes air gets trapped in the cavity, and the filter makes an odd noise then a bit of air will get pushed out suddenly.
When this happens with my filters, I lift the filter from it's support and gently tilt it sideways to help get the air out before putting it back on its support. I have to be careful to keep the outflow pointed into the tank or I get a shower. Is it possible to do this with your filter?

I definitely do not have an impeller lol, I can take pictures of it if you'd like. I successfully figured out how to quiet it down, but now I can't get the lid back on. Will it be fine without it for a little bit?