Internal Filter Unit

[kennc]

I have a Jewel Reckord 800 Aqaurium and wish to fit an external filter, but need to remove the filter and heater housing in the corner. Has anyone ever done this and how hard is it to remove this item.

 

[Essjay]

I took the filter out of my rio. What you need is a knife of some sort with a long flexible blade - I sacrificed an old kitchen knife. The filter is held in place with blobs of silicone. Use the blade to saw through the upper ones, pulling the top of the filter away from the glass at the same time - easier if one person saws and another pulls. Once you've got the top ones cut, you can do the bottom ones. Be very careful not to touch the corner sealant of the tank. There will be some silicone left on the glass. I used a stanley knife blade to scrape it off.
It can be done with the fish still in the tank, but you need to lower the water level or all that sawing will cause a tidal wave. But depending on how long the tank has been running, there may be a lot of muck behind the filter so you may prefer to empty the tank. I'd only had mine a month so there was no problem with leaving the fish in.