I would say that it is not true, there should still be a viable colony on it. Doesn't hurt to leave it in the tank either way while the new one gets established.
BioWheel won't spin...
- Thread starter Apota
- Start date
OK, well the filter has been in the tank for about 2 weeks and it's caked with bacteria. I played with the biowheel a little bit and it would spin a few times and then stop and then might spin again and stop for a while, but now it looks like it's not spinning again. Shouldn't it be constantly spinning and not stopping?
Yes, it should definitely be constantly spinning. I have a Penguin 100, 200, and 350 with 4 Bio-Wheels combined, they never stop spinning. They will slow a bit when the filters need to be rinsed, but that's it.
I have a Penquin 350 on one of my tanks and it is common to see one of the two bioweels stationary for minutes at a time. These filters do not provide enough flow to keep the wheels spinning constantly, at least in my case.
I like horn's explanation regarding how to clean the filter, but I rinse mine out in the sink every few months rather than swishing around in tank water. That way you can do some serious rinsing and any benificial bacteria lost in the process is negligable. Most bacteria is in the gravel and the biowheel, not so much in the mechanical parts of the filter.
I like horn's explanation regarding how to clean the filter, but I rinse mine out in the sink every few months rather than swishing around in tank water. That way you can do some serious rinsing and any benificial bacteria lost in the process is negligable. Most bacteria is in the gravel and the biowheel, not so much in the mechanical parts of the filter.
Apota,
I found this site while surfing for an answer to remedy my non turning Penguin 150 bio-wheel. I had wondered about water flow and was keeping my charcoal cartridge and the purple wheel clips clean but to no avail. After reading TR's recommendations, and due for a water change, I decided to deep clean my filter as well. Dang, I was amazed at the amount of algae gunk that came out of my almost 2 year old tubing! Now the water is flowing and the bio-wheel is spinning like a top. I think my Oranda smiled at me. *L* Happy cleaning!
I have had several Penguin Bio-Wheel filters, all of which have had wheels that slowed down or stopped at some point during their use.
The first thing that's important to understand (if you don't want to drive yourself nuts trying to fix a non-existent "problem") is that the bio-wheel does not have to be in constant motion. As long as it turns every few minutes it will perform it's job properly. This was confirmed by one of the people that designed the bio-wheel technology on a forum I stumbled across when I was freaking out about my Penguin 350 bio-wheels not turning all the time a few years back. May even have been here on AC. I can't remember now.
With my filters, the slowing down or stopping was a common occurrence over time, and was always due to one of two things. A decrease in water flow, or a buildup of gunk on the pins/pin holders at the ends of the bio-wheel. Nearly always, it was the former. A thorough cleaning of the entire filter (leaving the bio-wheels floating in the tank of course) with a soft toothbrush, including the impeller and the area it sits in, was able to get the water flow to increase and the wheels spinning again. Things as small as a grain of sand, stuck inside the impeller mechanism, can wreak havoc on a filters flow (so make sure you don't leave any toothbrush bristles behind either!).
Penguin bio-wheels always feel like they're going to rub against the lid, but that is just due to the tight fit of the filter design. Though in your case it's possible they may actually be rubbing, depending on how much you bent it while trying to fix it. If that is the case, it wouldn't harm the filter to leave that wheel lid off, though it will make it noisier.
Buying a new bio-wheel is likely to work as a temporary fix, as the fresh non-gunk coated pins holding it in the filter are certainly likely to spin easier. But eventually it's likely the same thing will happen to them. And the Petsmart employee was correct in telling you that you should never replace the bio-wheel. It houses a sizable chunk of the beneficial bacteria for the tank.
Another thing you could do in the future, if you're worried about the BB dying off when things like this happen, is put one of these in the extra filter slot:
http://www.petdiscounters.com/Penguin-200--350-Refillable-Media-Cartridge_p_15361.html
Fill that puppy up with bio rings or your other favorite bio-media, and then there's actually no "need" for the bio-wheels. Or use both in combination with each other (which is what I did). This gives you a lot more surface area for BB. The downside of course, is that they do reduce flow a bit, so unless you want to replace the bio-wheel with them, they're not an "answer" to your problem, and could add to it.
That's all I've got. I loved my Penguin filters, but eventually switched to canisters to cut down on noise and increase filter media options.
The first thing that's important to understand (if you don't want to drive yourself nuts trying to fix a non-existent "problem") is that the bio-wheel does not have to be in constant motion. As long as it turns every few minutes it will perform it's job properly. This was confirmed by one of the people that designed the bio-wheel technology on a forum I stumbled across when I was freaking out about my Penguin 350 bio-wheels not turning all the time a few years back. May even have been here on AC. I can't remember now.
With my filters, the slowing down or stopping was a common occurrence over time, and was always due to one of two things. A decrease in water flow, or a buildup of gunk on the pins/pin holders at the ends of the bio-wheel. Nearly always, it was the former. A thorough cleaning of the entire filter (leaving the bio-wheels floating in the tank of course) with a soft toothbrush, including the impeller and the area it sits in, was able to get the water flow to increase and the wheels spinning again. Things as small as a grain of sand, stuck inside the impeller mechanism, can wreak havoc on a filters flow (so make sure you don't leave any toothbrush bristles behind either!).
Penguin bio-wheels always feel like they're going to rub against the lid, but that is just due to the tight fit of the filter design. Though in your case it's possible they may actually be rubbing, depending on how much you bent it while trying to fix it. If that is the case, it wouldn't harm the filter to leave that wheel lid off, though it will make it noisier.
Buying a new bio-wheel is likely to work as a temporary fix, as the fresh non-gunk coated pins holding it in the filter are certainly likely to spin easier. But eventually it's likely the same thing will happen to them. And the Petsmart employee was correct in telling you that you should never replace the bio-wheel. It houses a sizable chunk of the beneficial bacteria for the tank.
Another thing you could do in the future, if you're worried about the BB dying off when things like this happen, is put one of these in the extra filter slot:
http://www.petdiscounters.com/Penguin-200--350-Refillable-Media-Cartridge_p_15361.html
Fill that puppy up with bio rings or your other favorite bio-media, and then there's actually no "need" for the bio-wheels. Or use both in combination with each other (which is what I did). This gives you a lot more surface area for BB. The downside of course, is that they do reduce flow a bit, so unless you want to replace the bio-wheel with them, they're not an "answer" to your problem, and could add to it.
That's all I've got. I loved my Penguin filters, but eventually switched to canisters to cut down on noise and increase filter media options.
LMAO!
I didn't. I only reply to what comes up in "new posts", so I assume they're all current.
Oh well. Hopefully this info will help someone else that's having the problem now, lol
I didn't. I only reply to what comes up in "new posts", so I assume they're all current.
Oh well. Hopefully this info will help someone else that's having the problem now, lol
Ha ha. I was perusing this thread not paying attention to the posting dates and then saw my own post from 5 years ago. It was like traveling back in time.
