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Hi,

I think I'm at my wits end with my penguin filter. it's a 330, with the two bio-wheels.

Here's my problem: my 46 gallon tank is in my bedroom, right next to my bed. As anyone with a bio-wheel filter knows, it makes a lapping noise as the bio-wheels spin. i've tried to minimize the noise by keeping the water level high, and putting some sponges right outside of the bio-wheels, right on the output ramps. but the sponges project didnt work out, because instead of going right through the sponges, water tended to collect on top and leak all over the hood of the tank. i can't slow down the flow rate, because when i lift the intake tube, the force of the water isnt enough to move the wheels and they stop.

to make a long story short, the noise of this filter has always been a problem, and now it's getting very bad. i even slept downstairs on the couch last night because of it... ]:|

so my question now is, how would i go about seeding a new filter to put on? i'm thinking of getting an aquaclear 70 (300gph). that should be enough for the 46 gallon. i had a smaller AC for my ten gallon and it was silent. would i need to run both filters at once on the same tank? or just switch and add some bio-spira to the tank? i imagine a lot of the bacterial colonies are in the gravel, so the ammonia spike shouldnt be too high, but i have some sensitive fish (loaches) in my tank that i'd rather not kill.

thanks for any replies, i know this was a long post

- rich

Last edited by nowherman6 at 12-Jan-2005 09:38

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Back in the saddle!

oh i can so relate to this thread lol. i have a 29g with 2 biowheels on it and a 75g with 2 pengiun 330s on it lol. these are all in my bedroom only a few feet from my head.

another HOB filter is nothing more then a pengiun with out a biowheel so may i suggest takeing the wheel off and dropping it in the basket? you will have to remove the 2 trays to get them to fit inside but it should work. better then blowing money for another filter right.you could also drop bioballs in the basket and give it a couple weeks to seed then remove the wheels completly. ive been tempted to do this myself because like you it drives me nutts.

i even bring the water up beyond the over flows so they are really underwater. within a few days evaporation has taken hold and i hear splashing again. very annoying but i live with it lol.

if you get another filter get a canister. they usually come with a spray bar that you can place under water and get no splashing noise at all.

Sin's got a good idea. My 330 has media baskets. I think that's what sin is talking about when he says drop the wheels in the basket.

You could take the ends off the biowheels and put the pleated section in the baskets with some bio-media. That should seed the new media pretty quickly.


Last edited by fish479 at 12-Jan-2005 11:29

Just keep on sleeping with them, you will get used to them.

so you're saying, take the wheels off the front and put them in the media baskets within the filter case? how would you keep the wheels completely wet, though? they float, so wouldn't one side dry out? and are you sure they would fit? and would that as efficient as the regular biowheel method, or as efficient as the set-up of an AC, where all the water passes over the bioballs? it sounds good but i still have some reservations...

and just sleeping with them isnt an option, i havent gotten used to them in 7 months...

Last edited by nowherman6 at 12-Jan-2005 11:41

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Back in the saddle!

well i would put bioballs in there, thats just me. i have put the wheels in the filter ( not the basket itself ). just remove the baskets and place them in then slowly push them down tot he bottom. the filter is angled and gets smaller and small the lower you go. eventually you can stuff it low enough where it stick down there you could rest a basket on top of it to hold it down or even use it to wedge it in.

anyway i would go with the bioballs, cheap, easy, fast, effective, and you dont gotta buy a brand new filter.

answer is yes the biowheel would be just as effective inside the filter because the water will pass over it even slower. the difference would be a new filter would take longer to build up a solid colony on the wheel. this is what i think anyway im not much of an expert im just going by logic.

so you're saying to buy the bioballs that are made for an AC filter, then leave them in there for a few weeks with the biowheels running, then take the wheels out when the bioballs have built up enough of a colony? sounds like a plan to me thanks for the idea!

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Back in the saddle!

thats what i would do. bioballs arnt made for one filter they are for whateevr the case may be type thing. people will even drop inside thier tank but this really doesnt help much. inside a filter is really the best place. dont remove all the wheels at once, maybe one every 2 weeks or something. i know you want them out fast which is why i recommended droppign them inside the filter.

ah, thanks. i looked them up online, now i see what you're talking about. i was talking about the bio-material made for AC filters, but i assume any bio media will do.

and there's no REAL rush. as long as I know the wheels are on their way out, I'm OK. thanks again, sin

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Back in the saddle!

no problem at all, if you want another idea you could get biomedia made for canister filters. its white rock looks liek lava rock. you could fill your media baskets with that in both filters and that should give the same result. the only issue i have is i noticed with the baskets in the filter the current within the filter is different. alot of the yuk the filter sucks in gets stuck at the bottom. after a while it breaks down and forms a sludge thats a realy pain to get out. with out the baskets in this stuff on the bottom is more like a coating rather then mud lol.

either way will work, the difference will be cleaning. you will have more trouble removeing all the bioballs to clean the inside of the filter and do the monthly breakdown. there will be less to clean though.
with the lava rock type media in the baskets all you do is pull the tray and have at it. but there will be more nastyness to remove.course i dont know how much sludge biowheels will hold ive never used them.

If you are going to toss the bio-wheels and use the AC, I would run the AC for two weeks on the tank with the BWs. At that point, the AC should be substantially seeded but you could place the wheels in the AC and remove the old filter.

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"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright