COMMON PROBLEMS WITH TANK FILTERSWant help from the experts? Here you can browse through questions that other fish enthusiasts have asked, or ask your own questions about products or problems you may be experiencing. If you don’t find the answer to your question here, you can e-mail us at TetraCare or call 1-800-423-6458. (Choose a category for a complete list of questions) Q. How do I safely clean an aquarium before setting it up? Q. Should I rinse my gravel before adding it to the aquarium? Q. How do I get rid of the white build-up on the tank, filters, etc.? Q. How many hours should I run the hood light? Q. What should I do if my new Tetra Whisper® Power Filter is not working? Q. My new Whisper® Power Filter starts to work, is noisy, or shuts off. What should I do? Q. Does my Whisper® Power Filter put oxygen in the water or do I need an air pump? Q. Is the Tetra In-Tank Filter submersible? Q. Do Tetra Air pumps come with airline tubing?

Q. What should I do if my Whisper® Air Pump is not producing air or is very loud? Q. What can I do if my Whisper® Power Filter has stopped working? Q. My aquarium heater is not working properly, what can I do? Q. What types of fish should I add to my aquarium? Q. When can I add fish to my new aquarium? Q. My water is cloudy. How can I clear the water? Q. My water is green! Q. My water has a very bad smell to it. How can I eliminate the smell? Q. How much Tetra AquaSafe® do I add per gallon of water? Q. Why should I test the water in my aquarium? Q. How often should I change the filter cartridge on a Power Filter? Q. How often should I change the water in my aquarium? Q. Can the Power Filter cartridge be rinsed off and reused? Q. Does the Whisper® Power Filter put oxygen into the tank? Q. How often do I feed my fish? Q. What do I feed my fish? Q. My fish has turned dark black or has its color washed out.

Q. My fish has a cloudy looking eye. Q. My fish has torn or shredded fins. What can I do? Q. My fish is covered in tiny white spots, like it has been sprinkled with salt. Q. My fish is darting around the tank and seems hyperactive. What is going on? Q. Why is my fish scratching against the rocks? Q. Why is my fish breathing rapidly? 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. fish tank heater for home brewWith a clean cloth or brush, clean the impeller, intake tube and impeller housing.fish tank snail facts Make sure your aquarium is filled to the bottom edge of the aquarium frame or the level specified in your owners manual.fish tank london gumtreeNOTE: 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.

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. BREX I purchased a Marineland tank from someone. The person I purchased the tank from said her fish passed due to an illness. 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. As it has presumably dried out, whatever disease was present is no more. 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?