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EMERGENCY: Eheim flow lever jammed

hotweldfire

hotweldfire

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Joined
23 Mar 2011
Messages
971
Location
South London
Sorry for the drama all but I have a serious problem. Came home tonight to find the flow from my external (Eheim pro3 2071) down to a trickle, CRS lying on their back and a dead hisonotus. I'm assuming the casualties are from no surface movement but not sure.

Opened it up, cleaned impellor etc and put it back together again but now the lever to turn the flow back on is stuck. Also the release button is stuck.

If I can't get that lever across I got no flow into tank. Any ideas?

Here's the eheim page:

http://www.eheim.de/eheim/inhalte/index.jsp?key=liniendetail_32319_ehen

You can see the lever on the photo at the bottom.
 
Have you tried forcing it further to the 'off' position, try giving it a gentle thump? If the red button won't push in it can't be fully off.
 
Whoops. Tried wiggling it to see if I get it further off and have only succeeded in snapping the lever.

Am going to have to buy a new one first thing in the morning. Will the fauna and bacteria be ok until then? If not, anything I can do as a temporary setup? I don't have a spare filter. Only have a koralia and an airpump. The motor on the eheim is still working. I assume it's moving water around inside the filter so will be providing oxygen to the bacteria?
 
Wouldn't emptying it kill off the bacteria? Surely you'd be better of sticking your filter media in a bag and placing it in the tank. Keep the air stone and circulation pump running permanently and doing regular water changes until you get the new filter. Then just place your old media in the new filter complete with live bacterial colony.
 
Why you people want quotes from books every time ... ?????
No, they won't die, I didn't say to dry it ... just empty it, there'll be enough water and most important oxygen for them to survive.
 
These lever lock units on the pro 3 series really seem to be the weak point. I wonder what causes them to siffen up? Can you take them apart to repair / maintain them or is it a case of a new unit?

The older design that is on my 2324 filter (2 levers) is free as anything, but my 2078 causes me concern everytime I have to shut it off / on.
 
I had a similar experience with Eheim. I wanted to clean the filter as usual, the lid got stuck a bit and then the lever handle connection snapped. Had to wait to get a replacement for a week or so.

In the meantime, empty the filter as clonitza suggests unless you can circulate O rich water throught the media. YOu could of course run airstone in the filter and periodically change the water to keep the filter bacteria "alive". For the tank, if it has enough plants, maybe you can make a temporary sponge filter using a small pump. Add Koralia 24/7, increase surface motion, reduce photoperiod and do more frequent water changes.

If the tank is well established I wouldnt bother myself too much about the filter media. Once the filter is fixed, you could restart by using some bacterial filter start solutions available to re cultivate the bacteria.

Good luck!
 
Hi all.
Sorry to hear about the Hisonotus, I think most Loricariid catfish are really sensitive to low O2.
Only have a koralia and an airpump.
Click to expand...
Yes, put them both in and turn them on, you want the Koralia right up by the water surface, and if it can blow the bubbles all around the tank that is best. If you have a sponge in your filter you could wrap it around the air stone. (You can use cable ties). If you have access to clean water, I'd up the water changes until the filter is back on.

Mike is right, as long as the filter media stays damp it should be fine, and by pouring nearly all of the water away you ensure the bacteria will get enough oxygen. I'd just leave a couple of cm's of water in the bottom of the filter body and make sure the lid isn't forming an air tight seal, that should work a bit like a "wet and fry" filter.

cheers Darrel
 
clonitza said:
Why you people want quotes from books every time ... ?????
No, they won't die, I didn't say to dry it ... just empty it, there'll be enough water and most important oxygen for them to survive.
Click to expand...

No need to be snide, I was simply asking the question. In my experience things dry out if not submerged due to the whole evaporation thing. :)
 
U can just buy the lever unit they r about £12 on eBay. I had the same thing happen luckily I had a spare lever unit. I managed to prize the lever with a screw driver. The secret I think to keeping the units working is to lube them with the eheim spray lube every time you maintain the filter that's what I do now.
 
Good news :) I'm glad you got it sorted. I know how stressful a failed filter can be mine failed about a month ago. Luckily I had time to go to my LFS that day.
 
That's gutting :( How is the tank flora & fauna?

Get a classic next time maybe? No frills, just a bucket with a pump. All catches are external and only has 1 moving part. Cheaper too
 
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