2 bad Emperors in 2 days

[Karlsbad]

I have a 90g with an emperor 400, an emperor 280 and an Eheim 2028. The tank and filters are all less than 6 weeks old. I feed my fish pellets so I turn off the filters for 5 minutes when I'm feeding them or the pellets race around the tank. I've never even taken the Emperors off the tank until just yesterday(their flow hasn't visibly slowed down at all and the flow indicators or whatever you call that window thing show no loss of flow) when I took the 280 off because it started making a loud annoying rattle Wednesday and the flow lever was shaking and if you push sideways on the flow lever it makes the rattle go away. The impeller doesn't look bent and it spins freely, there's no debris in the impeller sump, and I know I didn't screw it up cleaning it because I'd never had it apart. So yesterday I wedged a little rock between the cover and the flow lever to keep pressure on it and the noise goes away and I was planning on taking it back to my LFS where I bought it tomorrow. I was pretty bummed out about the 280 getting loud after 6 weeks.

After I got done messing with the emperor 280 and I was going to take out the carbon cartridge in the Eheim, I saw a little water on the floor and the underside and bottom of my stand:eek: and it looked like it could only be coming from the tank itself. Btw I live in a 3rd floor apartment with no elevator. Well thank god after a closer look there's water on the underside of the other emperor 400.

WTF. I have not abused these things at all, in fact if my girlfriend was here she would tell you that I'm seriously anal about reading instructions and following them and maintaining things and treating them gently.

I got the emperor 400 at bigals. I'm hoping they'll next day air me a replacement tomorrow and I'm going to put something underneath the leaky one for now, its a very small amount of water.

[Karlsbad]

At least there's nothing wrong with the $200.00 Eheim.

[SayersWeb]

That is really strange! Try hooking the 400 on the front side of the tank and see if you can determine where the water is leaking from.

Also, you may want to contact Marineland and ask them about it: http://www.marineland.com/cust_phonehours.asp

[JSchmidt]

That's a real drag, and not at all typical of Emperors. Have you been able to figure out where the water is leaking from? Since Emps have a one piece design, it would almost have to be leaking from a crack; usually that would leak right away or not at all, unless it got hit, overheated or some other way the plastic might be stressed. Odd.

Let us know what you find out.

Jim

[NJ Devils Fan]

It could be:

the bio-wheels were spinning too fast and the water is splashing(somewhat unlikely)

the media is clogged and water is slowly overflowing

as stated, it might be cracked

[JSchmidt]

Originally posted by NJ Devils Fan
It could be:


the media is clogged and water is slowly overflowing



I'm not sure how this would happen... in my Emps, if the media gets clogged, the water flows over the spillway where the intake tube enters the filter; the outflowing water simply bypasses the filter media and spills back into the tank. I'm not sure if the filter would overflow onto the floor even if the media were 100% clogged...

I'm putting my money on a crack, or on some other non-filter problem (e.g., water seeping under the tank frame).

Jim

[Karlsbad]

It's cracked. The flat part that is supposed to be on the lip of the aquarium is like a half inch wide, which is narrower than the frame of my 90g even without the lip on my tank. The crack runs the length of the flat part,(the intended weight bearing surface) right at the side of the filter. It sits 1/4 inch off the frame and all the weight is on the curved part with a force that's basically prying the filter apart. The thing is the intended weight bearing surface is only 5/8" wide, and marineland claims the filter is sufficient for tanks "up to 80 gallons". This is a 2 month old AGA 90 g tank I would think 75g's have the same lip. I don't want to sound like a consumer that makes in necessary for hammer manufacturers to warn people not to hit their own heads, but there's nothing in the filter instructions at all about how/where to mount the filter.

So I don't know I guess [list=1]
They're supposed to be able to be used like this
I need to hack up my frame to use one(not a fun thought with fish in it)
I need to put some kind of shim on the lip of the tank or the filter
I can't use it on this tank
[/list=1]

Before I messed with the filter and realized I'm at least partly to blame I called bigals. I ordered it on 11/14 and received it on 11/20. I got an Indian girl on the phone(now please, I'm just describing her, I love Indian people)who I've talked to before when callling for tracking numbers and was surly and lazy in my previous encounters while I am always very polite and professional, she first told me hold for a tech, then the tech was on the phone, do I want to call back, I said not really, this thing's barely a month old there's nothing the tech can say to me(:D I probably wouldn't have been so sure if I had looked at it). She says hold on, you have to send it to marineland, I quote their one year thing on their website, she says hold on, ok you order and pay for a new one and send the old one back and we'll credit your credit card, but you have to pay for shipping both ways, she won't give me an RMA, she wants me to call with a tracking number when its been delivered and get my credit card credited. Thats Bull****, I expected them to overnight me one and pay for that at least, and they sure the **** shouldn't make me argue with them to be offered less than that. I'm going to call marineland and ask them if its supposed to be ok to mount it like that or what, and call bigals and either get a different person on the phone (I hope) or if I get this girl I'm going to talk to her boss. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to complain about this girl.

[Karlsbad]

Originally posted by JSchmidt
That's a real drag, and not at all typical of Emperors. Have you been able to figure out where the water is leaking from? Since Emps have a one piece design, it would almost have to be leaking from a crack; usually that would leak right away or not at all, unless it got hit, overheated or some other way the plastic might be stressed. Odd.

Let us know what you find out.

Jim

They're not actually a one piece design, there's a seam between the motor and the filter box I noticed when looking at my 280, that's where I thought it would be leaking from.

[Karlsbad]

OK maybe I shouldn't have gotten so pissed at bigals. I called Petco and told the manager that it was cracked and bigals was going to warranty it and would they let me buy one from them today and return the warranty replacement from bigals. He said to come tonight when a specific manager is working and say I bought it there but don't have the receipt.

I'm going to make some shims out of whatever I can find at home depot. Hopefully they have something like plastic barstock.

[JSchmidt]

Originally posted by Karlsbad


They're not actually a one piece design, there's a seam between the motor and the filter box I noticed when looking at my 280, that's where I thought it would be leaking from.

It's still one piece, though, even if it was two pieces originally that were bonded somehow. It's not a compression fitting with an O-ring like the Aquclears & Whispers, is it? At least I don't think the ones I bought a couple of years ago were...

I've got several of these on 75s (Perfecto and All-Glass), and they fit OK over the lip of the frame without modification. I don't think I'd want to mess with hacking up my tank frame for a filter, either.

Hope the replacement works out OK for you!

Jim

[NJ Devils Fan]

Yea, I would just bring it to any LFS and say you got it there like not long ago and it's broken. I'm sure they would replace it, especially if you have the box.

[Karlsbad]

Originally posted by JSchmidt


I've got several of these on 75s (Perfecto and All-Glass), and they fit OK over the lip of the frame without modification. I don't think I'd want to mess with hacking up my tank frame for a filter, either.

Hope the replacement works out OK for you!

Jim

So the Emperor sits flat on the frame? Or is it raised up like a half inch? Mine fits over it well enough that I never really looked at it closely till now.

[JSchmidt]

Mine sits flat on the frame.

Jim

[SayersWeb]

I'm guessing that when you first installed the filter you tried to push it down so that it would seat properly. That may have started the crack. Otherwise, the unit must have been cracked to begin with.

As long as you don't push down really hard on the filter, the gap shouldn't be a problem. I have several of the bio-wheel filters that are installed that way.

[Karlsbad]

HAHA no I never pushed down on it, Do you have any of the bigger ones installed that way? (It weighs quite a bit when its full of water)

[bobalston]

I think you have your answer - you wrote:

"It's cracked. The flat part that is supposed to be on the lip of the aquarium is like a half inch wide, which is narrower than the frame of my 90g even without the lip on my tank". So when you put it on it didn't fit. So presumedly you left it on above the lip of the tank. When water was added it got pressure on the lip and cracked.

so I wouldn't put another of the same model on as you said your self it doesn't fit. Get something else that does fit or perhaps another canister.

Bob :shake:

[SayersWeb]

I have several Penguin 330s mounted this way.... No problems so far. It may be worth you switching it out with another to see if it happens again. Maybe it was cracked or deficient to begin with.

[JSchmidt]

Even if the filter box wasn't sitting flat on the frame, it shouldn't have cracked. This sounds like a defective filter, nothing more. Happens to the best of 'em...

Jim

[username]

Originally posted by Karlsbad
He said to come tonight when a specific manager is working and say I bought it there but don't have the receipt.

sounds like something a maffia guy would say in a video game. "come to this place at this time and meet this person. tell him this and this and he'll do the rest for you" :laugh: lol

[Karlsbad]

I called Marineland and they said that yes they are designed to be mounted like this. They also sent me a new flow manifold housing free of charge.

[JSchmidt]

Not everyone likes Marineland filters, but I have read so many accounts of the fantastic support Marineland offers if you buy one of their products. I had trouble with a HOT Magnum several years ago, and they kept sending me new parts until the problem was eliminated.

Hope the new filter works great.

Jim