Filter woes :(

[Kittycat 67]

I've been having a bit of a filter problem lately on my 75 gallon tank. I got an Aquaclear 70 filter to use with it when I first got the tank, and then because I liked that one so much as it seemed to do a good job and I liked how there was lots of room for different filter media, I got another one. Within a week of getting the second one, the first one ended up dying due to a blackout. Then I just ran the remaining Aquaclear with several sponge filters. A couple weeks ago I got a Marineland Penguin 200 with biowheel to put in the tank for better filtration. Then just earlier this week, my second Aquaclear died due to another small blackout.

I really want this tank to enough filtration, but it seems like I haven't had much luck with it. I had really high hopes for those Aquaclears. Perhaps I would have done better buying a canister filter. It would have probably cost only a little more than what I spent on the two broken filters.

I'm planning on going out later today to get another sort of filter for the tank, but I'm not entirely sure what.

[yafashelli 9,540]

When you say that your aquaclear filters died due to a small blackout...what exactly happens, when you plug them back in?

Have you tried filling it with water, plugging it in, and then nudging the impeller with a chopstick?

Edited January 11, 2014 by yafashelli

[Kittycat 67]

Pretty much nothing happens when I plug them back in. I tried unplugging it and plugging it in again while nudging the impeller, and it still didn't work. I didn't hear/feel the motor working, either. Also, it must have been going for a while without water flowing through it, because when I found them, the motors were very hot to the touch. I had my brother look at them (he's much more mechanically inclined than I am) and he said that it looked like the thing that makes the impeller turn was fused together I did buy a replacement motor for it, but apparently it didn't come with the impeller or thing that makes it turn. It just makes me a little uneasy that they seemed to malfunction so easily just from a power outage.

[yafashelli 9,540]

Try putting your old impeller into the new motor. It should just lift up, when you grasp the plastic piece.

How old are they? Have you contacted Hagen (well, now they're being made by Fluval)? I had an issue with an ac 50, and they were very quick to be helpful.

[GoldenSpoiledRotten 6,786]

Are they just plugged into a wall socket? To prevent dead equipment, I always use a surge protector plugstrip to plug every piece into. It might be a good five dollar investment.

Edited January 11, 2014 by ChelseaM

[TorontoBoy 106]

All Aquaclears from 20s through to 70s use the same motor but different impellers. As stated, can you pop out the impeller of your old motor and put it into the new motor?

I find the flaw of HOBs, including ACs, is that they do not self-prime and start after a power outage. Running them dry might burn out the motor. This lack of self-priming is a problem for a lot of filter types.

The exception is the gravity-run filter discussed by Shahako, which I hope to make in the future. This filter's output is higher than the tank's water level. The design uses an electric pump to put the water up from the tank and into the bottom of the filter box. The water rises in the filter box, through the various media, up until the output, which is higher than your tank's water level. Using gravity the water flows back into your tank. When there is a power cut the pump stops working, the water level in the filter drops to below the output and there is no flow. When power resumes the pump starts, fills the filter container up again and the filter continues to work. There is no need for the priming process.

If you have a lot of power cuts you might consider this type of filter.

[dnalex 13,633]

TB, I think the ACs self-prime if you set it on the lowest flow setting.

[yafashelli 9,540]

TB, I think the ACs self-prime if you set it on the lowest flow setting.

Do they really? I had no idea!

[gran'sgoldies1 235]

I've had a lot of AC's (all sizes) over the years and gone thru a lot of power outages and have never had a problem with them when the power came back on. The water has always stayed in the filters and they just start up again. I do keep my water level very high so maybe that's what keeps them going great.

They are usually on the high setting.

Edited January 11, 2014 by gran'sgoldies1

[Mr. Hyde 5,372]

TB, I think the ACs self-prime if you set it on the lowest flow setting.

Would a large water change that one does weekly be an issue for the filter (say the AC 110), because it would stop the water from flowing in the filter temporarily (my w/c's take 20-30 minutes at least...probably longer once I set up my bigger tank).

Edited January 11, 2014 by Mr. Hyde

[dnalex 13,633]

TB, I think the ACs self-prime if you set it on the lowest flow setting.

Would a large water change that one does weekly be an issue for the filter (say the AC 110), because it would stop the water from flowing in the filter temporarily (my w/c's take 20-30 minutes at least...probably longer once I set up my bigger tank).

No. I actually stop my filters for one hour a day when I feed the frozen food. I am not sure if this has a negative impact, but I can't really imagine that it has that big of impact, if it does at all.

As for weekly WCs, my filters are probably off for about 1.5 hours while I do the WCs, and once a month, it's 2 hours or more for the bigger maintenance. It hasn't been a problem. Once I've refilled the tank, I take a cup and add tank water to the filters themselves to fill them up. This is what TB's talking about. The ACs, at least in my experience, seem to self-prime if you set the dial on the lowest flow, but then it will take a little bit of time while the water is being pulled up the intake tube. I rather just fill the filter so that I can plug it in and have it go right away.

[Mr. Hyde 5,372]

Alex,

So you unplug it when doing the water changes, and plug it in after w/c is complete.

Thanks for explaining.

[dnalex 13,633]

Alex,

So you unplug it when doing the water changes, and plug it in after w/c is complete.

Thanks for explaining.

Essentially, I don't actually unplug it, since I have all of my filters on one extension/circuit breaker thingy (very technical here), so I just cut off the electricity to the filters.

[ahardeay 826]

I also plug mine into a power strip in case of blackouts. And I have found that sometimes after WCs they don't want to start back up, so I just take them apart and clean them and then they work again.

[Mikey 6,780]

TB, I think the ACs self-prime if you set it on the lowest flow setting.

No all the time I was in Las Vegas and my friends mom was watching over my animals. A blackout happened and when the power came back on, she heard a terrible grinding noise from the filter. She just unplugged it. It never filled itself back up (AC 20) it was cought in time, thankfully. All I didn't was fill it with water and it started working again. Edited January 12, 2014 by Mikey

[Mikey 6,780]

I also plug mine into a power strip in case of blackouts. And I have found that sometimes after WCs they don't want to start back up, so I just take them apart and clean them and then they work again.

Next time that happens and you don't feel like cleaning them, unplug it and plug it back in. Then, take the U-tube out and push the impeller aittle. It should start right back up. At least mine does.

[sonny.barile 111]

If the power goes out the reservoir should still have water in it unless your tank water level is really really low. Do you have your filter box leveled? There is a possibility that the electric surged when it went back on. I use a surge protector for my filter and lights. It is a worthwhile purchase as you have already learned.

[Ciedric 15]

I don't know how it works in the US but over here you can return it to the store after it's broken. If you return it back with in a year you can have a replacement for free.

If it's shorter than a month you can asked your money back and buy a different brand like Eheim.

Good luck!

[DieselPlower 2,123]

Fyi Aqueon filters do not need to be primed. The ones I have are tanks and flow a ton of water. They are also the best filter for the money, in my opinion, considering how cheap they are on Amazon.

Edited January 12, 2014 by DieselPlower

[Kittycat 67]

Thanks for all of the replies everyone!

Try putting your old impeller into the new motor. It should just lift up, when you grasp the plastic piece.

How old are they? Have you contacted Hagen (well, now they're being made by Fluval)? I had an issue with an ac 50, and they were very quick to be helpful.

Well, I went to the LFS, and they helped me replace the parts I needed to make the new motor work. I compared to what the old ones looked like, and how the new one was. The part, (the impeller assembly ) put in the new motor could easily be removed, and had a magnet to sort of balance/hold the impeller in place. The old ones, the black part was firmly held in place in the motor, and couldn't be removed.

Running them dry might burn out the motor. This lack of self-priming is a problem for a lot of filter types.

I think that's what happened- during the blackout, the siphon created up the intake tube was lost, then the motor ran dry and got so hot the impeller assembly melded itself to the motor, unfortunately.

TB, I think the ACs self-prime if you set it on the lowest flow setting.

I didn't even realize that they had flow settings. Well, I guess you learn something new everyday.

If the power goes out the reservoir should still have water in it unless your tank water level is really really low. Do you have your filter box leveled? There is a possibility that the electric surged when it went back on. I use a surge protector for my filter and lights. It is a worthwhile purchase as you have already learned.

I never put the leveler thing on them. I tried it, but I felt like it made the filter seem to be too precariously perched on the edge of my tank.

I decided to finally get a canister filter yesterday, and I just got it running in the tank this morning. Can someone tell me why I didn't get one sooner?! I think I'm gonna love it! It's an Aquatop 370. I think I'm going to save the Aquaclear that I got fixed for a backup filter.

[LisaCGold 1,691]

Thanks for all of the replies everyone!

Try putting your old impeller into the new motor. It should just lift up, when you grasp the plastic piece.

How old are they? Have you contacted Hagen (well, now they're being made by Fluval)? I had an issue with an ac 50, and they were very quick to be helpful.

Well, I went to the LFS, and they helped me replace the parts I needed to make the new motor work. I compared to what the old ones looked like, and how the new one was. The part, (the impeller assembly ) put in the new motor could easily be removed, and had a magnet to sort of balance/hold the impeller in place. The old ones, the black part was firmly held in place in the motor, and couldn't be removed.

Running them dry might burn out the motor. This lack of self-priming is a problem for a lot of filter types.

I think that's what happened- during the blackout, the siphon created up the intake tube was lost, then the motor ran dry and got so hot the impeller assembly melded itself to the motor, unfortunately.

TB, I think the ACs self-prime if you set it on the lowest flow setting.

I didn't even realize that they had flow settings. Well, I guess you learn something new everyday.

If the power goes out the reservoir should still have water in it unless your tank water level is really really low. Do you have your filter box leveled? There is a possibility that the electric surged when it went back on. I use a surge protector for my filter and lights. It is a worthwhile purchase as you have already learned.

I never put the leveler thing on them. I tried it, but I felt like it made the filter seem to be too precariously perched on the edge of my tank.

I decided to finally get a canister filter yesterday, and I just got it running in the tank this morning. Can someone tell me why I didn't get one sooner?! I think I'm gonna love it! It's an Aquatop 370. I think I'm going to save the Aquaclear that I got fixed for a backup filter.

What kind of canister filter did you get?

[Kittycat 67]

It's an Aquatop rated 370 gph with a UV sterilizer built in

So right now I have the new canister filter in the 75 gallon, along with the Marineland Penguin 200. The Aquatop said that it was for up to 125 gallons. I know that it's better to over-filter a little bit as opposed to under filter, but is it better to keep the Penguin filter in the 75 gallon along with the canister filter, or would I do better moving the Penguin to my 40 gallon breeder with older fry it in who probably could use a bigger filter with more current than what I've got going on. Or would it be better to start up the Aquaclear I got the replacement parts for, this time just make sure I have it plugged in a outlet strip, not the wall, figure out where the flow adjuster is, and use the leveler?

[dnalex 13,633]

It's an Aquatop rated 370 gph with a UV sterilizer built in

So right now I have the new canister filter in the 75 gallon, along with the Marineland Penguin 200. The Aquatop said that it was for up to 125 gallons. I know that it's better to over-filter a little bit as opposed to under filter, but is it better to keep the Penguin filter in the 75 gallon along with the canister filter, or would I do better moving the Penguin to my 40 gallon breeder with older fry it in who probably could use a bigger filter with more current than what I've got going on. Or would it be better to start up the Aquaclear I got the replacement parts for, this time just make sure I have it plugged in a outlet strip, not the wall, figure out where the flow adjuster is, and use the leveler?

The Aquatop, together with the Marineland, gives you a total of 570gph, or about 7.5x filtration in terms of tank volume. This is just right about right (it could be more), so I definitely would not leave the tank with just the canister. I would either leave it as it, or use your AC on the 75.