I think I broke my filter - what do I do now

[seangee]

I used to be so worried about equipment failure I actually kept 2 canisters in my community tank. One did eventually fail (well it was 15 years old) and I replaced it with a super cheap sponge filter which works off an air pump. I don't need the extra filtration but it means I always have a cycled filter ready to go if I need a quarantine / hospital / breeding tank in a hurry.

I also have enough plants in there that I am confident the tank will survive a few days without a filter - although the sponge filter means I should never have to put it to the test.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

I appreciate all the help and advice more than all of you know. SOB story - my husband died 1 1/2 yrs ago and I would have just said "please fix this" and it would have been taken care of. I'm just getting used to solving my own problems like I did before I got married and got lazy.

I do believe there is a problem with my impeller not sealing quite squarely on the plastic. Just as an fyi - the lid does fit - so I know I've got something right. I'm afraid to mess with it again it's so touchy but as soon as I deal with my other emergency I will do that. The first time I put the filter together (on a table where I could clearly see) it assembled like a breeze other than having no idea what the half round piece of plastic did - once I figured it out - I almost got the superglue out to keep it in place - but with my luck the house would shift and the filter wouldn't be level anymore.

Anyway - after I replaced the carbon filter and rinsed off the sponge that was so gross - I just reassembled it - everything worked except the ice pick thing and the leveler continued to fall off constantly. That's the way it's been since (and I definitely need the leveler or the filter spills water all over the electrical cords - I love fixing that part)

Thanks again folks!

 

[Fishmanic]

I appreciate all the help and advice more than all of you know. SOB story - my husband died 1 1/2 yrs ago and I would have just said "please fix this" and it would have been taken care of. I'm just getting used to solving my own problems like I did before I got married and got lazy.

I do believe there is a problem with my impeller not sealing quite squarely on the plastic. Just as an fyi - the lid does fit - so I know I've got something right. I'm afraid to mess with it again it's so touchy but as soon as I deal with my other emergency I will do that. The first time I put the filter together (on a table where I could clearly see) it assembled like a breeze other than having no idea what the half round piece of plastic did - once I figured it out - I almost got the superglue out to keep it in place - but with my luck the house would shift and the filter wouldn't be level anymore.

Anyway - after I replaced the carbon filter and rinsed off the sponge that was so gross - I just reassembled it - everything worked except the ice pick thing and the leveler continued to fall off constantly. That's the way it's been since (and I definitely need the leveler or the filter spills water all over the electrical cords - I love fixing that part)

Thanks again folks!

 

[Fishmanic]

When it was apart , did you remove the motor assembly, and then pull out the impeller and rinse out the area the magnet end sits in? Also you should clean around the opening with q tips. If that area gets gunked up, the impeller may bind when you try to restart it. You can remove the entire motor assembly by giving the assembly a quarter turn and pull it away rom the filter. Be sure that the filter is empty before doing this.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

I will try to remember to do this next time I have it apart - which may be soon. It will be a good learning experience. I did put a q-tip in the impeller area because I could see there was a piece of plant in it - otherwise (and my vision is bad) It looked OK to me (meaning I have no idea because I don't know what it's supposed to look like - I know I didn't take it out or see a magnet - would have been sure I was breaking it if I did)

When I first, second, third etc time I turned it back on the impeller was turning but even after adding water there wasn't that familiar HUM that you get just before it starts up - the primer water went in and came back out. Here is exactly what I said:

"So - since I was planning on giving my main tank a good cleaning today - I unplugged everything and pulled out the filter, cleaning all the tubes - even lightly cleaning that little spinning motor inside. I've done this before so no problem Reassembled all the tubes, primed it and plugged it back in. The primer water just rolled out. It's getting a charge (I can feel heat from the little black box under the unit and the propeller thing is spinning perfectly but it is NOT MOVING ANY WATER!!!!!"

 

[Fishmanic]

You use a tweezer or a needle nose pliers to lift out the impeller out of the motor. It wont break if you lift it straight up. Then you can rinse with hot tap water and use a q tip to clean any gunk.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

Thanks - I'll try that next cleaning - for right now it's working semi-perfectly. Now the problem is the lid is warped and doesn't easily fit on top of the filter. You can tell it's the lid because if I set it down on a flat table it won't sit flat. I didn't think it got that hot back there - it certainly doesn't feel like it. It's also starting to look like the entire tank is starting to warp - a common problem with CHEAP acrylic - although for what I paid for it - it wasn't cheap. I did make sure it was 100% level when I installed the tank and it was level then - not quite level now. I may have to switch this filter with the one in my cheap glass tank and see if that helps, but since it only pops off every few days I'm too lazy to do it right now. The no-name brand filter in the glass tank doesn't have a lid

 

[Fishmanic]

if you want to try to straighten the lid, heat up the lid till very hot with a hair dryer, then lay on a very flat surface and put several books on top of it.. Leave overnight and hopefully by morning, it will be straight.