Emergency! Eheim 2028 stopped working!

[tigershovelnose]

Hi, This is my first post.

A little background, I have a 4ft x 18in x 1ft tank that houses my shovelnoses, birches and cichlids. Now I use a Eheim 2028 to filter the water and have a spray bar set up at the top to help oxygenate the water. I have a Fluval 4 in the other corner to help remove other solid waste.

A few days ago, I cleaned out the whole 2028 and reset it going in the normal manner and it was working fine.

Then all of a sudden it has stopped pumping the water through, and is making a clicking sound.

I have recleaned the filter, checked the rotars, and reset the filter going making sure there is no air trapped which hasn't helped. I then tried to get the filter going again, without filling the filter with water first and letting the syphon fill the filter, but that hasn't worked either. I can't see any blockages and don't know what to do.

Any advice would be greatly helped as I don't have a proper filter going now!

 

[liv2padl]

forgive me but let me begin with a problem you didn't mention. you've got a 45 gallon tank when empty. add gravel, rocks, decorations and you've got less than 35 gallons. you cannot possibly expect shovelnose catfishes, bichirs and cichlids to survive in such a small volume of water let alone thrive.

the shovelnose can grow to three feet at maturity. as a juvenile under 6 inches a single individual needs a minimum of 55 gallons. when the fish surpasses 6" it should be moved to a substantially larger tank. 90 gallons wouldn't be too large. Eventually, a full-grown specimen must be donated to a public aquarium or moved to a 250 or more, gallon tank. given that you evidently have more than one shovelnose, more than a single bichir and some number of cichlids (species and number yet unidentified) you not only can expect to have problems in the future, but i can practically guarantee it.

you need at least a 75 gallon tank right now if all your fish are under 6 inches.

as to your filter problem ... remove the motor head and check the impeller sump and impeller itself. make sure when you replace these parts that they're fitting properly. refill the cannister to the very top. replace the motor head and thereby squeeze out the extra water in the cannister. fill the tank so the water level is above the spray bar. plug in the motor. it 'should' start up and begin the siphon.

 

[tigershovelnose]

forgive me but let me begin with a problem you didn't mention. you've got a 45 gallon tank when empty. add gravel, rocks, decorations and you've got less than 35 gallons. you cannot possibly expect shovelnose catfishes, bichirs and cichlids to survive in such a small volume of water let alone thrive.

the shovelnose can grow to three feet at maturity. as a juvenile under 6 inches a single individual needs a minimum of 55 gallons. when the fish surpasses 6" it should be moved to a substantially larger tank. 90 gallons wouldn't be too large. Eventually, a full-grown specimen must be donated to a public aquarium or moved to a 250 or more, gallon tank. given that you evidently have more than one shovelnose, more than a single bichir and some number of cichlids (species and number yet unidentified) you not only can expect to have problems in the future, but i can practically guarantee it.

you need at least a 75 gallon tank right now if all your fish are under 6 inches.

as to your filter problem ... remove the motor head and check the impeller sump and impeller itself. make sure when you replace these parts that they're fitting properly. refill the cannister to the very top. replace the motor head and thereby squeeze out the extra water in the cannister. fill the tank so the water level is above the spray bar. plug in the motor. it 'should' start up and begin the siphon.

I have two shovelnoses, 1 green terror, and two birches and a common plec. Both shovelnoses are around 4 inches, the green terror is around 6, are the birches. My fish are all very healthy, but you're right I probably need a larger tank. I have seen shovel noses 2 1/2ft in length at a shop abroad before. I grew an asian Arrowana up to 12 inches before in a 5ft tank and it never had any problems, which I eventually passed on the a friend with a larger tank.

Anyways, I just tried what you said with the impeller. I took it all out, there was not dirt or solids or even lime scale in there. It is set correctly as far as I can see. The arts are in the right order. The rotar however seems to occillate iregularly sometimes. I reset up the tank, the canister was full, and the water still won't pump out. The spray bar is under the water, with the cap off at the end too.

I called my LFS and they just told me to buy a new filter!

 

[tigershovelnose]

I have added a RENA 200 airpump that I had spare, running on a long stone bar, to the tank to add air, none of the fish are gasping at all.

 

[liv2padl]

try this then. disconnect the return side of the canister and start the siphon from that end by sucking on that hose. the cannister should be empty. this way the entire canister has to fill up before you'll get a mouthful of water. ALso, as you may have already found out, it's easiest to start the siphon if you leave the canister empty.

surely buying a new filter is premature.

 

[tigershovelnose]

try this then. disconnect the return side of the canister and start the siphon from that end by sucking on that hose. the cannister should be empty. this way the entire canister has to fill up before you'll get a mouthful of water. ALso, as you may have already found out, it's easiest to start the siphon if you leave the canister empty.

surely buying a new filter is premature.

Ok tried that. Aside from soaking my floor even more, I haven't managed to get the thing going. I think their must be a problem with the rotar of some sort, although it does spin.

 

[liv2padl]

i'm outta ideas, sorry. have you checked the hoses to see if perhaps one is plugged?

 

[tigershovelnose]

i'm outta ideas, sorry. have you checked the hoses to see if perhaps one is plugged?

There is flow in either direction when I suck or pump the water.

But, anyways, I left it on and now the whole unit has stopped doing anything, and the pump head was quite warm. I think I am going to take the thing into a shop to see what they can do.

I am reluctant to get another as Eheim 2028s are really expensive! The spare pumphead is around $200 in the UK.

I hope they can fix it!

In your opionion, how long do you think the fish will be ok with just a Fluval 4, in such a small tank?

 

[liv2padl]

if you do water changes sufficient to keep the ammonia, nitrite levels in check, (perhaps every 3-4 days) you should be fine for perhaps a few weeks? really hard to say.

i have about six 2028's and they've all worked fine for years.

a last thought ... this is the filter with the "push-down" siphon starter right? if you look inside the motor head you'll see that when you're pushing down on that large 'button' on the top, the entire plenum inside the motor goes down. sometimes, this can get stuck due to calcium buildup and if you press on it (inside) and pull it up .. several times, perhaps you car free it up?

 

[ErrorS]

I have trouble getting my Siphon started now..

Also, the priming button will stick, you might have to pull the button upwards if siphon isn't starting. If you have any curves or dips in the hosing for the Eheim, you might have some trouble.

when you suck on the tube, make sure both the intake and the outtake are shooting water out. There should be a real siphon, the tubes should empty the aquarium if you left them be. What I do is, once the hoses start shooting water out I'll fill up the canister with the water from the aquarium close off the valve, attach it, try to prime it once more and then plug it in to the wall.

You should also *never* leave the filter running for long if it isn't moving water. It takes about a minute for the motor to overheat or for the impeller to wear out when running the filter dry.. and that's only if both are in top shape.

I know you already addressed some of this but these are some of the things Eheim told me when I was having trouble with mine.