Been running this hob filter in a 16gallon for over a couple years, last few months the suctions gotten very bad. I would clean monthly but the last two months no matter how hard I scrub the impeller and itâs little station it doesnât seem to be getting better. In fact itâs at it worst state right now, I canât even turn it on high suction without it sucking up all the water and makes loud gasping noises.
Iâve also had the same filter media since the beginning only changing the activated carbon.
Any tips or is it time to switch to a sponge filter?
Posted by Silent_Ad_6661
3 Comments
So I have the EXACT same problem as you, and after some research, I purchased a new filter sponge (I have the Fluval AC70). To prevent crashing the cycle, I was recommended to squeeze the water from the old sponge directly onto the new sponge to keep as many BB as possible, then float the old sponge in the tank (with the new filter media running) for a few weeks for a complete transfer.
In my instance, I’m not too worried about a cycle crash because I also have two sponge filters running alongside the HOB (I have a heavily stocked tank) and lots of plants and gravel substrate with BB. However, I would be careful if you dont have a backup like I do.
Your water level is probably way too low, which makes it work a lot harder to suck it up. Like if you do a water change the hob will siphon itself back into the tank at a point – yours looks like itâs at that water level. Worth a try just filling your tank up to the bottom of the hob waterfall outlet. Iâve ran the same aquaclear hobs for 3+ years and theyâre fine
Disassemble the whole filter. Make sure grey plastic piece over the impeller is properly seated. Rearrange the filter medias in the basket and make sure the plastic basket wholes are clean, medias are clean(especially sponge). Seat the basket all the way. Be sure to set the intake pipe all the way down, like push it downwards. Switch the flow high-low back and forth(sometimes it works to knock off some air bubbles).
If none of this helped, run the filter without media(just the plastic basket) and see if it flows well. If not, then itâs the impeller. Good luck.