BioWheel won't spin...

Well, I think I've had the bio wheel for maybe 9 months now. It won't turn anymore. I've tried everything to get it to turn but it won't. All the algae seems to have died anyways. I'm not sure what I should do. If I replace the bio wheel will my tank cycle all over again? If I need to replace the bio wheel should I get one of thows high potency bacteria bags to put in the tank to start the bacteria going again? So, what should I do? That guy at PetSmart said I should never replace the bio wheel. LOL

What about the charcol in the filter? Some people said you shouldn't use the charchol for regular use, only to get rid of medications because it takes out beneficial stuff as well as bad stuff.

Thanks for your help and time!!

The Zigman said:

What kind of filter is it?
Does the biowheel move at all?

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It's a Marineland Penguin 200. No it doesn't move at all anymore. Everything is just going throw the blue pad that has charcol in it. The bluepad has been in there for about 2 weeks and does have some algae on it. Thanks.

If the biowheel is just a small part of the filtration then what's the rest? I'm not using anything else in the tank to do filtration but the biowheel. What's the substrate? Can I get foam or filter floss that will work in my Pentuin 200? Do you get that at a fish store? Should I keep the charcol in the tank for a certain amount of time until the bacteria builds back up on the biowheel since the charcol pad is kind of coated with the bacteria already? Thanks!

THE V said:

Go and buy a replacement part if you want. The biowheel is really only a small part of the overall filtration. If you get rid of it it won't cause you tank to cycle over again. The action of the biowheel just allows for a greater concentration per square inch of bacteria than on most other surfaces. If it has stopped turning for a few weeks most of the bacteria have died.The majority of the bacteria that do the filtration are usually in the substrate. Remember you can remove 1/2 of the bacteria in the tank and they will recover by the next day.

As for the charcoal - there is no need to run it in the filter unless you want to remove med's or any smells. You can replace it with foam or filter floss with no ill effects. As for removing beneficial stuff in the tank.. that is only true if you have a planted tank.

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No, I was saying the biowheel is about 9 months old, the cartridge is about 2 weeks old. I already took out the intake tube and looked through it to see if it was clogged and it wasn't. I didn't really clean anything. I tried to clean the algae off the plastic ends on the biowheel to see if it was rubbing on the plastic housing but that didn't do anything. When I lifted the cartridge out the biowheel turned a little bit probably because the water flow increased for a few seconds and then stopped. It wouldn't keep turning even with the filter out.

It looks like the biowheel is so close to the housing it might be rubbing. I don't know. I tried to bend the biowheel because I thought it was too close to the house and might be rubbing, but I think I might have bent it out of shape and caused a worse problem. I already looked at the propeller and it looked OK. I never turned it off because once before I turned it off and it wouldn't start again. The pump was running but no water was coming out. I had to play with it for a long time to get it working again. I think I will just get a new wheel and see if it turns because I think I might have damaged this one. I'll wait a few weeks until it gets bacteria on it and then I'll replace the carbon filter with the filter floss. Hopefully that will finally fix the problem. If it doesn't I'll take it all apart and try to see if something is restricting the flow, but it looks like the flow is the same as it always was. How often do you need to replace the filter floss? Thanks!

jones57742 said:

Ap:

Without additional information this is the best which I can do and is based on experience with very rudimentary biowheel filtration systems.

1) If you have not replaced the cartridge in 9 months then the charcoal is functioning as mostly biological filtration media as the chemical filtration associated with activated charcoal is typically no longer than 28 days.
IMHO this condition is not a problem.

2) Turn off the filter and remove 25% of the water from the tank into a large bowl.

3) Rinse the intake, the pad and the biowheel in the bowl. "Blow through" the intake tube in order to ensure that it is not clogged.

4) Take the filter apart and you will find something which looks like a fan blade. This is the impeller, it will be located in a "housing" and will be easily removable. Thoroughly clean the impeller, the impeller housing and the impeller shaft. At the top of the impeller shaft will be cogs which are circular.
Clean these cogs and the fitting into which they are placed.
All cleaning should be done in the bowl water.

5) Replace all components properly and the biowheel should be turning.

TR

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Well, I already removed those two clips and cleaned them, but they were OK and it didn't make a difference. I will take it out and float it right now because it's just sitting there and not moving. Someone told me that it was a waste because all the bacteria on it was already dead. Is that not true?

BoredAgain said:

I have a Penguin 200...on mine there are two purple plastic pieces that clip onto the unit to hold the Bio-Wheel, you need to pop these out and give them a good cleaning. If that doesn't work, buy a new Bio-Wheel to see if it will work. If the new one works, use it, just keep your old Bio-Wheel floating in the filter or tank for about a month. You need to rinse or replace filter floss when it clogs and you see a noticeable reduction in the flow of the filter.

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