# Bio-wheel!! I'm frustrated and need help!!



## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

So ironically, the same day I was helping somebody else on this site in regards to trying to get their bio-wheel spinning again, I went home and the bio-wheel in my eclipse system stopped spinning as well.

I cleaned out the cups that the arms of the wheel sit in, I cleaned the whole area in fact around where the bio-wheel sits, and I cleaned the pump and impeller to make sure the flow wasn't reduced. And no matter what I have tried, the wheel will start spinning great when I firts put it back in, then while I'm standing there it will start to slow down, and then spin irregularly, and then completely stop...

This has been going on for about a week now and I'm getting annoyed.

I added some ceramic ring media from my fully established filter on my other tank to the filter tray just for some back up bio-filtration while this gets worked out.

I noticed that the bio-wheel had an open slit in between two of the pleated pieces so I figured maybe it broke and now water slowly fills the inside of it to the point where it's too heavy to spin?? But then I did go and buy a replacement and the brand new one has the same open slit. So I'm assuming they are made that way... can anyone confirm that?

And... the brand new wheel acts exactly the same as the old one... meaning that it starts off fine, then slows, then spins irregularly, then stops.

Hence, I'm frustrated.

Any ideas??

I'm actually thinking about giving it up and modifying the bio-wheel area into a trickle filter with bioballs or something.


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## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

my biowheel, after looking has the same slit in it as well.. eclipse?? mine is emperor 400 and peguin 330.. i believe i was the one you were talking with.. i cant get mine to spin but randomly and im wondering if a large shipment was bad or something *** bought 2 new ones and same ol doody?? anyone else noticing this


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## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

*jfly*

Eclipse is a light plus filtration built in hood that marineland makes. Check it out here...
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=3867

I also sent an email to marineland explaining the issue in detail. When I hear back from them I will post here and let you know what they said.


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## Donfish (Dec 24, 2007)

Should not be a slit there, that's the problem. Sounds like that sucker is filling with water like you say.

I have a Penguin 100, 2-150's, a 200 and an Eclipse hood and none have slits and all turn.

I should add I have no love affair with these filters, while my biowheels work, the impellers sound like marble grinders on some of them even in sandless, clean tanks, right out of the box and after a month break-in period. I went *back* to using Aquaclears, now only if Hagen would use the type of plastic Marineland uses on their housings.


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## RICHARD_STUDEBAKER (Mar 19, 2009)

I just took a look at some brand new spare bio-wheels for an Emp 400 that I have as back up and there is definitely no slit in them is ur filter new.


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## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

the filter is not new, but both the bio-wheel (1 year old) in there already and the new one I bought both have an open slit. Perhaps jfly is right... a bad batch? but home come the 1 year old one worked fine until recently...

I'm still waiting to hear back from marineland. I'm interested to see what they have to say.


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## acrosstic (Mar 24, 2008)

Did you clean the little plastic ends of the frame that the biowheel sits on?

Just a little sludge there is enough to stop a wheel once it gets wet enough.

There is the plastic poles and also little nobs that attach to the poles. The nobs then sit into the frame. Clean it all, maybe even a little hard water buildup on them.

I've had new/clean biowheels not spin because of the little nobs or poles being dirty.


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## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

> Did you clean the little plastic ends of the frame that the biowheel sits on?
> 
> Just a little sludge there is enough to stop a wheel once it gets wet enough.
> 
> ...


Yeah, I did it all, several times... there's definitely something else going on.


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## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

went today to lgs.. guess what!?!?! no slits in the new wheels.. i guess we got a bum batch from factory.. oh well ill just eat that one  i just hate losing my bacteria


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## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

> went today to lgs.. guess what!?!?! no slits in the new wheels.. i guess we got a bum batch from factory


hmmmmm... man that sucks... it's still weird that the one that has been in my filter for over a year worked fine until recently... even though it had the open slit.

Marineland replied but didn't address the opening in it... I replied asking specifically about it... I'll let you know.[/quote]


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## Donfish (Dec 24, 2007)

jfly said:


> went today to lgs.. guess what!?!?! no slits in the new wheels.. i guess we got a bum batch from factory.. oh well ill just eat that one  i just hate losing my bacteria


Don't lose all your bacteria, float the wheel in the tank or bust it apart and stick the stuff in a filter somewhere, it should help the bacteria recover fast.


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## Aura (Oct 29, 2005)

edouthirt, have you checked to see if the wheel will turn if you remove the filter cartridge?

I'm not familiar with the Eclipse system, but with my filters, if the wheels stop turning, it's time for me to replace the cartridges. I normally rinse them off (the cartridges) every couple of weeks and reuse them a few times, but at some point the water just doesn't pass through them well enough to push those wheels and it just slowly passes underneath them.


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## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

*Aura*

Yeah, I tried that... still no luck.


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## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

Ok... so marineland got back to me and said that the slit in the bio-wheels is normal!! ??

The rep was convinced that it has to be a reduced flow issue. So, I'm gonna take out the impellar and clean it out real good... and see what happens.


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## kornphlake (Feb 12, 2004)

Check the intake tube as well, over time gunk will grow and accumulate in the tube and restrict the flow.

It does make sense that there would be a slit somewhere in the biowheel, it would be lot easier to manufacture the wheel out of a sheet of material folded in an accordian style then wrapped around the wheel than to try and make the wheel out of a continuous piece of material. I doubt you got a defective wheel.

Have you tried putting a dab of vasolene on the ends of the wheel and in the cradle, I've heard that can help some times. Vasoline is as safe for your fish as it is for you.


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## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

> Check the intake tube as well, over time gunk will grow and accumulate in the tube and restrict the flow.
> 
> It does make sense that there would be a slit somewhere in the biowheel, it would be lot easier to manufacture the wheel out of a sheet of material folded in an accordian style then wrapped around the wheel than to try and make the wheel out of a continuous piece of material. I doubt you got a defective wheel.
> 
> Have you tried putting a dab of vasolene on the ends of the wheel and in the cradle, I've heard that can help some times. Vasoline is as safe for your fish as it is for you.


Did all of that... The only thing I have not done in regards to flow is mess with the impellar, so I'll try that.


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## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

Just so I don't leave anyone who is interested hangin...

I came home 2 days ago to a fully dunctioning bio-wheel. I didn't touch anything... just all of the sudden it started working again.

Now I'm afraid to touch it... lol


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## Aura (Oct 29, 2005)

Very strange. :?

Did the water level change at all?


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## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

nope, not at all.


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## fozzy (Feb 21, 2006)

Hey everybody, I've got a Marineland Eclipse 12 gallon whose biowheel spins like a top (very fast and nonstop). It whirls around like crazy and has been doing a great job since Fall 2004.

I've got a Marineland Eclipse 25 gallon whose biowheel alternates between 'super-fast" and "sluggish but constant."

NOW FOR THE PROBLEM-
Now I've got a new 75 gallon tank with an Emperor 400 hanging off the back. One wheel does about one full revolution every three minutes. It goes from "no movement at all" to "moving but extremely slow." The other wheel (it's a two-wheel filter) is even slower- about one revolution per 15 minutes. Mostly they don't move at all but occasionally lurch forward a quarter inch.

The filter is BRAND SPANKIN' NEW, and so is the tank. There's no vegetation caught up anywhere, and there's no hard water build-up either. I even gently tapped the bio-wheel bearings down with a small screwdriver and hammer to lower the wheels a little farther down into the water flow. This helped because the wheels didn't spin at all before that unless I manually pushed them.

I've experimented with water level. I moved the angle of the spray bars

I mean, what gives- I understand the wheels don't have to spin a mile a minute like my little 12 gallon, but come on! Those wheels cannot be working at that agonizingly slow rate. :?

Thoughts?


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

My experience with the biowheels is that they are very inconsistent... as Edouthirt just experienced...

As long as they are moving enough to stay wet, they are functioning... if they aren't moving at all, at least the section that is constantly wet is able to house bacteria...

All in all, I've never had a mature tank lack the surface area to house a sufficient amount of bacteria to accommodate a proper stocklist... so as long as they aren't noisy, I'd leave them alone...


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