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THe canister filter on my 55 is not in the best of health.
Last weekend i came back to find it pumping no water, and quite overheated. I cleaned out the filter media twice and reffilled it and it was running fine. Now only a trickle of water is coming out of the spray bar . Whats wrong? Do i need a new one? How much will this set me back?

What brand of filter is it?

When you cleaned the filter, did you clean everything? By everything i mean, the impellor(most important), the tubes( there could be severe blockages in there).

Most likely you fried the motor and impeller and the seal. You can order parts for most canister filters. Motors and impeller and seal. Here's a site:http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavResults.cfm?N=2004+62733&va=1

If you still have the manual for the filter there will be a parts list there. Even call them, check there web site.
If after you check the hoses and make sure you go it put back together right and primed correctly. then you should look at the mechanical side. If you think you can fix it than fix it. If not you will need to buy another one. Keep in mind you need some type of filter on the tank for the fish. even a hang on rate for a 55 - aqua clear is good, whisper filter by tetra but you need to get something on there. You said it has been a couple of days already so this is an must.

If you do have to buy a new canister filter I use the Cascade by penn-plax and like it a lot, they are very affordable. This were I get mine but check with Big Al's Online as well.http://www.petsolutions.com/Cascade+Canister+Filters-C-40003142-C-.aspx

I do not recomend any store to purchase from use mainly for information purpose.

Djrichie
"Don't Panic"

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams

water is stiil moving though at a severly reduced rate. Due to my DIY skiils..... i will buy a new filter.
THe filter i currently have is 900lph. BUt i want to put mbuna in there and so will probably overstock. What is a good turnover rate for an overstocked mbuna tank?????

Clean the impeller area (hole) with a q-tip. The moving part is a magnet rotating in an electric field (around the hole). There is almost no way to break such a simple system, except to let it get dirty and thus slow down or stop. The magnet can't break and will last forever. The electric field is wires and electricity and will last forever. It is most likely just gummed up. It is as close to no moving parts as possible. Please just get a q-tip and try. You might need a little hook shape to pull the impeller out of the hole, as the magnetic field is holding it down there. Let me know if I am wrong, eh.

I have a clean freak friend, whose wife was sending him out again and again to get a new pump for their pond. I showed up, made him get me the manual so I could get it apart, cleaned his impeller hole with a q-tip, and his face went red.

The magnet can't break and will last forever.

Sort of true. If the impeller stays clean and doesn't wobble around in the housing, then the only thing stopping it from lasting forever is the glue between the impeller and the magnet. I've seen plenty fall apart after a few years of use. If the housing gets gummed or a piece of sand/gravel gets into it, the magnet can get scored, become off balance and wobble around. If caught early enough, it can be saved before it does damage to the housing and impeller. If not, they're both junk. Most of the time a new impeller is all that's needed if cleaning doesn't do much.

Also, i've seen "motors" (technically, they're energizers) die too but this is rare.

Bottom line, as stated before, clean it and if that doesn't work, new impeller time.

I took the filter apart and cleaned the whole thing. THen reprimed and restarted. All is working fine. This was probably a mix of not having cleaned the filter for a whi;le and, possibly incorrectly priming the filter at some point. Anyway, all is well and thank for the invaluable advice.

Think of all the pollution you just saved. Fancy plastic and metal toys cause a lot of that. Regardless of how rich you are, try not to shop so much. I know I know shut up.

Water flow from the spray bar has slowed, again. BUt this time i think i have identified the problem. When i looked at the clear pipe connecting the inlet to the filter, i noticed something, there was some air in there. I think the pipe is slightly loose, so allows in air, resulting in less water flow because it is sucking air. Does this mean i need new pipes?

You are whats called " Losing the Prime", if you have any extra hose on that you may want to see if you can just cut off the end that leaking check the fitting there was will.

I'm glad you didn't have to buy a new pump.

Djrichie
"Don't Panic"

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams

can--is-ter

fil-ter

priming...priming...priming.... gah!

Not working.... now it is! ..........buuuut it is pumping water on the floor.



I lubs ma feesh but am terrible at the technical stuff.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

where the water comming from the fittings, the lid.

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams