Filter running slow

[Tanner]

I have had an axolotl for about half a year, I got it in December. I recently cleaned the tank by siphoning out all of the small debris, wiped the glass, cleaned all the objects inside, and cleaned the filter along with its parts but it still seems to be running slow. Its an out of the tank filter that sits on top of it, sitting on the edge. It has a sponge that sits in the water connected to the filter through a tube and the water comes back out through a small gateway near the water, if that helps anyone to know the kind of filter. I apologize but I threw away the box and don't know the name of my filter but it used to run with a solid flow and now its down to the speed of dripping water and i'm worried that its not filtering fast enough to keep up with my axolotl so should I buy a new one or is there anything else I can do? I haven't tried replacing the filter pad yet but i'm not sure how much help that would be in making the water move faster.

 

[Chinadog]

It sounds like there's a restriction on the inlet side, could it have sucked any plants in? sometimes debris small enough to go through the strainer can accumulate around the impeller and cause the symptoms you describe. It's hard to guess without seeing it.