Marineland Penguin 100 Problems

[attibones]

I'm not entirely sure if this should even go here, but I have an issue with my cycling filter. Of course it has to be the cycling one. This is a Penguin 100 in a six gallon betta tank (pending betta). I'm in the final phase of cycling this stupid thing, and now it won't work. All I did was remove the impeller and intake from the actual mechanical part so I could shorten my intake tube (so it would not be buried in sand), and now nothing works except the motor. The impeller is not spinning (to my knowledge anyway), no water is flowing in or out, and I am getting pretty close to panicking. I have my sponge, wheel, and carbon cartridge which is absolutely loaded with beautiful bacteria floating around inside the tank, with only a bubble stone for movement. I don't really have any space in the other tanks to let these pieces float around in them. 
 
I have sent a question to Marineland, but they say it may take 72 hours for them to process my request, in which case my bacteria may be as good as dead. My fish comes in a week! What do I do?

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Make sure your filter remains wet. I would just float the media in the water and continue adding some ammonia for it to work on. I'm not sure if this will work but it's worth a try! 
Is the propeller just magnetic or like how does it stay connected to the filter?
I've never used one of these filters so I'm just guessing!

 

[bodge99]

Hello,
 
Just a guess, as I've never seen this exact one.. but it looks similar to one that a neighbour had a while back.
 
This particular one refused to start up after it was cleaned. It suffered from airlock problems in the impeller housing. The quick fix was to attach a hand siphon (such as off of one of these  http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Siphon-Vacuum-Pump-Gravel-Cleaner-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-bfp-/390571908816?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item5aefe65ed0) and force water up and through the intake... this forced the air out.
 
I'd remove the unit from the tank and have a play with it in the kitchen sink (less media, of course!) until you've worked out what is going on... Are there any specific priming instructions??
 
I'd be interested to hear what solution you come up with...
 
Good luck.
 
Bodge99.

 

[attibones]

Fortunately for me, I have several of those siphons. I'll see if I can't try this between cleaning my house and entertaining my visiting parents. I haven't come across priming instructions, but I'm still searching. Thanks.

Make sure your filter remains wet. I would just float the media in the water and continue adding some ammonia for it to work on. I'm not sure if this will work but it's worth a try! 
Is the propeller just magnetic or like how does it stay connected to the filter?
I've never used one of these filters so I'm just guessing!

It has a magnetic propeller, yes.

 

[Mikey1]

can you hear the motor "humming" when you plug it in?
 
is the filter full of water?
 
take the intake tube off and plug the filter in, turn the impeller with a knife or fork,
 
or try pouring more whater into it onto the impeller
 
if all else fails, remove the motor from the housing and plug it in, will it spin with the motor in your hand?

 

[attibones]

can you hear the motor "humming" when you plug it in?
 
is the filter full of water?

take the intake tube off and plug the filter in, turn the impeller with a knife or fork,
 
or try pouring more whater into it onto the impeller
 
if all else fails, remove the motor from the housing and plug it in, will it spin with the motor in your hand?

No humming when I plug it in, but marineland troubleshooting says that the motor should be working if the impeller has a magnetic attraction to the motor from outside the filter box. I did this, and the impeller makes a lot of noise. When I fully seat the impeller in its place, the noise stops.

Full of water, yes.

I'm not sure what you mean by the fork or knife method?

Tried more water.

How does one remove the motor?

 

[Mikey1]

my mistake, you cant remove the motor, most HOB filters you can, but this one you can not,
 
empty all the water from the filter and remove everything you possibly can including the media, now you should just have the filter box and motor left,
 
plug the filter in, does the impeller turn?
 
if it does not turn, try turning it yourself with a long screwdriver, when you do this it should continue turning by itself
 
how long have you had or used this filter?

 

[attibones]

Oh my god, you are a lifesaver! It's working now! Thank you thank you thank you!

 

[Mikey1]

no problem,
 
it sounds like you have dirt or algae/scum built up inside the motor,
 
next time you clean the filter, remove the impeller and clean it good,
 
next, use a cotton swab like a Q-Tip to clean the inside of the motor, in the cavity where the impeller slides into

 

[attibones]

Actually, I did that just last night! I've only had the damn thing for about a month, but I have had a similar issue with a larger model in my 55. I think maybe there was some fine sand that I missed. I doubt it would be scum, as the filter is still relatively new.

 

[Mikey1]

Actually, I did that just last night! I've only had the Darn thing for about a month, but I have had a similar issue with a larger model in my 55. I think maybe there was some fine sand that I missed. I doubt it would be scum, as the filter is still relatively new.

 
 
next time go with an Aquaclear

 

[colleen0309]

Actually, I did that just last night! I've only had the Darn thing for about a month, but I have had a similar issue with a larger model in my 55. I think maybe there was some fine sand that I missed. I doubt it would be scum, as the filter is still relatively new.

 
 
next time go with an Aquaclear

Aquaclear are pretty good, but you can't beat Marineland for longevity. I recently called Marineland's customer service to see if I could get an impeller assembly for an older filter I have. First she laughed, then she asked me if I was serious. She couldn't believe it was still running. She said it was probably 20 years old or more. Unfortunately, they don't make replacement parts for it anymore.

 

[Mikey1]

 

Actually, I did that just last night! I've only had the Darn thing for about a month, but I have had a similar issue with a larger model in my 55. I think maybe there was some fine sand that I missed. I doubt it would be scum, as the filter is still relatively new.

 
 
next time go with an Aquaclear

Aquaclear are pretty good, but you can't beat Marineland for longevity. I recently called Marineland's customer service to see if I could get an impeller assembly for an older filter I have. First she laughed, then she asked me if I was serious. She couldn't believe it was still running. She said it was probably 20 years old or more. Unfortunately, they don't make replacement parts for it anymore.

 
 
aquaclear are the best filters on the market in my opinion,

 

[Mikey1]

 

Actually, I did that just last night! I've only had the Darn thing for about a month, but I have had a similar issue with a larger model in my 55. I think maybe there was some fine sand that I missed. I doubt it would be scum, as the filter is still relatively new.

 
 
next time go with an Aquaclear

Aquaclear are pretty good, but you can't beat Marineland for longevity. I recently called Marineland's customer service to see if I could get an impeller assembly for an older filter I have. First she laughed, then she asked me if I was serious. She couldn't believe it was still running. She said it was probably 20 years old or more. Unfortunately, they don't make replacement parts for it anymore.

 
 
i have many filters that are over 20 years old....
 
there isnt really any reason why they shouldnt last that long if taken care of properly