powerhead suction cups not sticking

[justinl]

Does anyone else have problems with their powerhead suction cups not sticking very well? Even whe I clean the cups and glass, they still seem to displace every other day and blow in the wrong direction as a result (sometimes directly at my sandbed, which blows sand all around). Any suggestions?

 

[justinx]

I use rios (unfortunately) and had the same problem. I got around this by draining some water out of the tank and placing the suction cups onto dry glass. Once filled with water again, it takes some force for me to move them if need be. HTH

 

[slick]

I've never had that problem. Are your suction cups old?

 

[newfishliny]

I have hagen 802 heads and my slip , I really donot know what it is but they really should change the design. there are clamps that came with the heads but it is to high up in the tank.
I bought this weekend these filters that attach to the power heads, my tank is 24 high so the base of the filter almost seats on the bed of sand , no slip now but limited in placement.
you might try to attach a piece of plex-glass to the bracket(2'' wide) then heat and bend it over lip of the tank : lets say your tank is 24 high use about a 20 to 18 inch strip of plex glass.
good luck
Don LI/NY

 

[amoroso6]

get a set of magnets and some silicone or better, if you have an old magnetic glass cleaner, silicone it to your powerhead and then you can even move it around without having to put your hands in the water.
Alex

 

[pyro383]

I am not sure about the magnets since I belive the pump uses a mag field to drive the pump.

 

[kpogue]

Have you tried using the magnets idea??? If not I wouldn't suggest it. I seriously doubt if it would work due to the magnetic field that is produced by the powerhead to spin the impeller. I would even venture to say it could ruin it.
I too had the problem - when I e-mailed Hagen they told me their powerheads ARE NOT designed to be supported by the suction cups but are made for UG filters. They provide hang-on brackets if you want to use it for water circulation. Oh well....you think for the $ they would spend an extra 10 cents per cup and make some good ones!

 

[newfishliny]

Originally posted by kpogue
Have you tried using the magnets idea??? If not I wouldn't suggest it. I seriously doubt if it would work due to the magnetic field that is produced by the powerhead to spin the impeller. I would even venture to say it could ruin it.
I too had the problem - when I e-mailed Hagen they told me their powerheads ARE NOT designed to be supported by the suction cups but are made for UG filters. They provide hang-on brackets if you want to use it for water circulation. Oh well....you think for the $ they would spend an extra 10 cents per cup and make some good ones!
well what you said about hagen is true" pennies for a stronger suction cup. They should read there own instructions it says ,this is also used for circulation in the tank. I sent you a thread about useing there filters , this would help because the base sits on the bottom of the tank .also use the strip of plex glass that hangs over the tank lip.
good luck
Don LI/NY

 

[gregzbobo]

I had a cheap set of magnet glass cleaners and I left them in the tank, well I found out they were not completely incased in plastic. The magnet inside the tank started rusting. I also would not advise using magnets.

 

[beth]

I have the same problem and I'm getting tired of it. If you're setting up a new tank, it may be worth silconing the PH bracket to the tank. That way you can still remove the PH if you want, but the bracket will stay put.

 

[bdhough]

Magnet = Bad. A magnet puts off an electric field which can mess with the motor of the power head. I've put my magnet cleaner next to the power head and the motor starts humming louder. Youll have to get a mount that doesn't put off an Electric field if you want it near the power head. Its just like putting improperly sealed speakers up against a tv screen. The magnets at the base of the cone messes up the picture.
I know there is a term for sealed things like this but it escapes me for the moment...

 

[robn70]

I just reattach mine when cleaning the glass. I gave up on fighting with the suction cups..

 

[justinl]

Thanks for all the suggestions- the magnet idea sounds great in theory- too bad it might be bad for the tank and powerheads. Guess I'll have to come up with some kind of harness.

 

[krux]

use the reef safe, underwater epoxy that is used to affix rockwork and corals, it sets underwater so you dont have to drain your tank. of course you cant move the powerhead after that, but if you need water going somewhere just make an underwater spraybar or buy another powerhead and point it the other way etc.

 

[chinnyr]

Originally posted by Beth
I have the same problem and I'm getting tired of it. If you're setting up a new tank, it may be worth silconing the PH bracket to the tank. That way you can still remove the PH if you want, but the bracket will stay put.
I've been recently experiencing the same problem.I think the cups just get old and loose thier hold.I will possible be moving,only next door,in the new year and this sounds like the winning idea for me!

 

[justinl]

I think I might try that epoxy too or silicone adhesive. Last night I drained my tank below powerhead level and made sure the glass and suction cups were clean and dry before re-affixing them with no luck- they popped right off within minutes. This is rediculous.

 

[lordofthereef]

i too had this problem at one point in time. all i did was get some of my super glue gel that i use for fragging and put it on the suction cup. the glue will set under water in seconds. best of all is, if you want to move the power head, just get a razor blade behind it and scrape it off! works like a charm for me.

 

[justinl]

Silicone didn't hold for more than a day for me. Just went to Wal-Mart, bought the biggest suction cups I could find that would fit in the back of the powerhead (the clear kind, not the black kind that came with the powerhead) and replaced the old crappy ones with the new ones and so far so good. They're much better than the standard suction cups included with the powerheads.

 

[robb]

I went to a local dollar store and bought a package full of the clear ones for a buck. They seem to be working good. I guess time will tell.