MJ Powerhead: Suction Cup Problems

[DJOfir]

I just got three maxijet 1200s for my 55g. And as I was reading some old threads I saw that a lot of people were having problems with the suction cups failing and thus the powerhead causing a sandstorm. I wanted to see if anyone elso has seen this problem and what they did to correct the problem.

[kakan]

Yeah I had the same problem with the suction cups now im using the hangers that come with the power head.

Good Luck
Kakan

[DJOfir]

I would do the same, the only problem is that the hanging mechanism does not fit on the rim of my aquarium. Any other solutions?

[loyalty]

hangers that came with the powerhead? so thats what those things are...

[VoidRaven]

I've got the same problem. The hangers don't fit exactly over the rim of the tank and the suction cups tend to have issues once they get algae on them. I've got one MJ whose suction cups just won't stick, and three others who have been holding for about 9 months now.

The best thing I can suggest is rotating them out and making sure the area you are sticking them to is very clean before mounting them back on. Oh yeah, and make sure the suction cup is clean and pliable. They do reach a point when they kind of start to get "crusty" or hard and not work.

[bertoni]

If you want, you can glue the powerheads to algae magnets, and hang them that way.

[clown-x]

i had the same problem with mine... would stick for like a day then fall off... i switched to the hanging plastic that came with it. doesn't fit my tank perfectly either but with a little effort i got it to work... seems to be holding okay now for a few weeks...

[jennmac415]

awesome idea on gluing them to a magnet... thanks

[bigbenji]

My lfs has them mounted on a cylindrical white plastic screen near the bottom of the tank. The screen surrounds the intake, but works to hold the mj1200 in place too. I think its setting on a small piece of rock on the sand. He also has the hydor rotating water deflectors on them. Pretty cool setup.

[RWillieK]

I've had mine mounted via suction cups for two years without any problem.....I take them out every few months, and soak the power head in vinegar, and let the suction cups dry out really well.

Robbie

[DJOfir]

Does is matter if the tank is acrylic or glass? The reason I am asking is because maybe the suction cups hold better on some surfaces?
RWillieK you really had yours hold for two tears? Are you using the original suction cups that came with the powerhead, maxijet?

[RWillieK]

They are indeed the original suction cups. My tank is glass.

Like I mentioned, taking them out and allowing them to dry out for a few hours seems to help them keep their shape.

Robbie

[DJOfir]

do you think that the type of aquarium matters, because I have an acrylic? And when you take them out do you soak the suction cups in vinegar as well?

[Scuba Oz]

Have had mone on there in the 37g since Nov without a problem on one, but the other will come loose. Since my power heads stay in the same spot all the time I glued the suction cups in place to the glass. When I remove it to clean I slide it offff the bracket:)

[RWillieK]

I only soak the suction cups in vinegar if there is coralline or anything on it....the rubber seems to soak up the vinegar, so I don't let them sit in it too long.

Robbie

[scottfarcuz]

I tried using the suction cups for awhile and they let loose since that happend I put a cup hook in the back of my stand that I zip tied the power cords to. This way even if the cups let loose the ph wont fall into the sand. I have one now that has just been hanging for awhile...

[lossman]

Originally posted by bertoni
If you want, you can glue the powerheads to algae magnets, and hang them that way.

Are you talking like the Mag Floats? I had heard that it was not a good idea to leave them in your tank all the time. Anyone have any comments on this? We have three ph's in the tank and the suction cups will not stay stuck, no matter what we do. Glueing them to mag floats would be an awesome idea as then we could easily move them as we rearrange the tank.

Sally

[sjm817]

I have 2 MJ1200s, and the suction cups have actually worked fine. Just be sure you start with clean glass. The glue to Magfloat is also a good way to do it. No problem leaving it in.

[Ehydo]

I use the hooks that came with mine and I zip tie the cords so that even if they were to fail the would not go far.

[botp2k1]

I never trust the suction cups, there's always the chance for them to fail. Hangers all the time, my old Hagens were adjustable to fit various tanks, they may be still.

[iCam]

I have used little pieces of Duct Tape to adhere the chords to the back rim of the tank. That way, should one come loose, at least that will hold the chord, and keep it from falling onto the sand. Make sure there is no moisture, or salt spray, on the trim before you put the tape down, though.

[BigBert96]

This is probably obvious, but try cleaning the glass or acrylic where the suction cups will stick to. The slightest bit of algae will cause poor performance on your suction cups. The above mentioned zip-tie also works. Just take all the slack in the power cord and loop it together, then zip tie or tape it. So if your powerhead falls, it will dangle harmlessly where it was mounted.

[botp2k1]

Another method is to sandwich the PH between two LRs pointing where you want it to. Of course make sure everything is solidly balanced and won't fall due to any vibrations.

[AJP]

I have had my magfloat in my tank for the last year. No problems here.

[surfjeepzx]

I never trusted the suction cups from the get go. So I took some pieces of plexiglass. Cut them to the width of the pump. Turned on my stove and heated the end to the shape I needed to hang over the top frame of the tank. Used marine epoxy by 3m to glue the pump to the plexiglass. (use sandpaper to scuff the plexiglass so the glue will hold) I can move the pump to any point along the top of the tank to alter the flow and never had a problem. The nice thing about the plexiglass idea is that you can always go back and heat the plexiglass to point the pump in a specific direction.

[petergillett]

Originally posted by BigBert96
This is probably obvious, but try cleaning the glass or acrylic where the suction cups will stick to.
If glass, scrape it with a razor blade.

[Nuhtty]

When I used powerheads I mounted them to cleaning magnets. The TopFin brand, 4" size worked great.

[browardreefer]

i had the suction cups for slose to a year w/o problems. scrape all algae off the area you will stick it to and push it on to the glass hard. no problems. ( except when i pulled on the cord really hard)

i took down my tank last week and thats is why i said for close to a year

[petergillett]

I think my brittle star dislodges them when on a rampage. His legspan is about 12" diameter though.

[Nuhtty]

Mag-Net! Mag-Net!

[raskal311]

Originally posted by kakan
Yeah I had the same problem with the suction cups now im using the hangers that come with the power head.

Good Luck
Kakan

what he siad

[woninil]

I have less problems now that I make the two cups of the triangle on the bottom with one on the top. I had been using it the reverse way(2 on top)

Also, glass has to be spotless

Like the tie idea though IN CASE

[jgln]

I started buying those coat hanger hooks that you hang over the top of a door. You can buy them many places like Home Depot or Lowes. I then use tie wraps to attach them. The hangers take some modification, but with a dremmil it's easy. Solved my problem for PHs without their own hangers.

[bristopher]

Scuba Oz

What kind of glue did you use to glue the suctioncups to the tank? and was it a glass tank?

[R33f3r]

For me, soaking them in vinegar for about 20 mins solves the problem and they re-stick perfectly.