Filter Problems

[craig]

Hi all,
I have an Aqua One 302F-LV Mini internal filter for my tank, and it seems to have stopped working. Is there something I'm doing wrong to have caused that, or has it just given up the ghost? Do I need a new one? In the meantime, I guess the most important thing is to change the water regularly?

 

[stacy]

Have you cleaned the impellor and where the impellor goes. Sometimes it gets a built up sludge.

 

[craig]

Yeah, there was some debris in there which I cleaned out, still no good. I might give it a bit more of a clean and see if that helps

 

[stacy]

How old is your filter? If it is an older one it may need a new impellor.

 

[joan]

Do you have a reservoir that contains the media? If so, how gunky is this? I know when mine starts running slow, it means the carbon's all filled up with gunk and it's time to change it.

 

[craig]

The filter's quite new, only about two months old. I haven't changed the carbon at all though, maybe that's the problem. How often should that be changed?

 

[joan]

I change mine whenever the filter slows down, maybe once a month, or month and a half.

Mind, though, that if you change the carbon, the gunk growing in it is bacterial sludge (which is good), so if you change the carbon, be sure to NOT wash any other part of the filter (you should have various little porous pads or something of the like in it). Otherwise you'll crash your biological cycle.