Filter / Pump Broke?

[smithyithy]

Guys.. I was just doing a 25% water change, the filter and pump were still working fine as the filter tube obviously reaches deep down and the water is pumped back out the other end..

But randomly the filter stopped sucking! I can't figure it out, I can't find any blockages, I've turned it off, checked and everything, but it won't draw anything in!

The sealed box that powers it is also making a bit more noise than normal, like crackling as if it's running dry? But again I can't find any blockage or anything

 

[fishprotector]

Is it an external filter? If so, sounds like it might need priming.

 

[smithyithy]

Yeah, well, it sits within the lid, behind the lights?

I've had to put my 3 Tetras in the water change jug for now, as I didn't want to risk hitting them while trying to fix it..

Load of my plants have unrooted too, this is not good.

 

[smithyithy]

Doesn't make sense...

I've opened the filter case and poured water in, and it runs through OK, but when I stop, the water in the suction tube drops back down..

It's as if there's not enough suction to keep the water pumping up through it, but like I said I can't find any blockages or anything

 

[mbeer21]

Have you refilled the tank yet? If the water level is too low (because you've taken some out) then the filter isn't powerful enough to pull the water up that high - the tube needs to be mostly submerged for it to pull water in properly. I have the same sort of filter - I turn it off whenever I need to do water changes so that it won't struggle/stop working. Once the tank is full again, I set it up again by filling it with enough water to over flow, then turn it back on. It makes a lot of noise for a little while, as it works to suck the water in, but then it will start once the water hits the impeller.

 

[smithyithy]

Ah, could be the cause! OK, I'm gonna tidy the plants up, get the new water in and put my poor Tetras back in, then retry.

I recall when I was setting the tank up that is said to make sure to fill it up so that it reaches a certain part of the pump so that makes sense!

 

[smithyithy]

Sorted! What a pain in the #14### lol!

I'm just gonna leave it for the night now, fish are back in and seem fine, they're quite excited by the little bits of plants that are floating around haha..

I'll do a water test in the morning when it's settled down, see if this change brings the ammonia down..

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

The integrated filter of my 620T sometimes does this during a big water change and will then not have the power to draw water through the pump and into the lid filter...

My syphoning tube fits nicely inside the elbow bend leading to the lid filter bed above the pump, so I turn the pump on and then suck on the open end of the tube and aim it into a fish bucket. The pump gains momentum, water gushes out and then I remove the sphon tube from the elbow bend, job done.

 

[smithyithy]

Just glad it's all okay now.. Fish look fine, plants have stayed planted, water has cleared up overnight

Thanks for the help guys and girls.