Rena Filstar XP3 Not Cycling any Water

[MontgomeryRook]

I've just inherited a 55-gallon aquarium and XP3 canister filter from a friend when he moved out of state. He moved his stock with him, so it's currently housing live plants, but no fish. The filter was certainly working when he left, but I've just replaced the filter media to get ready to stock the aquarium myself, and now the filter is no longer cycling water.

I've quadruple-checked the setup and devoted at least a couple of hours to carefully following youtube tutorials, but I cannot find any problems with it! When I connect the quick disconnect valve, the canister quickly fills with water as intended, and the air is pushed through the outflow into the aquarium, so I know that there is no hard blockage anywhere in the system. When the filter is plugged in, it runs quietly - but doesn't move any water around.

I must have some basic misunderstanding about this system. I've called the manufacturer but can't get a hold of anyone, so I will gratefully accept any troubleshooting advice that I can get.

 

[dougall]

Have you cleaned the impeller and made sure it can spin?

 

[MontgomeryRook]

Have you cleaned the impeller and made sure it can spin?

I can't account for why this happened, but after leaving the filter plugged in for a half-hour or so, it simply started working. Thank you for your reply!

 

[FreshyFresh]

A little bit of air lock can do this. Sometimes if you tilt the canister around it will clear it, or keep mashing the prime button if so equipped. It's a bummer if the impeller shaft fails and you have to break the unit down again. It's always good to keep a spare seal set and impeller for this reason.