what is wrong with my AP plumbing?

[Ryan Garlington]

After about 2 months of the water pumping fine, the pump is a bit weak and not pumping hard enough for the siphons to run right.

Are my pipes in need of a cleanout? Does the pump itself need cleaning? I don't have a filter in it.

[John Pink]

might need a bigger pump-

[Averan]

i concur. you probably used a pump too close to your limits. over time bio slime builds up and restricts flow rates. always spec a pump at least 1.5 times more gph than you think you need.

you might also have some crud blocking the inlet to the pump impeller. 

[Ryan Garlington]

If I really go crazy and get a 2400 gph pump, would that be a baf idea? What about a 1000gph?

[Ryan Garlington]

I have a 140gal tank and 2 50gal growbeds

[Glenn]

In my opinion, with a 140 gallon fish tank you should use at least a pump that will cycle that volume per hour.  For enough filtration though you need at least 140 gallons of bio filtration and will need to cycle smaller grow bed areas more often.

What size pump have you been using? The slower the flow, the quicker that pipes are prone to plugging. I'd suggest a Danner 200 and probably another grow bed. And a sump.

[Averan]

140gph x 1.5 = 210gph minimum. Any extra flow should be diverted back into the fish tank or sump. 2400gph or even just 1000 is a little insane for such a small system....unless you have a large head (like up to the second floor/roof!) to overcome.

[Scott Roberts]

Open up the pump and clean it out. The magnetic impeller will pull out - just clean all the slime off of it. I like using a micro-fiber cloth - just wipe the pump out and it's ready to be put back together.  

[Ryan Garlington]

Thanks everyone- my pump is 75gph, so it clearly looks like I need an upgrade.

[Scott Roberts]

Yeah, an upgrade is in order. But even with a more powerful pump - don't forget to open it up occasionally (at least quarterly i think) and clean it. 

[Averan]

I've never in 4 years had a problem with the slime around the impeller shaft. Ever. It doesn't hurt anything and it'll grow right back in a few days. Better to leave it, adjust your system to it as normal. It's debris wrapped around the impeller paddles or blocking the inlet that cause the real trouble.

[Ryan Garlington]

I just cleaned the pump. The water system is running properly now, but a ton of grey slimy blobs are circulating all through the tank.

[Jeff S]

I've been told, and have done this myself, to take out the mesh filter in the pump (if there is one). I've never had a pump problem since I did that. But it wouldn't hurt for you to get a 300-400 gph pump for proper flow.