How to remove the stock pump in a 12 gallon Nano?

[robby818]

The pump in my 12 gallon nano (Cubemasters brand purchased from Costco) failed last night. I was doing a water change, unplugged the pump, replugged it in after the change and a few minutes later it stopped working. I can it hear it sort of humming, but it is not pumping.

So, I think it's dead and I need to replace it with a Maxi-jet 600 or 400, but first-- how do I get the stock pump out? It seems to be attached firmly at the bottom of the chamber (4 chamber design), but trying to get my hand to the bottom of the chamber looks impossible. Advice please?

 

[KidNano]

It's probably just attached with suction cups. If you're going to throw it away then don't be scared to pull on it by the cord. If you have hopes of salvaging it which you might be able to do with a good cleaning then be gentle.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

 

[robby818]

Thanks for the advice KidNano. Yes, you were right it was attached by suction cups. Three of the four are still at the bottom because they wouldn't let go. Once it was out, i inspected it to see if I could save it but it appears to be pretty dead.

I got a maxi-Jet 600 from the LFS and it barely fits in the compartment. I had to make a second trip for some flexible tubing. Can't use the suction cup mount that comes with the maxi-jet due to the small size of the compartment. The LFS guy recommended just laying down some foam to isolate the pump and reduce vibrations.

The maxi-jet is certainly much stronger than the stock pump.

 

[skipm]

The one thing to keep an eye on after upgrading your pump is water temp. Sometimes the added power causes water temps to rise.