Marineland 350 filter help, bio wheel not spinning.

Hello!
So I have my new 64.8 set up with a marineland 350 long seeded filter and a brand new power head slash filter.
The marineland 350 had a sponge on the intake and the cartridges it came with. No extra filter media.
I am planning to replace those with AC sponges but right now I need the seeded sponges for my QT tank bc I’m about to get new fishes.
SO issue; the marineland bio wheels stopped turning. A very wise man told me the bio wheels do nothing BUT tnat was with the assumption I was packing the filter with AC media and not just using as originally purchased. I took the pre filter off. Nothing. I forgot to put the filter piece back on so huge flow to the intake and nothing. I put the filter piece it came with back on and opened the higher filter vents (nothing so I closed them again). Took the cartridges out and washed them IN THE SINK and nothing. By nothing I mean no spinning. I took my ac sponges to use and they’re cut to fit a 50 so they are useless.
I have an extra marineland cartridge so I wanted to try that but the tank is SO new I didn’t want to take out any seeded materials. So I did this: see pics:: my old cartridges stuck in with one new one to seed it.
What I do have: an AC 70 with no sponges. A seeded 50 with cut sponges and bio ceramic balls. A brand new unused ac 110 with the new spinge in there (which would fit the marineland. )

what to do? This tank is so new! And I heard the wheels again mean nothing but that’s when It’s stocked with good media. I’m actually super worried.

 

First...breathe

The bio wheels work for when you're first establishing the tank, then stop. That's been my experience with out of the box Marineland filters. Sometimes some maintenance of the filter itself will help get them spinning again - intake and filter cartridge change. Most of mine on seasoned filters stopped a long time ago.

But its really not the end of the world as we know it if they don't spin. (Admit it...you just sung that last part from REM).

That filter has (4) slots for media - (2) on each side. You could add thin sponges between the first cartridge and the outlet as you're doing on the side with both bays filled. Or switch to all sponges. I'd do one side at a time if you go that route.

**FWIW...I rinse all my pre-filter sponges in the sink. It's controversial. I'm sure someone will be by to say I just crashed my biofilter - it's hogwash. I wouldn't get worked up over that either.

 

The Marineland Emperor models have a spray bar, which will keep the bio wheels spinning. The bio wheels on the standard Marineland models tend to seize up.
The bio wheels are a plus, but aren't really neccessary as long as the media box is stuffed w/ sponges & ceramic media.

 

Thank you all! Funny enough the side I put the second cartridge in is now spinning. Hmmmm. I’m so relieved they are not end all or be all. And again a wise man told me (86 ssinit) bio wheels don’t do a thing but again I worried that’s when I have the most media (I’ve said that three times sorry peeps). Thank you!

The Marineland Emperor models have a spray bar, which will keep the bio wheels spinning. The bio wheels on the standard Marineland models tend to seize up.
The bio wheels are a plus, but aren't really neccessary as long as the media box is stuffed w/ sponges & ceramic media.

Oh and it’s a 350. Not sure if that’s the same?

 

Nope.

The Emperor Pro 450 has the spray bar. The lower models do not. This is true of the Pro series or the regular (older style - 2 piece covers) Penguins.

 

Ok so Apparently it’s rude to your husband on VDay to only stare at your tank. But since the one side is spinning in the meantime I ordered one more cartridge to shove in there. I am happy to switch out and normally wouldn’t worry at all it’s just so new. Should I say the same things again Lolol. Thank you for your patience and help!

 

Either way , the sponges are doing the heavy lifting here. It’s good practice to rinse in old water , more so with a newer tank , but I don’t you’re going to see a crash here. If the bio media is wet and under water you’ll be fine.

Add new media by all means but don’t take out old media, just add.

and meh about vday! We’ve not even bothered saying it , never mind buying a card. I’d rather watch my fish .. or filter in your case

 

. Hope your Vday was great and you spent some time looking at your husbands tank! I’m with him that’s rude! .
People get so caught up on those wheels spinning. Lol mine always spin. It’s got to be because I know they’re worthless! Bet if I started worrying about them they’d stop spinning and I’d run out and buy new ones . Nahh! This as marinelands attempt to attract new buyers back in the late 70s early 80s when the wet/dry filters were coming into popularity. So many looked into these wheels. Early magazine’s did articles about them. Pros and cons. Thing is there’s no proof the wheels do anything but spin (sometimes). Think about it if these things worked would there be knock offs? Wouldn’t someone have imitated it? Been 40 yrs. Thing is the rest of the filter is great. They last long, make average noise and move a lot of water. Now the cartridges are the next thing that needs to go. Sponge needs to go where the cartridges are. Once this is done these filter run forever with no replaceable media! Great for us not so good for the manufacturer . Reason why aquaclear sold. Once you bought one you almost never replaced it.
Ok back to your tank. Just test your water daily and change if your ammonia starts building up. It will probably take about a month for it to become cycled and get on a regular maintance routine.

 

. Hope your Vday was great and you spent some time looking at your husbands tank! I’m with him that’s rude! .
People get so caught up on those wheels spinning. Lol mine always spin. It’s got to be because I know they’re worthless! Bet if I started worrying about them they’d stop spinning and I’d run out and buy new ones . Nahh! This as marinelands attempt to attract new buyers back in the late 70s early 80s when the wet/dry filters were coming into popularity. So many looked into these wheels. Early magazine’s did articles about them. Pros and cons. Thing is there’s no proof the wheels do anything but spin (sometimes). Think about it if these things worked would there be knock offs? Wouldn’t someone have imitated it? Been 40 yrs. Thing is the rest of the filter is great. They last long, make average noise and move a lot of water. Now the cartridges are the next thing that needs to go. Sponge needs to go where the cartridges are. Once this is done these filter run forever with no replaceable media! Great for us not so good for the manufacturer . Reason why aquaclear sold. Once you bought one you almost never replaced it.
Ok back to your tank. Just test your water daily and change if your ammonia starts building up. It will probably take about a month for it to become cycled and get on a regular maintance routine.

Ok you’re the bomb but we already knew that. So let me ask you a few things; 1.) average noise? Pls tell me what’s quieter and I’ll buy it (at some later date when I win the lottery). I find it very quiet and if I can find quieter well that’s lovely! And two/: what sponges. I assumed I would Chuck in my 50’s but they are way too small so if I’m going to buy I want to buy what fits exactly. Any thoughts? Of course I already ordered cartridges on my husbands Amazon bc the one side where I added does now work. So they got me. A sucker is born every day.

 

Buy sponge material in bulk and cut to fit. Plain old scissors to cut - no fancy hardware required. Pond stores, Homely Despots/Blowes, Aquarium stores, or online. Pick your poison as to how much you want to pay (overpay).

I find the Marinelands pretty darn quiet. Some may not like the noise of the biowheels spinning so...take em out. They'll be very quiet at that point. With the motor being outside the tank (how your 350 is designed) it may be a bit louder than the newer Pro series (has the motor inside the tank and self primes after a power outage).

Supposedly canisters are quieter. I have no experience, yet, with them so can't comment to the validity of that. Fluval just released the FX2 (if you can find them) but an FX4 would work. There are others out there - my BIL uses a SunSun on his 125 after he got tired of his sump overflowing on his hardwood floors. Eheim (and probably others) have canisters with built in ports for heaters so you could get the heater out of the tank - one less piece of gear to contend with when scaping or viewing.

As for the cartridges for the Marineland...rinse em and re-use. You'll get a lot of life out of them that way.

 

I had a single bio wheel filter a while back and I bought this sponge material from Amazon and cut it to the same size as your cartridge filters. Then when Id do a water change I’d clean the sponge in the bucket with old tank water and replace it in the filter. Never bought anymore of those expensive filter cartridges. Heck if you put the money a new cartridge pack cost every few weeks in a few months you could buy any other filter you’d want.

 

Thank you all! This is huge! And I considered a canister but somebody I asked said they aren’t fab—I do like how they would look though (or not look as they would be hidden). Clearly you both have HOB so I guess you like those! Any reason you’ve stuck with them?

 

I had HOB for around 10 years,it was on a hexagon tank that wasn’t big enough to warrant changing to a canister. I used the sponge material for a few years till I decided to upgrade to a larger tank. When. I did get the larger tank I bought a Fluval 207 canister filter and love it. I still use the sponge material in a tray in the canister but with all the different levels of trays it’s really versitable compared to the HOB filter. With you having a 60 gallon I would definitely switch to a canister whenever you can afford it. With the prices of those cartridges the canister filter is cheaper in the long run.

 

I had HOB for around 10 years,it was on a hexagon tank that wasn’t big enough to warrant changing to a canister. I used the sponge material for a few years till I decided to upgrade to a larger tank. When. I did get the larger tank I bought a Fluval 207 canister filter and love it. I still use the sponge material in a tray in the canister but with all the different levels of trays it’s really versitable compared to the HOB filter. With you having a 60 gallon I would definitely switch to a canister whenever you can afford it. With the prices of those cartridges the canister filter is cheaper in the long run.

I don’t suppose you rec a sun sun tho somebody on this thread says their BIL uses. I ask bc they are cheap but an investment is worth it. Is the canister that much more hidden? I would still use my odyssea 250 ex powerhead and filter right to keep water clear? I like hidden. I actually saw clear hoses for canisters which look so cool. I wouldn’t use them as they would stick out more than black but still.

 

Every filter has its pros and cons. For me if under a 100g hobs are the best. But you’ve got to look at it all the time (still the best). Canisters are great filters that don’t need to be cleaned as often. But that is one of there biggest problems.when your buying to clean less you clean less. The canister clogs up. Flow greatly slows down and problems arise. Next because of the 2 hoses you have 4 places for leaks. Sumps and wet/drys are the next group. Leaks can happen here too. Though they shouldn’t. The main reason for leaks is not set up correctly or again hose malfunction. Yes you’ve got 2 hoses 4 connections. But many leaks come from not adjusting the overflows correctly and a power outage too much water flow into the sump. If adjusted correctly this won’t happen.

 

I've had HOB's since 2014. Before that I had (2) in-tank Tetras in my lone 29 gallon tank. Before that...remember those clear plastic bubble filters with charcoal and filter floss? Yeah I'm THAT old.

My BIL's SunSun has been running for a few years. If you youtube it, there's plenty of reviews out there on them. For my large build, 125, I'm torn between the FX4 and the FX6...will probably end up getting the FX6 in the end. For me, I like the add-on maintenance port that can be used with the Fluval vacuum attachment to gravel vac the tank. And it can also drain/refill the tank - youtube the vids as its pretty slick stuff.

 

Sun canisters get good reviews, I’ve never owned one. The main thing to look into is how easy is each brand to clean. I had a Ehime years ago and it was kind of a pain because it has valves then threaded nuts to disconnect canister to take out to clean. Fluval has 2 levers one for flow and one for disconnect. Super easy and quick.

 

I’ve had sun-sun canisters. One ran great and never a problem. Second had an o-ring around the whole canister. This leaked fixed it and leaked again and again and again…. You get what you pay for.
As for the FX canisters I’m not a fan. Had one for 2 years and the flow rate got consistently slower and slower. Plus it comes with huge media areas that can take tons of media!! Problem is the more media you add h slow the flow rate. For a 125 I’d go with a wet/dry or a sump. Flow rate is consistent.

 

IMO, a quality canister filter is far superior to a HOB until you have to clean it. Lol.

 

I run two AC 110s on each of my 60g and 75g tanks and love them. They’re quiet, move lots of water, and have tons of customizable media space. I had the Marineland 350 and 400, the FX 4 and the Fluval 207, but always ended up returning to the Aqua Clears. Servicing the AC 110 is a breeze and the water is filtered really well. When that first leak happens with a canister, I’m sure it will stir up some reconsideration.

 

Update: went to put the new cartridge in the other side and the entire thing had already stopped spinning. New cartridge didn’t help. One side sort of started again but ehhh. It’s set up now like the pics above but cartridges on both sides. I will get sponges but had Ordered these in the meantime in my panic!

 

I got 2 Marinelands for my 40g breeder a few months ago. The first thing I did was throw the biowheels in the garbage. I could tell they were totally unnecessary and a gimmick. I added the cartridge inserts that came with the filter, then cut another sponge to pair with the cartridge. I will rinse these periodically when doing filter maintenance. Whether you rinse in old tank water or under the tap, it doesn't really matter once your tank is established.

 

Bio wheels aren't necessary but they aren't gimmicks. The wheel does give more surface area for bacteria to grow on. They also agitate the output flow nicely, which increases oxygenation. I have a ML penguin 170 that is over 20 years old and still running. The wheel used to stop now and then (sometimes because a small snail got up there and jammed it at the edge) but hasn't for years now... still running the original wheel too. Yes, cartridge was swapped out for foam early on.

 

Bio wheels aren't necessary but they aren't gimmicks. The wheel does give more surface area for bacteria to grow on. They also agitate the output flow nicely, which increases oxygenation. I have a ML penguin 170 that is over 20 years old and still running. The wheel used to stop now and then (sometimes because a small snail got up there and jammed it at the edge) but hasn't for years now... still running the original wheel too. Yes, cartridge was swapped out for foam early on.

Maybe my word "gimmick" was too strong. I'm not saying that it doesn't carry any benefits. However, it may be a bit over-engineered for what it does. Adding an intake sponge and/or extra media in the filter box has more effect than a spinning wheel that can clog. I watched or read many reviews to decide which HOBs I was going to purchase. In one demo the outflow actually slowed a bit using the biowheel vs not. Again, not a big deal using it or not, but the OPs seemed very worried about it.

 

Yes I am worried! Neither wheel is spinning. If I mess around with the Cartridges I can get one side spinning but not both and not for long. So I’m again worried bc I feel the wheels spinning create more surface agitation, so I now feel I have none. Again, I have an AC 100 I can set up. Or stick the sponge from that in the marineland.


What’s very weird to me is when I first got the marineland I was worried bc there was so so much output compared to the ac 70 I was also running (on the other side of the tank). The food would fly everywhere when I put it near the marineland and just sit when I put it near the AC 70. Then randomly (while the wheels were still spinning) the marineland output seemed to become much much less. I have no idea why.


Now the marineland is on a new tank and the wheels aren’t spinning. The output still seems much lower than when I first got it. There’s no ac running in this tank. I feel like there’s almost no agitation.
I DO have an odyssea 250 ex powerhead filter on the other side of this tank. It’s completely submerged and the powerhead is facing the side of the tank and isn’t creating much if any agitation—none on the surface at least. Should I be concerned? Should I just set up the AC 100? Or get over myself and stop worrying about the agitation? I was calmer about the wheels until I realized the agitation was low.

**I do also have ceramic biomedia I can stick in. I currently have two cartridges in each side which I read on here slows the water and stops the wheels. I don’t care about the wheels so much as long as you think it’s ok. I do want to know if I should keep all four cartridges in. So I can keep all four in, remove one, remove two, cut up the new//unseeded AC 100 sponge and put it in, put the seeded ceramic biomedia in (it’s currently in a QT tank with a lot of fish and plants but I have sponges in there too so I can move the media), start running the AC 100 alongside and eventually remove the Marineland or leave all alone bc the wheels don’t matter and the underwater agitation from the odyssea 250 ex is enough even though it seems like not much (and it’s not surface).

 

Have you checked and cleaned your impeller? Do your doubled up cartridges also contain carbon? If Yes removing the carbon will improve the flow. (and better spin the bio wheels) Even one cartridge (on each side) along with spinning wheels should provide all the biological filtration required, so don't be afraid to run it the way it was designed to run. Substituting foam for the cartridges is wise, but look for coarser foam that will not slow the flow. 30ppi or lower. And avoid cramming it full of foam as this also reduces the output.

Also, If you can aim your powerhead filter towards the surface instead of the side of the tank the extra surface agitation will improve oxygenation.

 

Have you checked and cleaned your impeller? Do your doubled up cartridges also contain carbon? If Yes removing the carbon will improve the flow. (and better spin the bio wheels) Even one cartridge (on each side) along with spinning wheels should provide all the biological filtration required, so don't be afraid to run it the way it was designed to run. Substituting foam for the cartridges is wise, but look for coarser foam that will not slow the flow. 30ppi or lower. And avoid cramming it full of foam as this also reduces the output.

Also, If you can aim your powerhead filter towards the surface instead of the side of the tank the extra surface agitation will improve oxygenation.

Ahhhh yes! I’ve never used a powerhead and didn’t even know how to install it! Wow that’s an easy one. Here’s the issue: I’ll remove the filter and clean the impeller (which is very hard compared to an AC) and I have no carbon in there but what if it still won’t spin? If it does with the two original cartridges I’ll stick with the two or put sponges in and be done. But if it doesn’t spin, I know I’ll drive myself NUTS, so if that’s the case, are the four cartridges in there enough?

 

Ahhhh yes! I’ve never used a powerhead and didn’t even know how to install it! Wow that’s an easy one. Here’s the issue: I’ll remove the filter and clean the impeller (which is very hard compared to an AC) and I have no carbon in there but what if it still won’t spin? If it does with the two original cartridges I’ll stick with the two or put sponges in and be done. But if it doesn’t spin, I know I’ll drive myself NUTS, so if that’s the case, are the four cartridges in there enough?

Yes, the four cartridges would be enough. But really if you have them the wheels should spin. Even though the filter will still "work" without them, I myself would never be happy running it that way on a unit that was designed for them. Others may not be bothered by this.

 

Yes, the four cartridges would be enough. But really if you have them the wheels should spin. Even though the filter will still "work" without them, I myself would never be happy running it that way on a unit that was designed for them. Others may not be bothered by this.

Yes it sounds like from comments above that the wheels mean nothing. And if I’m reassured then it’s ok, I will get over it. But yes, I want it to work bc it makes me feel better for it to work as designed. Even if I can acknowledge it’s not necessary, it bothers me, esp as it’s very new.

 

One more thought regarding this KL. Since your wheels are new it is very likely they have not been fully saturated with water yet. Then too, when the wheel stops the top dries out and the bottom remains heavy with water, making them even less likely to restart if the flow is marginal. You could try weighting them down in the bottom of the aquarium for a day to allow them to become totally saturated. Since your wheels are new and constantly stopping this may help to get them to continue spinning.

 

Google how to make bio wheels spin in a Marinland HOB filter. There’s a few videos that show how to put a small piece of sponge on one side of the filter to make the flow stronger next to it. This does work I did it on my filter for about a year before I upgraded tank and filter.

 

One more thought regarding this KL. Since your wheels are new it is very likely they have not been fully saturated with water yet. Then too, when the wheel stops the top dries out and the bottom remains heavy with water, making them even less likely to restart if the flow is marginal. You could try weighting them down in the bottom of the aquarium for a day to allow them to become totally saturated. Since your wheels are new and constantly stopping this may help to get them to continue spinning.

I will Try this! It’s about 6 months old and I actually had to order a new wheel bc one simply was a lemon. Thank you!

Google how to make bio wheels spin in a Marinland HOB filter. There’s a few videos that show how to put a small piece of sponge on one side of the filter to make the flow stronger next to it. This does work I did it on my filter for about a year before I upgraded tank and filter.

Thank you! What did you upgrade to?

 

I will Try this! It’s about 6 months old and I actually had to order a new wheel bc one simply was a lemon. Thank you!

Thank you! What did you upgrade to?

I bought a 46 gallon bow front aquarium and went with Fluval 207 canister.

 

I bought a 46 gallon bow front aquarium and went with Fluval 207 canister.

I’ve been reading up on best canisters. Can you send me a pic of the area in your tank with the canister? I want to see how hidden canisters really are compared to hobs. Please! Sorry I didn’t say please!

 

My wheel hardly ever spins, they are not very well balanced, and stuff can accumulate unevenly making it worse, especially when a snail gets inside. I’ve had to remove a couple of them. I have plenty of growth surface, not concerned about the wheel.

 

My wheel hardly ever spins, they are not very well balanced, and stuff can accumulate unevenly making it worse, especially when a snail gets inside. I’ve had to remove a couple of them. I have plenty of growth surface, not concerned about the wheel.

Good bc I went in today to mess with it (and I bet the impeller is nasty BUT it’s not making noise like it was last time I had to clean it) and one is spinning and I’m so neurotic I want to leave it alone. I fled the room (jk I’m not that neurotic, but close). I’m going to point the powerhead up and observe until next water change. I feel like the more I mess with it the worse it gets but I am happy (and grateful for) all the suggestions here! I just don’t want to drive myself too crazy Lolol.

 

I’ve been reading up on best canisters. Can you send me a pic of the area in your tank with the canister? I want to see how hidden canisters really are compared to hobs. Please! Sorry I didn’t say please!

No problem I’ll be home in a few hours and I’ll take it

I’ve been reading up on best canisters. Can you send me a pic of the area in your tank with the canister? I want to see how hidden canisters really are compared to hobs. Please! Sorry I didn’t say please!

Inside the tank it takes up about the same room as a HOB but the thing is HOB has a 1/4 inch thick filter. The canister filter is 5 plus inches of water filters.

 

No problem I’ll be home in a few hours and I’ll take it

View attachment 873749View attachment 873750Inside the tank it takes up about the same room as a HOB but the thing is HOB has a 1/4 inch thick filter. The canister filter is 5 plus inches of water filters.

Oh wow so the footprint isn’t actually smaller. That’s FASCINATING. I was looking up canisters and saw the oase has a built in heater, so you don’t need a heater inside the tank. It says that’s good if you have very small fish that a heater can burn. I just found it interesting bc it would be nice to not have extra hardware in the tank. I have two heaters running now, and I do have a 300 I’m not running in there that I should try to see if one is enough. Anyway, so it was interesting that a built in heater means hardware could be removed, but also that the footprint of the actual filter isn’t smaller. I thought the canisters meant you saw almost nothing. I also have no clue about canisters and haven’t seen one in action in person.

I get that you are getting way more bang for the same size, but it’s interesting that the appearance is so similar. Thank you!

 

Well I got it working with two cartridges in each side. I took it out and cleaned it and then tried to run it with the intake valve in the water, but not much water in the tank above (the mid level intake was out of the water but closed) and it was loud and I could smell burning. So I stopped that. The impeller keeps becoming crooked when I remove it to clean. Both ends do, so then it makes a ton of noise. Got it fixed but don’t love that about this filter and that def doesn’t happen with ac’s. I’m humiliated to say what happened but I’ll be honest. I went to clean out the whole intake and remember how I have to put the intake tubes on after I put the filter on the tank bc the bracing won’t allow room for the intake tubes to fit down? And one time I removed the intake tubes to clean them and forgot to put them on for maybe half an hour (it was in my original post)? Well guess what was clogging my intake? A cory. I think. It could have been fuzzy stuff that fell in the tank (I have had that a bunch not sure from what) but I think it was a cory. Poor poor thing. Anyway I got it fixed and I hope y’all don’t think I’m a monster. I put the new cartridges behind the old and that got it working. There is excess water flowing over the impeller shaft; not sure if that’s an issue. Poor little dude. I’m not as attached to them bc I got them in a trade and bc I never see them bc of how dark they are but it’s still not cool AT ALL.
speaking of filtration, I’m a little worried about my QT tank. The swordtails leave poop all over. I meant to change the water today (it’s only been 5 days) but I got caught up Aquascaping the new tank so I will tomorrow. I have an ac 50 running on the qt tank. Hope it’s ok!
Edit: I pointed the powerhead up but it was coming through the heater hole so I pointed it to the side again but higher than before. But the wheels are working so hoping that’s enough surface agitation now.

 

With 4 filter cartridges in there I'm not shocked that you're getting overflow (water over the impeller/motor housing). It's simply too restrictive...at least on any of mine that's the case. (2) 450's and (2) 375's. That's why in the 450's I run (1) cartridge and (1) media container that houses 100 micron polishing filter media (think open weave cloth here).

Unless there's really a need for that much media, I'd humbly suggest dropping down to 1 filter cartridge per side in your filter and call it a day.