Q. Do I need a BIO-Wheel?Biological filtration is critical to the success of any aquarium. If your system has a BIO-Wheel, a culture of ammonia-neutralizing bacteria will grow on its surface. The bacteria will thrive because as the BIO-Wheel provides "wet/dry" biological filtration. As it rotates, the bacteria are nourished by the larger amount of oxygen in the air and water. Q. My BIO-Wheel isn't turning. If your BIO-Wheel has, in fact, stopped completely, it is probably either because the BIO-Wheel is out of position or because water flow is not strong enough to push the BIO-Wheel. If water flow is reduced... Inspect the BIO-Wheel carefully to make sure that there are no obvious obstructions to rotation and that it spins freely when in proper position. Remove the impeller housing and magnetic impeller assembly and make sure the impeller assembly is clear of any obstruction and free to rotate. With a clean cloth or brush, clean the impeller, intake tube and impeller housing.

Make sure your aquarium is filled to the bottom edge of the aquarium frame or the level specified in your owners manual.NOTE: If you have a power filter that hangs on the back of the aquarium, be sure to fill the filter box with water. Q. When should I clean or replace my BIO-Wheel? Unless it becomes damaged, there is no need to ever replace your BIO-Wheel. A BIO-Wheel actually improves with age. Q. My BIO-Wheel is making a lot of splashing noise. When a BIO-Wheel is new, it has a tendency to rotate more rapidly, which can cause a "lapping" noise. Over time, as the bacteria culture grows, the BIO-Wheel will slow and operate more quietly. (To immediately reduce the sound of water hitting the wheel, grab each end of the wheel simultaneously and gently turn them in opposite directions. This will cause the incoming water to contact one side of the wheel before the other, reducing noise level.) I recently bought marineland 20G tank comes with penguin power filter, after a week running the filter I started to notice significant amount of micro bubbles all over my tank.

Is this due to the filter? Most likely it is due to a low water level in the tank. The water level should be to the bottom of the top frame, otherwise, water spilling down from any filter will create more bubbles.55 gallon fish tank canopy diy BREX Do I need to replace the bio wheel after using kordon rapid cure Ich treatment?  No, just boost your biological filter with Marineland Bio Spira for Freshwater Aquariums. 4 foot fish tank melbourne BREX I purchased a Marineland tank from someone. 55 gallon fish tank how much gravelThe person I purchased the tank from said her fish passed due to an illness. corner fish tank portsmouth

I am concerned whatever made her fish ill may have infected the bio. Should I replace it before introducing my fish to this tank? No, you do not need to replace the bio wheel. corner fish tank canadaAs it has presumably dried out, whatever disease was present is no more.custom fish tank plans BREX I purchased my Marineland tank from someone without a box or instructions. It seems to be about a four gallon tank, bowed front and a hinged hood with filter and light. I looked on the outside for a model number but couldn't find one. We would need to see a picture of it to be sure what it is, but it could be a Pillar or an Eclipse. BREX Can the penguin power filters be run without the carbon? I would like to use the filter for a saltwater QT tank and do not want to use carbon filtration in case I need to medicate a fish/coral.

Yes, it can be operated with other media if you prefer, as long as you do not overfill it. BREX I want to one filter off my freshwater tank to my saltwater tank do I need to replace bio-wheels or just clean Just clean the everything but the bio wheels. The bio wheels will not need cleaning at all. BREX I bought a 350 through Amazon and have had it running about 4 weeks and the power went out. It has not worked well when the power came back on. I removed the impeller and it seems to turn free and easy. It does not work at all now. Help If you are not hearing any noise at all, not even some vibration, the motor was probably damaged during a power surge. If it is still making noise, has vibration or magnetic pull, clean both the impeller and the well of the motor with white vinegar, very thoroughly, and rinse well. If you cannot resolve this issue, please call us at 1-800-322-1266. BREX My bio wheels are squeaking when they rotate; is this typical and is there a solution to stop the squeaking?

Thank you for any help!  I think my wheels were squeaking due to the tank not being level; the wheels slowly move to the right side of the filter. The plastic side of the wheel rubs against the side of the wheel housing making the squeaking noise. I plan to perfectly level the tank which should solve the problem.  Penguin® Power Filters Questions - page 2When you say the filter is not working, I’m guessing you mean that the pump in the filter has stopped working. If you meant that some other part has broken, I would need more information. The pump is replaceable and inexpensive. You can try to fix the pump. They get gunked up with algae and stop working. However, since you can electrocute yourself messing with electric motors in water, I recommend that you don’t try to fix it unless you have experience with electricity. And even then, work on the pump out of the water, reassemble it and then put it in water and plug it in while your hands are not wet or in the water.The pump has end covers which can be removed.

If you remove them, you can see the impeller. It looks like a submarine propeller and is probably yellow. You can pull this out, it’s only held in place with a magnet on the other end. Take an old toothbrush and clean up the pump intakes and impeller (plus the other surfaces) then reassemble it. Put it in water and shake it vigorously, then rinse it off. Then put into fresh water in a pail or kitchen sink, take you hands out and plug it in. If it doesn’t start right up, shake it a little by the cord without getting your hands wet. If it still doesn’t start, it’s probably toast.You can soak the pump overnight. then try the process again.You can buy a new replacement pump for about $8 US. Just type “replacement parts for Aqueon Filter” into your search engine (Google, for instance). You’ll get a list of stores that sell them. I always keep a spare replacement pump around because they do stop working. In general, figure out what is wrong and change that thing until it works (?) 

It's plugged in right? And something else plugged into that plug does work?A bit more detail in the question could help tremendously, but here are a few things I have run into with hang-on-the-back filters.Make sure that it's all assembled correctly.  Is the motor seated all the way?  Is the divider between the motor and the intake pipe in place, and flat/seated?  Is the intake pipe snug against the divider, and seated in the retainer slot?General common hang on filter problems;If the motor isn't turning , plug in the motor and try to physically move the impeller with your finger and see if it doesn't start to spin. If it spins, do not let it spin for more than a few seconds, because dry running will ruin the motor. So the dry spin test is just a very temporary activation of the impeller to make sure it actually spins. You may also fill the filter with some water and perform the same finger  test if you don't trust running it dry for a few seconds. If the impeller is turning then put he filter back on the tank make sure the filter is full with water and the curved tube is securely seated in the motors vesicle.

Also make sure the tanks water level is as high as possible. You should hear the priming "pumping" sound, followed in 30 seconds by a proper flow of water back into the tank. AQUEON FILTER;I have not seen the filter you are talking about, so I am describing the most common filter design. Please send me a model number, so I see which Aqueon filter it is. Some of them have a snap on motor assembly right above the take-up tube, which lock-snaps closed to the bottom of the filter. If the impeller is not turning on this model, you must un-snap the motor and do the same finger test described above. On this motor you can submerge the motor in a bucket of water while turning it on, and using your finger to start the impeller if it is not turning.Stuck impellers can sometimes be cleaned to fix them. All impellers and related filter components need scrubbing out at least every few months. Remove any gunk in the uptake tube. ALWAYS PULL OUT THE IMPELLER/MAGNET AND CLEAN IT, AND CLEAN OUT THE HOLE IT IS SITTING IN.