Rena XP owners...

[AndrewH]

How often to do you clean out the impeller housing/area?

I've had mine XP3 for probably about a year and slowly the flow has gone to crap.

I decided to add some extra ceramic tubes to the baskets, so I pulled it out from under the tank, opened 'er up and started adding media.

When I looked into the holes where the tank tubing plugs in I noticed it looked a little clogged. I poked my pinky in there and it came back out lookin' 10 kinds of nasty.

I then noticed that almost the entire impeller compartment was clogged. I opened it up and gave it a good once over and now she's running like a champ again.

Guess I kinna figured it'd be hard for stuff to grow/attach in the impeller compartment, but guess I was wrong :D.

[biggin]

I have cleaned mine out a couple times just to check things out.

[kewlkatdady]

i can;t speak for a Rena, but on my FX5, I clean the ampeller housing every time I service the filter which is about once every 60 days or so...

[AndrewH]

That sounds like a good schedule, but I guess I just never thought to clean the impeller section.

I have a great schedule for cleaning mine. My wife walks through the living room and starts complaining that there's a "fishy pond" smell some where (normally while she's standing next to the tank). About every 45-60 days it needs a good rinse.

Live and learn :D

[EAST_TX_RN]

I have already noticed that too, but it is just a tiny bit right now. Looks like I will need to clean that area out every so often to keep it running right.

I also noticed that in the bottom of my HOB'S, where you put the media.

[kewlkatdady]

that trips me out...
I never notice...
and Shanna has never noticed a "pond" smell...

unless something was dead...


Is that normal with planted tanks... maybe because of all the plant matter?

[EAST_TX_RN]

I don't have any planted tanks.

[ElijahTurtle]

I love that earthy pond smell.

[dcacjc]

I clean mine once a month, just a habit I got into with my magnum 350.

[xtc]

I have 3 filters on Peanuts tank- I clean one a week- so they all get cleaned once every 3 weeks. The others in the house as well as the HOB filters get cleaned once a month.

[fatfutures]

The two canisters on the 100 get cleaned every two weeks. The canister on the 55 every month or so. The HOBS.... when ever I think of it. LOL!

Can somebody please explain opening up the impeller housing... in detail?

[AndrewH]

that trips me out...
I never notice...
and Shanna has never noticed a "pond" smell...

unless something was dead...


Is that normal with planted tanks... maybe because of all the plant matter?

My best guess it that, it is due to the plants. I didn't notice it before I had plants and you really can't smell it unless I've been messing with the plants in some way (usually pulling them out of the water for some reason).

The smell really hit me when I was getting those clippings for the G2G. A few of them really have a pungent oder to them (the actual plants). Seems I notice it more with the "pond" labeled plants (like the Lotus and Pond Penny) more so than the "tropical" plants.

I imagine the filters start building up a smell over time as they collect the fallen leaves from those plants, then they start accumulating. I think the main problem with mine was the fact that I had the filter's return outta the water due to the slower flow (wasn't enough to run the spray bar) to help the gas exchange at the surface.

[AndrewH]

The two canisters on the 100 get cleaned every two weeks. The canister on the 55 every month or so. The HOBS.... when ever I think of it. LOL!

Can somebody please explain opening up the impeller housing... in detail?

On my XP filters, the motor housing has a cover over it which encases the impeller. It's a simple matter of turning the impeller cover to unlock it, then pulling the impeller out.

(I'll look for some pics on the net for you - and anyone else following along)

[fatfutures]

No pics necessary... that much I do know. I thought that, perhaps, you were going a little deeper and that it was something I might want to know how to do, for future reference.

[AndrewH]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/Andrew_H/fishy/RenaXP3Bypass.jpg http://www.mops.ca/pics1/RenaXP3Bypass.jpg

Here we go...

The impeller cover is circled in blue.

EDIT: oops didn't see your post before I added the pics... oh well there they are anyway :D