I purchased the Marineland "Eclipse Hex 5" tank about a month ago, and have been in the process of cycling it. Then today, the meter-reader came to my house and caused a momentary disruption in the power. Afterward, I heard my tank making a loud buzzing sound, like the sound it normally makes, only much, much louder. I investigated just in time to see my biowheel slowing to a complete stop. My burgeoning biological filter is going to die!

I've unplugged/plugged the cord several times, taken the intake assembly apart and cleaned it, and raised the water level some, but nothing makes a difference. It hums loudly as if it's working but doesn't draw any water at all.

Is there any way I can fix it, or is it dead forever? I didn't keep my receipt, and it's been over a month, so I doubt I can return it. :(

Did you make sure you put all the parts back on? I forgot to put a part back on and it hummed like that on me. There is a little cap-like device that goes on the impeller on mine and if that isn't properly placed back onto the impeller, it will make that noise and it won't work.

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I wish that were the case. On mine, the impeller came as one piece, and I looked at the diagram in the instruction booklet to make sure I put it back together properly.

hmm... Did you try emptying the unit completely? There could be some water in there that could be causing it to have a problem re-starting up.

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I thought about what you said, and it got me to thinking. The motor couldn't be fried, since it still ran when I plugged it in. So it had to be a problem RE-starting. And I messed with it until I figured it out!

Guess what it was? The water level. It had run fine for weeks while slowly evaporating, but when it had to restart itself, the pump wasn't strong enough to pull the water all the way up into the filter. When I added several cups of water to the tank and plugged it back in, it started filtering fine.

Hopefully, my little epiphany today will help others. I've heard that lots of people are having issues with these models and other Marineland products. Check your water levels, folks!

Glad I could help you out!

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I was about to post that just adding water to the filter sump will correct the problem. Bill in Va.

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12 Tanks, 900 gallons. Discus/Angels/Malawi/Lake Victorias. Just added a 135 & 2 - 29's..

Here's somthing else that happens... As water evaporates as yours did, or even just turning off a filter that has been running a long time, gunk builds up around the magnet on the impeller. Pull it out and clean it as well as the hole it goes in. Sometimes a toothpick or simular used to kick start the impeller helps to.
Glad you got it figured out ;)

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"Buddha in your tank"

Do you recommend that type of fish tank? I'm seriously considering purchasing one so I can raise some cherry shrimp. Would this one be a good tank to get?

Well, thinking about my overall experience with it, I guess I'd recommend it, in general. The hex shape is attractive, and the filter cartridges are easy to change. But you have to think about it in terms of your unique needs.

I don't know anything about cherry shrimp, so you'll have to judge if they would do well in a tank like mine. It makes a pretty strong current, for one thing. I had to baffle the water output a little so the current wouldn't be too strong for my little glowlight tetras. Also, the bulb that comes in these is a 15 watt that casts a rather yellowish light. I switched mine out for a 10-watt fluorescent today, but my tetras would prefer something even softer. Many species would probably do very well in this tank, and even though I've had to make a couple of little changes to the setup, I am glad I bought it.

Hope this info helps you in some way, MisterClean.