Trouble with Aquaclear 70 Filter

[Sharkman]

My girlfriend had an incident the other night where the water level had risen too high in the HOB of the AC 70 and the water was spilling onto the floor from the top of the filter. The lid of the filter is warped somehow so it does not sit flush on the filter any more.

The only thing I could tell them to do was take the carbon out of the filter and hope that maybe that would displace less water to lower the water level and it did. Now the basket that the ceramics, sponge etc goes in will rise up on the right side of the filter (if you are looking at it). I pushed the basket down again, and again the right side rises up so that the lid of the filter can not even go on top. In the basket is just a sponge and ceramics.

Any ideas as to what has caused this or what I should do about it?

[Northernguy]

There is an odd shaped wedge underneath the filter.It is used for moving the bottom of the filter away from tank.This will tilt the filter and stop the water from running out the back.
I wrote them and asked them why they don't make the sides and back higher to stop this from happening.lol
They wrote back that it is designed to fit under most store bought canopies.

[rich311k]

Sounds like the sponge is clogged. The basket should click under the little ledges on each side of the media chamber. They dont work all that well but they will hold the basket down if the media is not clogged.

[gadget228]

In the owners manual it states that the filter basket may push up when the sponge needs to be cleaned. I just got a 70 for mine and it has two little wedges on the inside of the filter on the walls where the basket fits. Make sure the basket is pushed all the way down and the sides of the basket are fit tight to the filter's side walls and it should lock in place.

[Taurus]

There's a wicked echo in here. :ezpi_wink1:

[gadget228]

No echo, just a case of somebody else posting while the other is still typing, I gotta learn to type faster... :shappy:

[Sharkman]

Thanks everyone. I'll rinse the sponge next weekend when I do a water change over there.


Northernguy, do you want me to turn the wedge?

[Northernguy]

Yes! If you move it so the bottom of the filter is pushed out from the tank you will never have a leak again.
No matter how full the sponge is!lol

[Crispy]

Stick a heavy rock ontop the filter lid to keep it from rising too much.

[Sharkman]

Crispy, I have a rock on there now.

Northernguy, i have the wedge already set so the filter isn't flush with the tank.