Marineland 200 bio-wheel filter

[Fishmanic]

My Marineland 200 bio-wheel filter's impeller in my 29 gallon tank kept making a grinding noise and would often stop turning. I could have replaced the whole filter for $36 but my guess was the impeller was worn. I checked the shaft of the impeller and it had some side to side play. I figured a replacement impeller possibly would solve the problem. I ordered a replacement impeller that was available on Amazon for $15 shipped. Got it today, installed it, and now the filter runs like new.. The filter is very quiet and runs efficiently now. If your HOB filter gets noisy or stops working, check your impeller. Replacing the impeller takes about 30 seconds and can resolve an inoperative filter.

 

[Back in the fold]

Excellent !

 

[Fishmanic]

I owe getting a full 12 years from the initial impeller by cleaning the impeller and the housing area every few months which will cut down on wear. I recommend you do the same if you have a HOB filter.
I clean the filter media every four to 6 weeks. . I use my own media comprised of medium density sponge and a layer of filter floss. I buy a huge roll of the floss through Amazon for like $12 which lasts for years.

 

[gimme30]

It seems like every time I'm in the LFS I'll overhear someone saying they need a new *whatever* because the old one stopped working. And of course the store sells them a new one without asking if they'd done any trouble shooting.
I haven't run across a single thing in this hobby that couldn't be fixed.