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!
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.
__________________ Clarence 55g sumpless mixed reef(soon to be 120g)
DSB(2 to 6 inches)aprox. 80 lbs,LR aprox. 60 t0 80 lbs.,Coralife 220 Protein Skimmer,CPR HOB Refugium with Fiji Mud Member of TRS Member of SDMAS
RIP Sarracino Ciro 12/16/04 - 4/3/08
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.
__________________ Clarence 55g sumpless mixed reef(soon to be 120g)
DSB(2 to 6 inches)aprox. 80 lbs,LR aprox. 60 t0 80 lbs.,Coralife 220 Protein Skimmer,CPR HOB Refugium with Fiji Mud Member of TRS Member of SDMAS
RIP Sarracino Ciro 12/16/04 - 4/3/08
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?
__________________ Clarence 55g sumpless mixed reef(soon to be 120g)
DSB(2 to 6 inches)aprox. 80 lbs,LR aprox. 60 t0 80 lbs.,Coralife 220 Protein Skimmer,CPR HOB Refugium with Fiji Mud Member of TRS Member of SDMAS
RIP Sarracino Ciro 12/16/04 - 4/3/08
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.
__________________ Clarence 55g sumpless mixed reef(soon to be 120g)
DSB(2 to 6 inches)aprox. 80 lbs,LR aprox. 60 t0 80 lbs.,Coralife 220 Protein Skimmer,CPR HOB Refugium with Fiji Mud Member of TRS Member of SDMAS
RIP Sarracino Ciro 12/16/04 - 4/3/08
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.
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.
- 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, hope he's doing find this morning. good luck with your bio-wheel....
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.
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hope he's doing find this morning. good luck with your bio-wheel....