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One of my biowheels on my penguin 330 has stopped turning, the other one attempts to turns but it's very slow at best. Is there any way I can fix this?
TIA
Jen

Tell us how often you maintain your filter and how you maintain it. Monthly maintenance at the minimum is a must. I look at my biowheels daily to makes sure they are turning. They can be slow and uneven - that's ok. But when they stop turning something needs to be cleaned.

Some other things you can do:

1) Change the filter pad or rinse it, if it is really gooped up. This slows water flow.

2) Use the user manual to take the pump apart as you are required to do monthly, and make sure the impeller is not gooped up. It's very simple and there are very few parts, especially if it is not the spray bar Emporer type. Since it is a Penguin, you simply unplug, pull out the tube, then pull up the impeller housing (note which end is sticking up since both ends have the same type of fitting). Scrub those rubbery ends off, scrub the tube out and the housing. Then scrub out the inside of the filter, including the impeller hole. REfill it and plug it back in after putting the pieces back together.

I do this monthly, and I pull the impeller out sooner for a quick clean if it slows sooner. I've never had a problem.

One more question....is there water going down the overflow (the side near the intake tube). If so, this is begging for maintenance.

Keep the wheel wet by dipping it in aquarium water.

If you do all of this, then I would ask how old the filter is?

Last edited by Cory_Di at 19-Nov-2004 09:59

it does not have a spraybar. I haven't had this filter for very long..a little over a month..and to tell you the truth, I had no idea how to clean it out or when to do so. I'll take your advcie on the cleaning and go do that right now. Thanks for your help!

If you have the manual, follow it.

I'm not the biggest fan of taking things apart because I'm always afraid I won't know how to get it back together .

My best advice is to look carefully at how the pieces are coming out and make a mental map. There are very few pieces. The tube, the intake housing, and the impeller which plugs into that. The first time I did it I didn't pay attention to which way the impeller was in, but in mine it is on the top end. Also, they have probably "dummy" or error-proofed it so it can only go in one way (good engineering practice ).

I love my bio-wheels and with any filter, the maintenance we speak of must be performed on a regular monthly interval, and sooner when you see the obvious signs.

Also, keep in mind that when power goes out, Marineland recommends that you unplug the filter and wait for power to go back on. When it does, if it has been 1 hour or more, you are suppose to take out the tube, carefully remove the filter and dump the water then simply clean the parts and replace the filter pad. This is because bad bacteria grows as soon as the good bacteria uses up the remaining oxygen. When power returns, it spews this out into the tank, if you allow it. Many people miss this in the manuel, but it is wise to know. Many people managed to get their fish to survive the big blackout. However, in the days and weeks that followed, fish were dropping in droves according to local fish store personnel. They cited this as the cause. People didn't bother to dump that stagnant, sick water from the filter before they allowed it to go back on (after being off for 12-36 hours or more).

And, since we are on the topic, consider battery operated air pumps for your tanks that automatically kick in when power goes out. I have several per tank (PennPlax b-11's).

Let us know how it works after you clean it out .

cleaned it out and it works great now! thanks!

See that! You're an expert

Only clean the biowheels when they do get too clogged, as overcleaning them, you will be washing away/killing the much needed bacteria growing on them.

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There is always a bigger fish...

Goodness, I didn't mean to clean the biowheel itself. I hope you didn't do that. I should have mentioned that the bio-wheel itself doesn't need to be touched, other than to lightly rinse it in tank water if it is really, thick. About once every 6 months, I take a soft brush and gently loosen some of the really thick stuff in a bucket of tank water.

I was targeting the impeller and attachment points, which can slow if not kept clean.

Too late, Diane...

Turn yourself into the Bacteria Police.

--garyroland.

No worries Diane!! I knew enough not to mess with the biowheel! I basically just followed your instructions word for word...so don't worry...you won't be arrested by the bacteria police! Thanks

Too late Jen, her court appearance is tomorrow at 7:30 am.

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There is always a bigger fish...

Is Garagos available.....uh, nevermind - I think I better look for someone else.