I HATE my bio-wheel

NursePlaty · 02-21-2010, 05:20 AM

I have a Marineland Penguin 150 and the bio-wheel doesnt not spin anymore. I have not had the filter for very long; maybe about 2 months. The inflow of the filter also is slowing down. I cleaned everything I can think of, the impeller, intake tube, changed cartridges, shook the bio-wheel underwater, I even filed the 2 knobs at the each end of the bio-wheel down to half the size to make it spin more effectively. I heard so many good news about this filter and now im starting to hate it.

Anyone know what the problem is? I need to increase the inflow is the main thing, to keep the bio-wheel spinning, I cant let it dry out.

James0816 · 02-21-2010, 06:55 AM

I have a similar issue as well. Haven't broke it down and cleaned it though. I should look into it one of these days. ;o)

I does occassionally spin. I'm wondering if the groves where the wheel sit are messy.

squirrelcrusher · 02-21-2010, 12:29 PM

I'm also dealing with this problem. Some how one part of the filter is heavy and it will spin slowly until that part gets over the top then speed up. I've also found it stopped 3 or 4 times now. I removed my filter to help increase flow to keep it going.

NursePlaty · 02-21-2010, 05:37 PM

Yea i even cleaned the groove out and everything. even if its running with no cartridge.. the biowheel doesnt spin. I think its somewith with the impeller.. like the magnet got weaker or something. Why cant they just use a big magnet instead of a little one. my other cheap smaller filter even has a magnet twice the size of my penguin's

MediaHound · 02-21-2010, 05:45 PM

Thats a bummer. Did you let Marineland support know about it and see what they say?

mk4gti · 07-20-2010, 12:16 PM

i had issues with the 150 i thought it sucked personally, i used 2 penguin minis on my 20 gallon, works much better

susankat · 07-20-2010, 03:22 PM

I have 4 of the 400's and they did the same thing, I ended up pulling off the wheels and putting media in them. Flows a lot better and the tank is a lot cleaner.

Tim Wheatley · 07-21-2010, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MediaHound

Thats a bummer. Did you let Marineland support know about it and see what they say?

The instructions which come with it say it doesn't have to spin and not to worry if it doesn't........

NursePlaty · 07-21-2010, 12:44 PM

Wow this is a very old thread that I started 5-6 months ago :p. I wonder how it got pulled up. To update on my "bio-wheel" issue. I filed the 2 nodes on the wheel down to a point. This allowed it to spin continuously and never stop. It has never stoped since.

And for the company saying it doesnt have to spin. It MUST spin in order to keep the beneficial bacteria alive on that wheel. The purpose of the wheel is to harbor BB that breaks down ammonia and nitrite, without spinning, water flow cannot reach all parts of the wheel.

I dont even think I need the wheel because my substrate I believe harbors all my BB. I just use the wheel for looks now . The only thing I use my Marineland for is mechanical filtration and its impeller to break and dissolve injected CO2 bubbles.

Bulleyhead · 07-21-2010, 01:16 PM

i have a biowheel filter that has 2 in it and i dont have the wheels in currently bcuz im replacing them...but i took it all apart and created my own holders for the pray nozzle things, and now they spin all the way and spray the cartridge filters, so the flow is still continuous and all the water is being filtered...granted im also using 4 15gallon cartridge aquaclear filters and a UV sterilizer in my tank haha, so this breaking down isnt affecting much in my 55 gallon

02-21-2010, 05:20 AM	#1 (permalink)
NursePlaty Queen Platy NursePlaty's Photo Gallery Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 932 Name: Annie Pham Location: Dallas Ft Worth, Texas Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 266 Times Said "Thanks" 41 Times Was Thanked 186 Times in 180 Posts	I HATE my bio-wheel I have a Marineland Penguin 150 and the bio-wheel doesnt not spin anymore. I have not had the filter for very long; maybe about 2 months. The inflow of the filter also is slowing down. I cleaned everything I can think of, the impeller, intake tube, changed cartridges, shook the bio-wheel underwater, I even filed the 2 knobs at the each end of the bio-wheel down to half the size to make it spin more effectively. I heard so many good news about this filter and now im starting to hate it. Anyone know what the problem is? I need to increase the inflow is the main thing, to keep the bio-wheel spinning, I cant let it dry out. __________________ 55gallon Light - 6500K CFL, 23wattsx5 5hr/day Substrate - Red Mexican Clay, Sphagnum Peat moss, Eco-Complete Misc- Pressurized CO2, EI Dose KNO3, KH2PO4, CSM-B Plants -Limnophila Aromatica, Stargrass, Dwarf Hair Grass, Christmas Moss, Baby Tears (HM), Dwarf Baby Tears(HC), Rotala Rotundifolia, Ludwigia Glandulosa, Riccia Fluitans Last edited by NursePlaty : 07-21-2010 at 12:45 PM.

02-21-2010, 06:55 AM	#2 (permalink)
James0816 James0816's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 2,455 Feedback: 13 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 34 Times Was Thanked 526 Times in 454 Posts	Re: I HATE my bio-wheel I have a similar issue as well. Haven't broke it down and cleaned it though. I should look into it one of these days. ;o) I does occassionally spin. I'm wondering if the groves where the wheel sit are messy.

02-21-2010, 12:29 PM	#3 (permalink)
squirrelcrusher Aqua Addict squirrelcrusher's Photo Gallery Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 289 Location: Kennewick, Wa My location Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 1 Times Said "Thanks" 5 Times Was Thanked 28 Times in 27 Posts	Re: I HATE my bio-wheel I'm also dealing with this problem. Some how one part of the filter is heavy and it will spin slowly until that part gets over the top then speed up. I've also found it stopped 3 or 4 times now. I removed my filter to help increase flow to keep it going. __________________ I just pretend I know what I'm doing

02-21-2010, 05:37 PM	#4 (permalink)
NursePlaty Queen Platy NursePlaty's Photo Gallery Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 932 Name: Annie Pham Location: Dallas Ft Worth, Texas Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 266 Times Said "Thanks" 41 Times Was Thanked 186 Times in 180 Posts	Re: I HATE my bio-wheel Yea i even cleaned the groove out and everything. even if its running with no cartridge.. the biowheel doesnt spin. I think its somewith with the impeller.. like the magnet got weaker or something. Why cant they just use a big magnet instead of a little one. my other cheap smaller filter even has a magnet twice the size of my penguin's __________________ 55gallon Light - 6500K CFL, 23wattsx5 5hr/day Substrate - Red Mexican Clay, Sphagnum Peat moss, Eco-Complete Misc- Pressurized CO2, EI Dose KNO3, KH2PO4, CSM-B Plants -Limnophila Aromatica, Stargrass, Dwarf Hair Grass, Christmas Moss, Baby Tears (HM), Dwarf Baby Tears(HC), Rotala Rotundifolia, Ludwigia Glandulosa, Riccia Fluitans Last edited by NursePlaty : 07-21-2010 at 12:45 PM.

02-21-2010, 05:45 PM	#5 (permalink)
MediaHound Here, fishy, fishy, fishy MediaHound's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 3,103 Name: Jarred Location: Florida My location Feedback: 18 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 4,158 Times Said "Thanks" 2,133 Times Was Thanked 949 Times in 610 Posts	Re: I HATE my bio-wheel Thats a bummer. Did you let Marineland support know about it and see what they say?

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07-20-2010, 12:16 PM	#6 (permalink)
mk4gti mk4gti's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 719 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 119 Times Said "Thanks" 24 Times Was Thanked 119 Times in 111 Posts	Re: I HATE my bio-wheel i had issues with the 150 i thought it sucked personally, i used 2 penguin minis on my 20 gallon, works much better

07-20-2010, 03:22 PM	#7 (permalink)
susankat Pleco n bn breeder n BOSS susankat's Photo Gallery Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 5,417 Name: Susan Location: Tulsa, Ok Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 2,082 Times Said "Thanks" 1,610 Times Was Thanked 1,808 Times in 1,549 Posts	Re: I HATE my bio-wheel I have 4 of the 400's and they did the same thing, I ended up pulling off the wheels and putting media in them. Flows a lot better and the tank is a lot cleaner. __________________ SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY YEARS, NOT MONTHS!!! 220 Tank build http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/sta...late-3253.html

07-21-2010, 12:44 PM	#9 (permalink)
NursePlaty Queen Platy NursePlaty's Photo Gallery Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 932 Name: Annie Pham Location: Dallas Ft Worth, Texas Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 266 Times Said "Thanks" 41 Times Was Thanked 186 Times in 180 Posts	Re: I HATE my bio-wheel Wow this is a very old thread that I started 5-6 months ago :p. I wonder how it got pulled up. To update on my "bio-wheel" issue. I filed the 2 nodes on the wheel down to a point. This allowed it to spin continuously and never stop. It has never stoped since. And for the company saying it doesnt have to spin. It MUST spin in order to keep the beneficial bacteria alive on that wheel. The purpose of the wheel is to harbor BB that breaks down ammonia and nitrite, without spinning, water flow cannot reach all parts of the wheel. I dont even think I need the wheel because my substrate I believe harbors all my BB. I just use the wheel for looks now . The only thing I use my Marineland for is mechanical filtration and its impeller to break and dissolve injected CO2 bubbles. __________________ 55gallon Light - 6500K CFL, 23wattsx5 5hr/day Substrate - Red Mexican Clay, Sphagnum Peat moss, Eco-Complete Misc- Pressurized CO2, EI Dose KNO3, KH2PO4, CSM-B Plants -Limnophila Aromatica, Stargrass, Dwarf Hair Grass, Christmas Moss, Baby Tears (HM), Dwarf Baby Tears(HC), Rotala Rotundifolia, Ludwigia Glandulosa, Riccia Fluitans

07-21-2010, 01:16 PM	#10 (permalink)
Bulleyhead Bullheads Rock My Socks Bulleyhead's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 98 Name: Ryan Location: Amsterdam, NY Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 1 Times Said "Thanks" 3 Times Was Thanked 13 Times in 13 Posts	Re: I HATE my bio-wheel i have a biowheel filter that has 2 in it and i dont have the wheels in currently bcuz im replacing them...but i took it all apart and created my own holders for the pray nozzle things, and now they spin all the way and spray the cartridge filters, so the flow is still continuous and all the water is being filtered...granted im also using 4 15gallon cartridge aquaclear filters and a UV sterilizer in my tank haha, so this breaking down isnt affecting much in my 55 gallon __________________ Bullheads represent the cookie monsters of the rivers around here...hungry, hungry, hungry

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