# My tank is crazy!!! Please help!



## ballinchiclid (May 22, 2008)

hey guys....
I got a 55gal fish tank with an emeror 400.. i take good care of it by adding black carbon, clean filter, and clean the whole filter. My tank water is still messy, i changed the water( did a 15gal water change) and that didnt help. On top of that..my impeler doenst work so my bio-wheels wont spin. :-? PLease Help!! taking in any comments!!

Thanks,
Chris


----------



## DMWave45 (Jan 22, 2008)

I think what may be a large part of the problem is that you are cleaning your filter too much. It only really needs rinsed once a month and it should only be rinsed in tank water. This is very important so you do not kill off your good bacteria. The water is probably messy due to a bacteria boom every time you clean the filter. Also, you should be executing these 15 gallon water changes weekly. But none of this really matter if your impeller doesn't work. You need to take a look at the impeller to see if it's broken and get a replacement ASAP if it is. Until then I would do water changes every day.


----------



## ballinchiclid (May 22, 2008)

thank you very much...but were could i get a new impeller?


----------



## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

Maybe google "emperor 400 impeller"?


----------



## ballinchiclid (May 22, 2008)

thanks guys for all the help!!!!

Chris


----------



## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

So if the impeller is not working then the entire filter would not be working, right? Also 1 Emperor 400 is probably not enough filtration for a 55g tank. I run an Emperor 400, Emperor 280 and a Fluval 305 canister filter on my 55 for about 12 mbunas. So you may want to add another emperor 400 at least which may help clean your messy tank water.

Also, carbon is pretty much useless unless your removing medications that you put in your tank. Your better off using more bio media or filter floss. Just a reminder that when you clean your filter to rinse it out with tank water only, not tap water. Tap water will kill your good bacteria.


----------



## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

rgr4475 said:


> So if the impeller is not working then the entire filter would not be working, right? Also 1 Emperor 400 is probably not enough filtration for a 55g tank. I run an Emperor 400, Emperor 280 and a Fluval 305 canister filter on my 55 for about 12 mbunas. So you may want to add another emperor 400 at least which may help clean your messy tank water.


Why not just get one larger proper filter?


----------



## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

What do you mean by proper filter? I don't think having 3 filters would be considered improper. The 3 of them do a great job keeping my water perfect. Plus speading out the number of filters allows me to clean any of them very easy by dividing the filtration instead of all the gunk in one filter. Plus the 2 HOB's keep the surface of the water aggitated for good oxygenation. Thats the long answer. The short answer is I had 2 of them on smaller tanks and threw them on my 55 when I upgraded tank size.


----------



## Afishionado (Jun 6, 2006)

On reading this I have to ask, 'how can an impeller not be working'? I'll let the other posters here address the question of adequate filtration, but it just seems to me that an impeller is not a working part to start with - it must be the motor that is not working, or the impeller that is stuck. Can you remove the impeller and try cleaning the impeller shaft? Failing that, give the motor a good rap with the knuckles (don't laugh, it often works with AC's so why not Penguins?).

I would replace an impeller that has become worn and noisy, but if it is 'not working' I would look elsewhere for the problem. If the motor really won't turn the impeller then it's time for a new filter...


----------



## xdustyj (Apr 14, 2007)

There is probbly a little part missing, the impeller is fine, do your spraybars work, *** seen more than one emporer 400 come with a little part missing.


----------

