New canister filter buzzing noise

[Adalwolf]

(I also posted this same text on Reddit)

Hello,
I bought my first canister filter because I was tired of cleaning my small internal filters every week and people said they were really quiet.
I got a Tetra EX 1000 filter from my local fish store.

However, I was a bit disappointed with the sound of this thing makes. It emits a low-pitch buzzing that almost sounds like grinding upclose.
I tried the usual tricks, shaking the filter to get air out, but it didn't allievate it. I also primed with the hose method, as opposed to the priming button it comes with.

I inspected the impeller of it, and on the plastic shaft that connects the magnet to the rotor, there appears to be some sort of slight artifact or mold line left by injection molding I pressume. I don't know whetever this would be normal (I should have taken a photo but I forgot!)

I ran the unit dry for two seconds, and the impeller is making a horrible rattling sound, 100x worse compared to when wet. I know they're not supposed to run dry, but when I did the same test with my small Aquael Uni filter, it makes absolutely no sound whatsoever.

Also some people said that the noise should go away in a couple of days when biofilm develops inside the impeller chamber. I don't know whetever I'm just insane or sensitive to sound, but the unit is definitely not "dead silent" as many reviewers on German Amazon claim.

What should I do in this situation? Contact the manufacturer or just wait?

Video recording of my phone, maybe it gives some idea?

 

[gilpi]

Sorry to read about your issues with your canister filter. I use a pair of ancient 30 year old Fluval filters that are very quiet but occasionally when they do make noise, it has to do with air inside of them. What I usually do other than the on/off thing, before I turn them on, I make sure they are totally full of water by creating a siphon, once filled, I turn them on and for the most part, that always works for me. Turning them on empty is not a good idea and waiting till there is bio Film inside of it, doesn’t make sense but I don’t know everything.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

That sound is more of a hum than a buzz- usually it is impeller related. The shaft can be bent, there may be sand or debris that got inside the impeller well. It could have a bit of trapped trapped air.

I have 3 Eheim Pro II 2026 canisters running. They are no longer made. The oldest one has been running since early 2003. At that time it doubled as my pressurized CO2 diffuser. The CO2 was run directly into the intake of the filter on a 50 gal. tank. I chose Eheim for just that reason. CO@ is not air, but it is a gas. So putting it through a canister can not only be noisy, but it can damage a canister. So I needed the best.

I ran it for just under a decade and then sold all the CO2 equipment. The tank needed more time in weekly maint. than any 3 of my other tanks. The filter was kept but the tank was upgraded to a 75 gal. with no plants. The canister is still running today as quietly as the first day I hooked it up.

I bought another 2026 and it's bigger brother, a 2028, NIB on Ebay years after Eheim had moved on to the next model. I used the 2026 for spare parts for the other 3 but never used the 2028. it is still om my shelf. There is an old saying which I adapted years back when I bought my first canister.

The are three brands of canister I would consider buying. There is Eheim, then there is Eheim and finally it would be Eheim.

I have to admit I was and am biased in my opinion. I have never used any other brand of true canister. However, I still have a number of the old and discontinued Marineland H.O.T. Magnum canisters (Hang On Tank). I use them with the micron cartridge for water polishing. They are not always silent.

I am also not a big fan of Tetra. Many years ago I bought 2 used Tetra Whisper Mini Hang-ons. They are now part of the Pet Care division of Spectrum Brands a large conglomerate. Here are the segments of the division and their brands: https://spectrumbrands.com/brands/pet-care.html These are their "Aquatics" brands: Tetra, Marineland*, GloFish, Instant Ocean and Omega One.

I am actually not a big fan of any of the above brands. And only have 2 H.O.T.s and the whisper in use.

*(Re: Perfecto aquariums-->The Perfecto brand name has been retired in favor of Marineland. They are the same company.)

 

[Adalwolf]

Well good news, after around a week the filter became almost "dead-silent" . I can hear it only if I get my face right right next to it, otherwise I can't even tell it's running apart from the water flow in the tank.

So apart from that issue I had in the beginning, I see no problem with the filter. It's well built, much cheaper than Fluvals, Eheims etc. and has a huge amount of space for media. (But don't use the included plastic biomedia, it's crap)

 

[rebe]

I used some petroleum jelly to lubricate the moving part of the filter (the shaft/impeller?), that helped and i would guess that it has the same effect as waiting for biofilm?
A thick rubber mat helped to reduce the overall noise and I padded the big gaps in the cabinet with foam. Mine still makes noise but over time I've gotten used to it, that's coming from someone with SPD (sensory processing disorder).

 

[Myrkk]

I tend to have this issue when I do a complete canister change. Not something I do often, perhaps once a year or less. Usually it settles after a week or so once the air has escaped and the biofilm has recovered. So don’t be surprised if it reoccurs when you do maintenance that requires the filter being switched off.