# My penguin 200 sounds like a blender...



## UDdom274 (Nov 21, 2007)

Hello all,

I have a problem with my Penguin 200 for my 30 gallon tank. For some reason I can't figure out why it sounds like a blender. I can't tell if my impeller, or the black impeller housing (not sure of the technical name) is bad. I have a sand tank so I at first I thought it was full of sand. After cleaning the filter throughly, the sound remains. I can sometimes alleviate it by pulling the black impeller housing up a little, but it slowly falls back down, not to mention my piranha knocking it around. My question is how do I fix this and prevent it from happening again? At first I didn't think anything of sand damaging it, but now I am not so sure. Any suggestions?

BTW: Are penguin filters even that good? This is a temporary tank for my piranha. I am pricing out new setups, and am now hesitant to go back to Penguin. What would be a good, inexpensive filter setup for a 75G tank. I was thinking a Penguin 350 and possibly a 150 to supplement it. Would a 350 be enough alone or should I go with my though of getting an addition filter to supplement it?


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

It sounds like your impeller is loose or you still have some sand in there...sand can wreak havoc on impellers. Are you sure you put it back together right? A new may impeller may be needed. Check the impeller magnet for grooves from the sand, check the blades for chips, and check the rubber ends for wear.

Filter setup for the 75g all depends on the fish load, whether you have plants, and how long you plan on keeping your fish in there...we need that info to help you out. That being said, a Penguin 350 along with your 200 may be fine for quite a while. Most people run a canister filter along with a HOB powerfilter such as an Emperor 400 (also made by Marineland) or an Aquaclear 110, but a Penguin 350 will work.

It all comes down to $$$ and your situation. I have a 75g with 2 Mag 350 Pros (Biowheel 60s attached), a 75g with one Mag 350 and one Eheim 2219, and one with 4 HOT Magnum 250s (2 of which have a Biowheel 30 attached...this is in a classroom with limited space). I've also had a 75g with 2 Penguin 350s and 2 HOT Mag 250s as well as one with 2 Emp 400s and one HOT Mag 250...none of those started out with all of those filters though. It all comes down to personal preference, working with what you have, working with your space/stand requirements, and working with your budget.


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## NegativeSpin (Aug 1, 2007)

The sand might have warped your impeller and now it is out of balance. That will cause it to make a "churn" noise like a blender. The higher the RPM the more noticeable it will be like driving a car with tires that need balancing. Get a new impeller mechanism.


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## UDdom274 (Nov 21, 2007)

BioTeAcH said:


> It sounds like your impeller is loose or you still have some sand in there...sand can wreak havoc on impellers. Are you sure you put it back together right? A new may impeller may be needed. Check the impeller magnet for grooves from the sand, check the blades for chips, and check the rubber ends for wear.
> 
> Filter setup for the 75g all depends on the fish load, whether you have plants, and how long you plan on keeping your fish in there...we need that info to help you out. That being said, a Penguin 350 along with your 200 may be fine for quite a while. Most people run a canister filter along with a HOB powerfilter such as an Emperor 400 (also made by Marineland) or an Aquaclear 110, but a Penguin 350 will work.
> 
> It all comes down to $$$ and your situation. I have a 75g with 2 Mag 350 Pros (Biowheel 60s attached), a 75g with one Mag 350 and one Eheim 2219, and one with 4 HOT Magnum 250s (2 of which have a Biowheel 30 attached...this is in a classroom with limited space). I've also had a 75g with 2 Penguin 350s and 2 HOT Mag 250s as well as one with 2 Emp 400s and one HOT Mag 250...none of those started out with all of those filters though. It all comes down to personal preference, working with what you have, working with your space/stand requirements, and working with your budget.


I'm pretty sure I put it back together correctly. I have looked the impeller over and didn't see any chips or groves in the impeller that I noticed. Is it common to need to replace the impeller after only 8 or 9 months of use? Also, how do I prevent sand from getting in the filter?

As for the new filter and tank, I was planning on housing my 4 red bellies for life in this 75 gal. Sorry to be a newb, but I am not sure of the advantage of canister filters. Most of what I have dealt with is equipment available at a local chain like petsmart. All I know is that they are expensive...


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

UDdom274 said:


> I'm pretty sure I put it back together correctly. I have looked the impeller over and didn't see any chips or groves in the impeller that I noticed. Is it common to need to replace the impeller after only 8 or 9 months of use? Also, how do I prevent sand from getting in the filter?
> 
> As for the new filter and tank, I was planning on housing my 4 red bellies for life in this 75 gal. Sorry to be a newb, but I am not sure of the advantage of canister filters. Most of what I have dealt with is equipment available at a local chain like petsmart. All I know is that they are expensive...


Under normal use, you won't need to replace an impeller for years. Getting sand in the unit will wear grooves into the magnet which can cause some noise and uneven rotation. If the impeller starts to wobble it can wear the rubber ends down which in turn can cause the impeller to rattle (sand wear on the rubber will do this too). The best way to keep sand out is to make sure the intake is several inches above the sand.

Canister filters can hold lots more media and go for longer intervals without service. Most people will run at least one canister on a 75g with a few reds along with an Emp 400 or AC 110 as I mentioned earlier. I kept a shoal of 5 reds in college in a 75g filtered with 2 Emp 400s for a year, so using 2 HOB power filters is doable. I started with one Emp as juveniles and added another as they hit adult size.

Filters are much cheaper online...you will save a bundle if you get all your EQ online from a good source such as (most people like Drs. Foster & Smith and Big Al's). You can also check out our member classifieds or make a post looking to buy whatever you need.


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## UDdom274 (Nov 21, 2007)

BioTeAcH said:


> If the impeller starts to wobble it can wear the rubber ends down which in turn can cause the impeller to rattle (sand wear on the rubber will do this too). The best way to keep sand out is to make sure the intake is several inches above the sand.


The intake is already about 4-5 inches off the ground already. Should I move it up to about 12 (thats really my only option with the way the tubing is). Any other tips? I appreciate all the advice.


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## Retaks (Apr 6, 2008)

I have an AC110 on my 55 with sand and dont have a problem with gettign sand in the intake. When i had sand in a 10gal and the intake was like 4in off the sand i had a big prob with it. Now its like 12+" off the sand and have no problems at all. It sounds like you destroyed the inpeller or inpeller housing by getting sand in it. I take my AC110 apart once a month and clean it and will have about 20 grains of sand in it from a whole months use.


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## swack (May 29, 2007)

I had hte same problem on my AC110, take the whole damn thing apart.....spray it hard with a hose
should get hte sand out


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