Filter Problems?

[FishHeaven]

I have 20g tank, and recently I have been having problems with the water outflow coming out of the filter. I thought the build up of waste was causing it to slow down, but I cleaned almost everything and still the water flow is weak. Before when I took the filter out and cleaned it, the water flow would return to normal. I have a TopFin10 filter that came with the kit. Any suggestions? Thanks

[mitcore]

is it a hang on the side filter
i ran a search but didnt get much info

the impella (not sure on spelling) might be dirty

[FishHeaven]

Yes, its a hanging filter currently hanging on the back. Whats an impella?

[mitcore]

the impeller is inside the filter pump, which will require some dis-assembly.
It's usually quite simple, and the impeller looks like a round magnet with a plastic star shape at one end.
It's quite common for these to get slimed up and slow down the pump.

You will need to clean both the impeller and the 'hole' that it sits in.
Also, be careful when re-installing it, as it's easy to damage the shaft that the impeller sits on.

Here is an image of an aquarium pump from [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
The impeller is number 2+3 (Usually not seperatable)
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

(Info provided by Mitcore's husband...)

[A340]

Yes, its a hanging filter currently hanging on the back. Whats an impella?
I think he meant impeller, which is the propeller that is in the pump, it's responsible for sucking up the water and pumping it out. Most impellers can be easily replaced. Most just pop out and a new one can be put in.

First of all, your TopFin 10 is way too small for your 20g tank. The TopFin 10 is rated for a 10g tank so it shouldn't be on a tank any larger than a 5g. For a 20g tank you should have a filter rated for at least a 50g tank.

[FishHeaven]

Thanks Ill look into that impellar, I also meant a 10g tank it was a kit I got at Petsmart. Might be time to look into a new filter though. Great stuff Mitcore, thanks!!

[A340]

Thanks Ill look into that impellar, I also meant a 10g tank it was a kit I got at Petsmart. Might be time to look into a new filter though. Great stuff Mitcore, thanks!!
Most of will recommend you "overfilter" a tank, basically providing more filteration then the bare minimums. The easiest way to do this is to use the "divide by half" rule of thumb. What you do is take a filters max rating, divide it by half and the sum is the maximum size of tank you should use it on. So, if a filter is rated for 20g, the maximum tank size you should use it on is a 10g. However, even more filteration is better, so for a 10g tank, I would suggest you buy a filter rated for at least 30g.