Water Not Flowing Through Filter Cartridge Properly

So my 29 gallon hob filter cartridge is not allowing water to flow through it and it is causing a lot of noise because the water is flowing through another place on the filter it shouldn't be. I've cleaned really good multiple times. The first time kind of made a difference but now i'm back to square one. How do I fix this besides buying another filter cartridge.

 

What brand and model? Is it level? Did it just start doing this recently? How old is the cartridge? Does water flow fine without the cartridge installed?

 

What brand and model?

Um, good question, not sure about the model but the brand is tetra. The filter was working fine before and when I take the cartridge out water flows through but when I put it back in water flows around the filter cartridge.

 

Then the cartridge is clogged. Do a water change and rinse it in old tank water. If that doesn't work, then you'll need a new cartridge. DO NOT rinse or wash anything else in your tank at this time. Do you have bio media in your filter as well? I'm assuming you do for such a large tank. If not, you'll want to cut the foam off the old one and stuff it in the filter with the new cartridge until your colonies recover. Keep and eye on your ammonia and nitrite levels and do water changes as necessary until your tank recovers.

A couple examples are the Fluval C3 and Aquaclear 30, $44.99 and $32.99 respectively. If you decide to do so, keep the old filter running in tandem with the new filter for a couple weeks until the bacteria has a chance to colonize the new filter. Or you can cut up the old cartridge and stuff it in the new cartridge.

 

Then the cartridge is clogged. Do a water change and rinse it in old tank water. If that doesn't work, then you'll need a new cartridge. DO NOT rinse or wash anything else in your tank at this time. Do you have bio media in your filter as well? I'm assuming you do for such a large tank.

I do not have bio media and its been cleaned 2 times and yeah... its clogged.

 

I would suggest investing in a different HOB that has a compartment for bio media. Otherwise you'll have to go through a cycle every time a cartridge clogs. Filters with media won't have cartridges that require replacement like those all-in-one filters. You just rinse the sponge filter and put it back in, and your bio media (e.g. Matrix) contains the majority of the bacteria.

 

I would suggest investing in a different HOB that has a compartment for bio media. Otherwise you'll have to go through a cycle every time a cartridge clogs. Filters with media won't have cartridges that require replacement like those all-in-one filters. You just rinse the sponge filter and put it back in, and your bio media (e.g. Matrix) contains the majority of the bacteria.

Is there a way I can unclog it temporarily? Like getting some water unto a bucket and do nothing but clean the thing for a long time?

 

Is there a way I can unclog it temporarily? Like getting some water unto a bucket and do nothing but clean the thing for a long time?

You can try, but once those things get clogged, it isn't going to loosen up as it's tightly packed in there.

How about using just sponges in it's place until you're able to get a replacement HOB filter?

 

A short term solution would be to cut the foam filter from the old cartridge and wrap it around a new cartridge. You don't need the carbon from the old cartridge. Just the "sponge". If the fit is too tight, then you can really just use the foam filter from the old sponge and the cartridge frame (remove the carbon) and run it like that. Maybe add some filter floss to bulk it up a bit. In other words, you don't need the carbon. And you're trying to preserve and continue using the good bacteria that exists on your existing sponge. Re-use the plastic frame to hold everything in place.