Rena Filstar XP1

by Francine
(NJ)

I have owned this for approx. 4-5 mos. It us used for a 20 gallon tank, filled halfway with water, for 2 Painter Turtles. I noticed several days ago after filling up that the water level went halfway down. Filled up 2 days later, and later that night (yesterday) I noticed the tank was dry! No water on the floor, the canister was not wet, nothing! When I walked into the basement to do something, I noticed a puddle of water. Which meant the water just leaked through the floor boards. I filled halfway up again last night, but did not turn the filter on. This morning the tank was empty again. The towel I placed the filter on was soaked. I emptied the filter, and filled up with water, placed on a dry paper towel, and checked at lunch. Still dry, did not leak from filter. What could be the problem?
A: First, I would try and eliminate if the aquarium is leaking. If you know for sure it is not leaking then it must be the filter. If it is the filter, I can only guess that water is leaking out around the quick disconnect. One way to check this is take the motor off and turn it upside down. If water comes out then that is likely what happened. Turtle tanks are more difficult to diagnose because you do only have a tank half-filled. I would also urge you to review the other questions in the FAQ section on alternative setups which includes turtles. If you think the unit is defective you need to contact the manufacturer, Mars Fishcare about a warranty replacement.