Filter making a weird loud noise

[Raechal]

One of my HOB filters for my 120 gallon started making a grinding sort of noise yesterday and has been that way ever since. It is driving me crazy! I took the whole filter spart hosed it out really good and checked for anything that may be stuck and everything was perfectly fine. I have NO clue to what it could be. Would it be okay to turn it off for the night and just leave the other one on for the night until I can take it to the LFS and see if they can fix it?

 

[Raechal]

It is an aqua-tech filter btw.

 

[Spyderdf]

IS ur water leve high enough?
maybe its getting some air in their? or maybe motor needs a good cleaning

 

[Raechal]

IS ur water leve high enough?
maybe its getting some air in their? or maybe motor needs a good cleaning

The water level is all the way at the top. Will my fish be okay overnight with one filter?

 

[Dorkhedeos]

yes, but not the bacteria

 

[Raechal]

yes, but not the bacteria

I have the filter still filled with tank water and it is still hanging on the back of the tank. Is there anything else I can do to save the bacteria?

 

[Synirr]

Mine makes that noise whenever my sand substrate gets stirred up even the slightest bit and a few grains of sand get into the filter... I usually fix it by just jiggling the intake tube a lot

 

[Dorkhedeos]

hang the filter media into the tank

 

[Raechal]

Mine makes that noise whenever my sand substrate gets stirred up even the slightest bit and a few grains of sand get into the filter... I usually fix it by just jiggling the intake tube a lot

I jiggled it a lot and still nothing happened. I did a gravel vac a few days ago and another one today so I kind of stirred up the sand. I cleaned all of the sand out of it though. There was kind of a lot in there.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Can you put up with the noise? If you can, I'd leave it on.

 

[pahansen]

Did you actually remove the impeller and scrub it well, or did you just clean out the inside of the filter? Sometimes the impeller can get junk inside and make a funny noise. If that's the problem, and something is restricting the impeller, it can overheat or burn out the motor. Either way, the filter would stop working (when you least knew it) and you'd be surprised by it. That's what happened to me, but luckily I noticed it somehow.

Otherwise, if it just sounds loud and "gurgley", or like "shh shh shh", there is probably air somewhere in the line. You can try turning off your filter, then turning it on at the fastest water flow for a few hours. If, like me, you tend to used the lowest flow setting, it can take forever for the air to get out of the line. If this is the problem, however, you should be able to see the air bubbles through the tube (assuming it isn't opaque).

Let us know how it goes.

Good luck,
Pamela

EDIT: Or maybe try re-cleaning everything, now that the sand is settled. You may not have removed it all the first time. You know sand -- it gets in the strangest places!

 

[grayshark]

hum I think most of the things I was going to say have already been said ohwell try the above. good luck