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The Penguin with it's BioWheel are great filters in my opinion, but with a planted tank it may create more surface turbulence then you would want.

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

easy sollution..get an emporer...same thing as a pengiun with more filter pads and a spraybar option. place the bar under water to have no CO2 loss.

They're both good filters and I think either would work for you. I'd recommend a Penguin 330 (or 350 if you find one of the new ones) or an AC 300 (or 70) if you find one of the new ones) for a 29 gallon tank. The major difference to me is the separate biomedia in the Penguin, whereas the Aquaclears use sponges for both mechanical and biological filtration (although the new ACs use Biomax for biological filtration). The trade-off is that the AC sponges last forever and are therefore more economical, whereas you will have to replace the cartridges on the Penguin more frequently. You can extend the life of the Penguin cartridges if you rinse them out. Some people think that Penguins oxygenate the water too much for a planted tank, but I think that's only really a major issue if you're adding CO2.

They both really aree good filters -- I have one of each on my 75 gallon!

What I really need is good mechanical filtration along with good flow.

If you want a filter with a good, steady water flow then you can't beat Aquaclear. I've never owned a penguin but I do have 2 emperor 400's and the flow rate slows down much more quickly than the AC's. Aquaclear's are by far the best in my opinion at keeping a steady flow rate. Plus as DoctorJ mentioned AC's are incredibly easy to maintain.

There are advantages to having 2 filters instead of one....if one breaks it isn't a total catastrophe, the water is moved more "evenly" etc. but really it's up to you. Personally I would go with 1 or 2 aquaclears because:

- I have never noticed any substantial benefit when using a filter with a biowheel over something like an aquaclear that doesn't have one
- you can choose your own media for the AC
- better longevity on the AC, doesn't clog up as fast and flow rate seems better IME
- cartridges are a PITA to replace
- AC is quite a bit cheaper (at least at my LFSes)

If you do go with a penguin, do yourself a favour, toss the cartridges and buy AC media of the proper size and stuff it in the media basket instead. If you want to use cartridges, skip the pricier "Penguin" brand ones from the LFS, go to walmart and get the "AquaTech" cartridges of the same size....they're the same thing (Marineland makes both even) but the penguin ones cost way more.

Also, instead of having to replace those silly cartridges once a month when the carbon kicks it, you can cut a small hole in the blue poly on the cartridge to remove the old carbon. Then all you have to do is rinse the cartridge in old tank water to remove any *stuff* that might be clogging it and either replace the carbon or toss it back in the filter without. You can make one cartridge last 6 months or more doing this. I usually replace mine every 6 months because they can really only be rinsed so many times.