OK, Help! I am really frustrated. I have a 3 week old Penguin Bio-wheel power filter on my QT tank. Tonight when I was doing water changes I unplugged it and when I plugged it back in the impeller just rattles around making noise. I've taken it apart several times, squirted water into the impeller housing, it is primed, I've tried gently lifting the impeller, I've let it rattle for several minutes, I've turned it on and off and I am at the end of my rope! :madmad::madmad::madmad:
Any suggestions?

I assume there's no obvios damage to the impeller? I had one of these on a FW tank and somehow the impeller go damaged such that even if the shaft was spinning, the paddles on the impeller weren't. A dab of super glue fixed it.

Do you have any sand in the tank?

Pearson, there is no obvious damage to the impeller. If I put it in the housing and plug it in without water it spins with no noise.

Clarence, this a BB QT tank.

I used Penguin Bio Wheels exclusively for the first few years I got into keeping fish. Sometimes they do that when the impeller housing isn't seated right. Usually happens when you break them down to clean them and restart them up again. I pull the impeller housing up a little bit and then firmly push it down again so it seats right. This could be what's wrong. :)

I've done that several times, think that wiggling it would seat it. I've also pulled the impeller out of the holder part that the siphon tube fits into, seated it into the shaft, turned it by hand to make sure it is engaged and then put the holder back on. I toothbrushed the impeller shaft too.

That is weird. Usually jiggling it and seating it in all the way gets it going good. The pump underneath isn't pulled out a little bit is it?

I'll go downstairs and check that. The weird thing is that all I did was turn it off while I was changing the water on my nano because it is plugged into the nano's powerstrip. When I turned it back on, viola, no suction and noise.

which model is it?

It is a 200.

The pump part is molded into the case for the filter so it should be where it belongs.

Well, I tried Pearson's idea of super gluing the impeller but I don't know if it would have worked. I used up the last of my super glue gel but I had the liquid. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the nozzle on was clogged. So, as I was trying to open up the nozzle the tube sprung a leak. Now I have the impeller in one hand and a leaking tube of super glue in the other. As I am trying to disengage the tube of glue from my left hand I manage to get the glue on my right hand. So now I drop the impeller on the table that my QT tank is sitting on and realize that the baggie I keep my super glue in is on the table to. So I manage to get the tube off my left hand and on the baggie.:|

Of course it is in the wee hours and my hubby is fast asleep. Luckily our son is still up but, he is upstairs. Some of you know that I walk with crutches but since I still have super glue running down my fingers I can't hold on to them. So, I walk on my kneed over to the stairs, up the stairs and get my son. As you would expect we are out of finger nail polish remover but at lease he can turn the water on to set the glue.:cry:

I gave up on the Bio-wheel. My fish has been in QT almost 3 weeks and looks good. Therefore, I decided to put him in my DT. However, I just about killed him trying to catch him. So he is still in the QT along with a power head for circulation. I will see how he looks in the morning being half squashed with the net and the decide what to do...

Well, I tried Pearson's idea of super gluing the impeller but I don't know if it would have worked. I used up the last of my super glue gel but I had the liquid. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the nozzle on was clogged. So, as I was trying to open up the nozzle the tube sprung a leak. Now I have the impeller in one hand and a leaking tube of super glue in the other. As I am trying to disengage the tube of glue from my left hand I manage to get the glue on my right hand. So now I drop the impeller on the table that my QT tank is sitting on and realize that the baggie I keep my super glue in is on the table to. So I manage to get the tube off my left hand and on the baggie. - :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: cammie-jo i think we all have been there. i cant tell you how hard i laughed when i read your account trying to glue the impeller. i sat here and was able to picture the whole ordeal., sorry i dont have any suggestions other than what was given already. buy the way, what kind of fish is it in quarantine? (the one your trying to squish with the net!) lol,:D hope he's doing find this morning. good luck with your bio-wheel....

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I thought you guys would think it was pretty funny. It's not nearly as bad as gluing frags to your fingers. :) It is still nightime on the reef but he is asleep in his normal place.

It's not nearly as bad as gluing frags to your fingers. :).

LOL, been there.

It is still nightime on the reef but he is asleep in his normal place.

cammie, what is - "he"???....hummmm:)

Oops, http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/general-marine-discussions/4996-now-appearing-qt.html "he" is my cherub angel.

nice angle! cammie, im glad you didn't squish him to hard! lol i love his bright colors...

I will watch him a few more day to make sure I didn't damage him and then put him in the DT. I can't wait to see him in my reef.

Sorry if someone said this already.
The one on my FW tank I have now did that for a while, I took it apart and pushed everything in there tightly, that fixed it. Try calling tech support.

Sorry again if this was already answered, CarmieJo is always answering my questions and I thought I should at least attempt to answer one of hers.

Thanks Texas. I did try taking it all apart and even cleaned the impeller housing with a Q-tip but no luck. Good idea about tech support, I will call them tomorrow.

My fish does not seem any worse for the wear. :)

No problem, that one answer I have given you and probably near a hundred you have given me!

That is one of the things I like about TR, helping people.

Texas, good idea about calling tech support. They could not tell me to do anything other than what I've already tried but they said send my filter back and they will replace it.