Red Sea Max Nano return pump took a few tries to kick back on?

[JayFish4004]

I had a weird issue occur just now - I turn my return pump on my Red Sea Max Nano off every day for around 30-45min to feed the mandarins. When I went to turn it back on today it wouldn’t switch back on - I tried turning it off and on ensuring I pressed on hard in case it was a button issue to no avail. I then switched the protein skimmer on and off which is controlled by the same switch board, which then made the return pump work again.

Does this sound like the switch board is failing or would you still suspect maybe a dirty pump? I have never cleaned it so I will do that - but worried the switch board is failing on me.

Anybody experience this before?

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Try plugging the return pump into a different receptacle and see if it goes off and off successfully. Also cleaning the pump depending on build up may help

 

[steven325]

I have the same issue with my Red Sea max nano for over 4 years the tanks been running. You have to clean the pump. For some reason when the magnet on the impeller gets that slime coat on it, it doesn’t like to kick back on. Good news is it makes you clean the pump every month. Bad news is that if your on vacation an you have someone come feed your fish an you feed with the pumps off. You will be walking someone through cleaning the pump over the phone. God bless my poor dad lol. Definitely buy a second or third pump. You can find them on amazon it will be easier to change in a pinch an clean the other one later.

 

[JayFish4004]

I have the same issue with my Red Sea max nano for over 4 years the tanks been running. You have to clean the pump. For some reason when the magnet on the impeller gets that slime coat on it, it doesn’t like to kick back on. Good news is it makes you clean the pump every month. Bad news is that if your on vacation an you have someone come feed your fish an you feed with the pumps off. You will be walking someone through cleaning the pump over the phone. God bless my poor dad lol. Definitely buy a second or third pump. You can find them on amazon it will be easier to change in a pinch an clean the other one later.

Okay so it’s most likely the pump and not the switch? That is actually my main concern is when I go on vacation - my cat sitter aint gonna be able to figure out how to clean the pump. Still trying to figure out if there’s a way to get the mandarins fed without shutting it off - never needed to turn the pumps off til I got them so this is all very new

 

[steven325]

Okay so it’s most likely the pump and not the switch? That is actually my main concern is when I go on vacation - my cat sitter aint gonna be able to figure out how to clean the pump. Still trying to figure out if there’s a way to get the mandarins fed without shutting it off - never needed to turn the pumps off til I got them so this is all very new

Yeah definitely the pump you’ll see once it clean it will come back on with the flick of the switch. Just remember to clean the pump a week to few days before leaving and you won’t have a problem when the cat sitter comes over.