Return pump died in JBJ 28g Nano -Panicking

[bugsman]

I'm panicking. One of the return pumps just died in my tank and the flow isn't good. The other one is still working. Does anyone know if I can take the one out that isn't working without messing things up. Or better yet can someone tell me what to do? I have a new maxijet 600 and a HOB AquaClear 70 filter available here at the house. I have three fish in the tank and corals. HELP!!

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by bugsman http:///t/389818/return-pump-died-in-jbj-28g-nano-panicking#post_3447834
I'm panicking. One of the return pumps just died in my tank and the flow isn't good. The other one is still working. Does anyone know if I can take the one out that isn't working without messing things up. Or better yet can someone tell me what to do? I have a new maxijet 600 and a HOB AquaClear 70 filter available here at the house. I have three fish in the tank and corals. HELP!!
Hi,
Are you talking about a sump system? If so your only worry is overflowing the tank. Me??? I would shut everything down...add the HOB for now, and try and get the pump fixed or replaced.

 

[saxman]

Don't shut the tank off unless you drop an airline into the tank and the sump area!
You can run the tank from one pump...just turn the alternator off.
That being said, go ahead and replace the dead stock pump with the MJ600 (MJ's run cooler anyhow)...I use MJ's all the time in the backs of our NC's. Replacing the pump should take all of about 5 mins...

 

[bugsman]

Thanks, got the broken pump out and cleaned it in water and white vinegar and ran it and it works out of the tank. I'm going to put it back in and see if it will work again in the tank. If not, I'm going to take it back out and replace it with the MJ600. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[bugsman]

Okay, pump went back in and it's working again. I'm going to keep my eyes open on it and make sure it continues to run. It sure did cause me to panic. This is the first thing that has ever gone really wrong for me with this tank and this is my very first saltwater tank so I wasn't sure what I was doing mechanically. I'll do some testing tomorrow and my water change is due over the weekend.
Thanks for the help and the quick response. Ya'll are the best.

 

[acrylic51]

Do you have any powerheads inside the tank itself.....Worse case rely on in tank circulation.....

 

[bugsman]

I have 2 PH's inside the tank also, but as of this morning everything is running fine again. I'll check again when I get home from work.

 

[snakeblitz33]

When you loose your return pump, you basically loose your filtration capacity and heating. The best thing to do would have been to set up the other filter with your old filter media and placed your heater in the tank somewhere. That would have gotten you through until you could have put a new pump on it. Maybe keep that in mind for next time.

 

[acrylic51]

Think of it this way....look at it as no different than a power outage. You can move the heater to the DT. During a power outage all we worry about is keeping the DT circulating and heat, so this would be no different IMHO!!!!

 

[snakeblitz33]

Exactly!

 

[bugsman]

I'm getting it and will keep it in mind for the next time. I just went into panic mode rather than stopping and thinking it through first. Gotta quit doing that when it comes to the DT. Like saxman said I still had the one pump working and the PH's. I sure do appreciate the help and hopefully the next catastrophe, I'll be calmer instead of a nut case.

 

[saxman]

For those unfamiliar with this tank, the way the NC 28's are set up, they have two return pumps that alternate...if one goes out, the other pump will still work, so all that needs to be done is to dial down the "wavemaker" so the remaining pump will run 100% of the time. IME, one thing that is sometimes odd with the wavemaker is that power outages sometimes make them "stick" so both pumps are running simultaneously, which tends to make them suck air in because the "sump" area empties out a bit. This is easily fixed by dialing the wavemaker down and then back up to the desired setting.
We have two of this model that we use for QT/growout tanks, so I'm pretty familiar with it.

 

[bugsman]

Good information that I will definitely keep in mind.