# Filter Getting Clogged



## jaybird002 (May 12, 2006)

My Whisper 40 power filter has run well for the last 7 years. Lately though, it has been getting clogged within a week. That is, the water flows back into the tank near the intake tube rather than through the filter material in the main chamber. Sometimes the filter bag is real dirty, almost black. Other times, it doesn't look that dirty even when the filter is clogged. Why is it getting clogged just a few days after I changed it? I have a 29-gallon tank with lots of floating hornwort, but that has been the case for a long time. I am vacuuming the gravel less frequently now to try to leave more organic matter for a new Amazon swordplant. Otherwise, I do't think anything has changed. If the filter were getting old and losing its power, then it wouldn't suck up so much stuff, would it?

Thanks for any help you can give me.


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## Lizzz (Nov 28, 2010)

Have you cleaned the propeller, or checked to make sure its sitting in there properly? When I was using an aquaclear (pretty similar) I knocked the propeller while cleaning accidently and it sucked in air, making it run like it was clogged... I know you can buy replacement powerheads and propellers, but they're basically the same price as a new filter...


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## Franco (Jun 25, 2010)

sometimes hair and java moss will get wrapped around the impeller too


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Just above the impeller the tube on mine seems to be where debris gets caught. Several HOB filters have this trouble spot. 

I think you have answered your own question, though, by saying you were doing less vacuuming than before. Now the filter is catching the debris. 

When any of my filters slow down I follow the path the water takes through the filter and clean each spot. 

Intake: I put a sponge over the intake, and this often needs cleaning.
Tube: Rarely is there debris in the tube itself, but anywhere there is a change in material (Such as just before the impeller) there is a spot that can catch debris. 
Impeller: Great at getting tangled up with Java Moss and dog hair. 
By the time I have cleaned this much the filter might be running just fine, or maybe it is time to clean the media.


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## jaybird002 (May 12, 2006)

Thanks for your replies. Actually I checked the impeller and tubes, cleaned them out in fact. The media (filter bag) was black with debris in less than a week. When I replaced it, the filter ran normally again. So I guess the question is, why does the bag become clogged so fast? Nothing else seems to have changed, except that I vacuum the gravel less. But does that account for that much more debris? Should I just buy a new filter, and if so, what brand would you recommend. I am running mine now at low speed, hoping it won't get clogged as fast.


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## Lizzz (Nov 28, 2010)

IMO filter bags just look dirty after being used for even a day. Are you rinsing them first to get the carbon dust off? Are you still doing water changes w/o gravel vacuuming? If you'd like to get a new filter, I'd suggest a canister filter. If you're partial to the hang-on type (or don't want to spend a lot) I'd recommend the AquaClear series. I ran these very successfully in the past, and still rely on them for hospital/holding tanks. The media is similar to a canister filter, in 3 separate parts.


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## Franco (Jun 25, 2010)

+1 AquaClear HOBs
I bought all of them that they had at a store that was going out of business for $3-$7 a piece depending on the size. You can get them online for way cheaper than what Petco/Petsmart charge.


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## Tommyu1992 (May 24, 2010)

I would second the sponge in the filter intake. I was having the same problem when i started, but it turned out to be flame moss getting caught in the propeller.


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

> I vacuum the gravel less. But does that account for that much more debris?


Yup.

Ditto: If you want a new filter, get an Aquaclear.


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## XSVaquascaper (Nov 21, 2010)

Yep, sometimes I take one of those shrimp filter guards to prevent clogging.


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## activesize (Jun 26, 2011)

jaybird002 said:


> My Whisper 40 power filter has run well for the last 7 years. Lately though, it has been getting clogged within a week. That is, the water flows back into the tank near the intake tube rather than through the filter material in the main chamber. Sometimes the filter bag is real dirty, almost black. Other times, it doesn't look that dirty even when the filter is clogged. Why is it getting clogged just a few days after I changed it? I have a 29-gallon tank with lots of floating hornwort, but that has been the case for a long time. I am vacuuming the gravel less frequently now to try to leave more organic matter for a new Amazon swordplant. Otherwise, I do't think anything has changed. If the filter were getting old and losing its power, then it wouldn't suck up so much stuff, would it?
> 
> Thanks for any help you can give me.


 Hi, first post here. I've been lurking for a long time here on El Natural and it's a great supplement to Diana Walstad's book but definitely not a replacement for it.

jaybird002, I have several things to contribute here. My main tank is a 125 gallon and I use a H.O.T. (hang-on-tank) magnum filter with a very large sponge block over the intake. My Anacharis grows side roots deep into the sponge filter and keeps it clean! I don't think I will ever have to rinse that sponge at all. Since the intake sponge doesn't get any build-up of debris this helps to keep the magnum filter cleaner and the water flowing through it for a very much longer time before I have to get into it then otherwise. The Anacharis also helps to hide the sponge from view. (I'm not out to win any aquascaping awards). However, this concept should work for any filter in any size tank in any substrate. Just let a bunch of Anacharis grow up to the filter and let them curl around it a little. The plants know what to do next.

Also, I don't like to do big water changes so I find that vacuuming on rare occasions with an Eheim sludge extractor does the job pretty well over either gravel or sand. If the mulm layer becomes a problem, for whatever reason, this electric vacuum is only capable of pulling up that mulm layer off the surface and that's all.


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