Are Penguin Minis unreliable?

[BillyBubBob]

I bought the Marineland 10-gallon deluxe package as the basis for my new 10-gallon nanoreef.

 

For filtration, it included a Penguin Mini.

 

The tank has been set-up with live rock for about 10 days. Yesterday, the filter stopped. I took the filter apart to clean it and found nothing inside of it blocking the impeller. I put it together and it would not work. When I pulled up slightly on the impeller housing, it began to pump water again.

 

This morning, the filter stopped again. All I did was barely lift up on the impeller housing and it begain to work again.

 

I am pretty sure nothing is getting caught in the filter. The sand is settled and the tank is so new that the filter is only really moving water.

 

Is this a common problem with this filter? Should I add a spacer?

 

Any tips would be appreciated.

[Physh1]

By impellar housing do you mean the tube? It is possible with many HO filters to wedge the impellar in there by the tube pressing down too hard. I've seen it with all HO filters but yours could be more of a motor or bad impellar issue....it's early enough I'd probably see if I could exchange it for a new one or maybe another model like an Aquaclear 150. There isn't anything particularly wrong w/ Penguins IMO.

 

Cameron

[BillyBubBob]

Cameron,

 

For the mini, there are two parts: the impellar housing and the dip tube. If the impellar housing is pushed down hard to the base of the filter sometimes the impellar stops. But, I will make sure that I am not pressing the dip tube to far into the housing.

 

Thanks for the tip.

[Physh1]

I know that is a common problem w/ the emperor filters...the housing is pressed in too hard doing what you have. Hopefully easing up on it a bit will help. Good luck.

 

Cameron