Broken Impeller on External Filter

[Fordys_Mrs]

Hi All,
I’m looking for some advice. We bought a stocked tropical aquarium today and have transported it to our home and set it back up. All bits came together as expected but we couldn’t get the filter to work. We kept trying to prime it both mechanically and physically to no avail. I’ve been through the troubleshooting advice online and it said to check the impeller and ensure it is functioning when disassembled.

The rubber bushes on either end of the impeller have perished and it is rattling around in the housing. We’ve ordered a new impeller this evening with delivery expected between 4th-6th January and we are hoping that will solve the problem.

However, I’m extremely anxious how long the fish will survive without a filter. It is non operational. We have two air pumps on the tank so it should be well oxygenated and heated but the water will not be filtered.

What practical advice can anyone offer who has been in a similar position or would know what to suggest???

Many thanks in advance, Jen x

 

[Naughts]

Hi Jen,
If you can put an air pump so that it oxygenates the filter media (maybe bubbling inside the canister?) it will preserve the beneficial bacteria needed to keep the tank cycled.
Test the water conditions (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) and do large water changes if they go above 0,0,20 respectively.
Get some live aquarium plants.
All the best.

 

[Derekshatch]

Ya use a bubbler and you should be fine. Add some plants also.

 

[seangee]

Do you have the original substrate in the tank? This would help. If you cannot fit the entire canister in the tank (which I assume is what the others suggested) you could put the sponges into the tank where water is moving. If you are unable to test for ammonia do a 50-75% water change daily using de-chlorinated water of a similar temperature. Its probably best not to feed at all until the filter is back up and running.

FWIW you should keep testing for ammonia after that, as the bacteria may already be reduced following the move.

 

[Colin_T]

Reduce feeding to once every few days.

Monitor ammonia and nitrite levels and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate any day you have an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0, or a nitrate reading above 20ppm.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Have some floating plants in the tank and give them lots of light. they will use the nutrients in the water.

Clean the filter and case, and put the filter media (sponges, ceramic beads, noodles, etc), in the aquarium. The filter bacteria will live on the media while it's in the aquarium water. When the new impellor assembly arrives, you move the media into the filter and get it going.
Wash filter media in a bucket of tank water and re-use it.

If there's carbon (black granules) in the filter, throw them away and don't replace it.

For future reference, you can normally buy the rubber grommets (that go on the end of the impellor shaft) separately. You can also make a temporary grommet from a small piece of rubber or plastic. It's just to stop the impellor shaft from spinning.​

 

[Fordys_Mrs]

Thank you all, I’m so grateful for all of the advice and reassurance.
I took a sample of the tank water to our local Maidenhead aquatics store and they tested the water and said all levels were good and we had no concerns.
I’ve done what was suggested and completed a water change today (50% was changed yesterday when we bought the tank, we transported 50% of the original tank water with the tank and fish). I’ve washed the filter media in the water taken out of the tank today and I now have a pump bubbling air through the media.
I’ve had confirmation that the replacement impeller is arriving tomorrow and I’ve purchased an Evolution Aqua Bomb to add to the media when I reset the filter tomorrow.

If it turns out that the replacement impeller isn’t the cause of our filter woes then I’ll be off to the shops tomorrow to buy a new filter.

Thank you all once again, I’m so grateful for the advice x

 

[Fordys_Mrs]

I should also add it is a 200l tank with 11 fish in it. The biggest being an angel, 5 are tiger barbs, 2 small Plecs and 3 other small fish.

 

[Fordys_Mrs]

@Colin_T There were 3 bags of carbon granules in the media trays which I’ve discarded and I’ve got some Biohome Ultimate media on the way.
Hopefully in 24 hours I’ll start to chill out and enjoy the fish

 

[Essjay]

I took a sample of the tank water to our local Maidenhead aquatics store and they tested the water and said all levels were good and we had no concerns.

Always ask for the numbers. Many fish shop workers will say the water is good when it isn't. The only 'good' numbers for ammonia and nitrite are zero.

 

[Fordys_Mrs]

Always ask for the numbers. Many fish shop workers will say the water is good when it isn't. The only 'good' numbers for ammonia and nitrite are zero.

More great advice, thank you. I’ll note that for the future