# Marineland Emperor 400 power filter..



## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

I have three of these on different aquariums. When I do a water change, I normally stop the filters. Sometimes they are difficult to start back up. They won't pump. I usually have to monkey with them for awhile to get them going again. I have one now that I can't get going. Rats. Any advise????


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## starrfish71 (Jul 6, 2005)

Have you hit it yet? ( I'm serious, I have had these for years,and as they got older, sometimes I had to beat them....)

I also would often rapidly lift up and down the water control knob, until I hear it "catch"


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## DavidDoyle (Jan 18, 2005)

This is one of the negatives about the Emperor series. If the power goes out, they drain and will not restart when the power returns. If your intake is far enough down into the tank I would suggest you do not turn them off unless absolutely necessary. When I have to I find I have to keep putting water into it before it will fianlly get going again (I have pumped in refil water so I just keep it flowing into the filter).


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## IloveCichlids (Jul 11, 2005)

You can also take a large cup and fill it with water and then hold the intake in the cup, lifting the cup up as far as you can on the intake. This will help get the water level in the intake higher up and help start the suction a little easier.


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## goodie (Sep 2, 2005)

Yeah, I have the same prob with mine. Once the water level is up high enough (H2O change) I pull the filter cartrige out and let the water drain off it into the side with the suction tube. It takes a few times but it gets it going again.


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Thanks for the replys, folks. It's good to hear that other people have the same problem.


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## mrmoby (Jan 18, 2005)

I haven't had my emperor not restart, but sometimes I have had to fill it with water in order to get it pumping again.

I have had similiar trouble with a smaller Marineland filter. I used to rap on the side of it with a rubber mallet, now I just lift the intake tube up a bit so that it starts to lift the impeller, and it usually kicks on at that point.


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## Yeahbut (Jan 19, 2005)

*Dis what I found..*

I break the 400s down completely, run my little brush through the spray bars ect.

I make sure the control knob is up.
I fill it with water. 

and what I think is most important for re-start..
the water level in the tank is as high as the returns
(no splash)

Then plug it in.

I use to have a very difficult time with mine also until I found the difference the water level in tank made!


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## dreaco (Mar 10, 2006)

I found that the older it got the more often I had to clean the impeller off sometimes it would stick with just a litle algee on it and not start back up.
I still think the are one of the better filters out there for the money.


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