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I'm using a Penguin 330 which has an extension tube on the intake, so it doesn't have that problem. Many people cut away the filter pad from the frame, dump out the carbon and then attach their own filter pad with a rubber band.

But if you want more versatility, an Aquaclear 300 might work well. It would give you 10X turnover and you can do what you want with the media: double foam, foam + a bag with biomax, foam + carbon, foam + peat. Some people don't like them, but the one I have on my tank works well. (I have two power filters on there). It's pretty versatile and you don't have to keep buying filter cartridges.

I have a bunch of the extension tubes referred to a few replies ago. They solved my problems for me quite nicely.

HOWEVER... beware! Once you go ordering stuff from an online site like that, you'll find all sorts of things that you just have to have. Before you know it, you're in big trouble.

Incidently, I have a penguin 170 as well. I keep wanting to throw it in the garbage. The pump seems underpowered and it seems that each time I look at the blasted thing, the flow has slowed down enough that the biowheel has completely stopped and is dry.

I have a new impeller and will try that, but I think I need something with more grunt. Or put two penguin 125's on instead. I haven't had any problem with 125's at all.

Great! Thanks for the info and for the referral. I will visit the site soon, when I’m ready to submit my order – I found a couple of other things that I also want. Thank you all for the valuable info!!!

canister filters are a pain in my opinion, cleaning the tubes out everyweek is necessity for good flow rate. But where my fishtank is, it's a tight squeeze getting to the filter and unhooking the hoses and cleaning them and everything. Blah to much aggrivation last time i did it. The water got everywhere because i forgot to shut off the valve lol.

i run 2 pengiuns on my 29g and 2 on my 75g ( with a canister ) and only problem ive ever had was my own fault. on the 29g i place my heater between the 2 filters and put one of them to close. it was sucking in the warm water and over heating the magnet causing to fail.
anyway as far as you watching new water doing circles and not much old water thats untrue. the new water mixes with the old water and forcing it into the intake with current.Think of a glass of chocolate milk, chocolate on the bottom your stir it in circles and its all chocolate when your done. ( i just woke up so if that sounds stupid sorry lol ) if this absolutly agrivates you you can buy the extentions posted above and attach a small piece of flexible plastic tubbing between the 2 and hook your intake to the other side suckign in nothing but old water. just a thought that wasnt mentioned.

Sin

There are extension tubes for your filter. Have a look. http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/EXTENSION%2cTUBE/Class//T1/F35+0221+0010/EDP/10533/Itemdy00.aspx

I already looked at Marineland’s website. I did not find anything useful there - although, I did managed to notice that they only sell extension tubes for the Penguin 330. I am thinking of buying a piece of clear hose to extend the shaft. Now, I do not know how I will attach the strainer to the hose, but I will make sure to keep you all posted if I find a way. Thanks for all your input!

The intake tube:

You probably could just extend it. I'd start by poking around on Marineland's site to see if they have something like that; it'd be cheaper than a new filter.

The Aquaclears in the standard package come with two intake tube extenders; I'd guesstimate that each one is good for four inches of extension downward. I started out with two AC-50s on a 55g, but one of them broke and I decided to go canister. So the remaining AC has four extension tubes on it (about 4 inches each) going all the way to the bottom of the tank, where I stuck half of a filter sponge.

Replacing carbon and floss:

Unless you're worried about expense, that isn't such a big deal when you have a Bio-wheel. The whole point of the Bio-wheel is that it does all of your biological filtration; the amount of biofiltration you get out of the filter floss should be minimal by comparison.

The AquaClear media basket is capable of holding three pieces of media. The default set is sponge-carbon-bioballs, but many tanks don't need carbon, so you can just use sponge-bioballs-sponge if you like. (These aren't the plastic bioball gizmos, they're little porous rocks, like a canister uses.)

Canisters:

EDIT: This is from other people's reports, not mine.

Half the point of a canister is that it doesn't need maintenance very often. Typical cycles I've heard of range from two to twelve months; if you overfilter enough, then the waste in the canister will actually break down faster than it accumulates and you'll never need to maintain it at all, at least until the filter materials start breaking down from sheer age.

Last edited by Silverlight at 05-Nov-2004 17:59

I have 2 emperor 400 on my 75 gallon, the extension tubes are to long as i plan on sawing them down at some point and seeing if it makes a difference being farther down the tank. I own aquaclear, emperor, and a proquatics canister filter. All very good in their own ways, but yea canister is somewhat of a pain to clean in my opinion.

I have an Emporer 280 on my 36 gallon. I used the second extension, but sawed off about an inch so it was right near the bottom of the tank. It was easy.

What I like about the emporer bio-wheels (also a marineland product) is that it has two cartridges. The second cartridge is empty so you can put whatever media you want into it. You can use one or both cartridges.

It is also a spray bio-wheel. I haven't had any problems with it at all and its been running for a year now in my goldie tank.

I had thought about cannister filters, but I think the monthly maintenance would be more work than just replacing a cartridge and scrubbing the impeller. It's my perception, but since I haven't owned one, I don't know for a fact that maintenance is more of a problem.

I also factor in power outages. If power goes out for an hour or more, the water stagnating in any filter needs to be replaced before the pump can spew it back into the tank. With a bio-wheel, I simply unplug the pump, if I'm home when power goes out, then I dump out the water and rinse before refilling when the power goes back on. I would think a similar protocol would be needed for a cannister filter. The reason is that the good bacteria consumes the remaining o2, dying off in the end, and giving way to anaerobic bacteria (bad).

I have contemplated trying a Millenium.

One piece of criteria I look for in any pump is the ability to maintain the bio-filter separate from the chemical/mechanical source. Many companies, including Whisper have heeded that and are now providing "bio-foam" and bio-grids that are separate from the cartridges.

I have a 29 US Gal tank. I also have a Penguin 170 Bio-Wheel filter. I am not very pleased with my filter. Which kind of filter would be good for a novice aquarist? Would you recommend a canister filter, another hang-on-thank or something else?

Thanks!

-Angel

Why am I dissatisfied with my Penguin 170? Good question! Here’s the answer:

First, (and this is what troubles me the most) the intake tube is too short and too close to the water outlet (where the water flows back in to the aquarium). I always had the hunch that the water that returns to the aquarium is sucked back into the filter again and again. Needless to say, my hunch was correct – I recently treated my tank for Ich and I noticed that when I added the solution (which contains a dye) in to the filter box, the medication would flow out of the filter, in to the aquarium and back in to the filter trough the siphon tube. [Did this make sense?] So the same water gets filtered over, and over, and over (ad infinium, ad nauseam). Oh, and I do take in to account diffusion, but, still, I would feel more comfortable if more unfiltered water would go up to the filter.

Second, I wish I could have cartridges that allowed me to select my own media, or at lest replace the carbon without having to toss the floss. I just wish that my filter would be a bit more versatile.

That’s all – these are the two main reasons for which I would consider replacing my penguin. Although, I do have to say that I am very please with its durability and it’s maintenance requirements. Way to go Marineland - though, you could have made the inlet tube a bit longer!!!

Angel
PS: Is there some way that I can lengthen the inlet tube? Or maybe make my own filter cartridges?

Last edited by agaius at 05-Nov-2004 12:18

I have both an Aquaclear and a Penguin. They both work well. Maintenance wise, they're fairly comparable in workload. If you're dissatisfied with your Penguin, an Aquaclear is a good choice.

What do you mean by maintenance for aqua clear isn't worth it?
They don't require much maintenance at all.

I like both Whispers and Penguins. I've got 2 Penguin 125's, and a Whisper 40 on my 29g, and they do great

If y'all aren't into marineland, go whisper.. a 40 would be exquisite for your tank

First of all, why arn't you pleased? Pens. in my opinion are not that great for a small tank, very low g.p.h.(gallons per hour). I would also recommend a Whisper for your tank. The maintanace of the Aquaclears arn't worth it, their g.p.h. is minimal. Whisper filter are almost to easy to maintain, they are great. Forget about the canister for your size tank, to costly and to much bulk.
Hope you good luck.....Be safe

i have the 20-50 gallon aquaclear filter on my 29 (not sure of the number of the filter) it seems to work great, crystal clear water all the time.

Aquaclear 200

cheap, works really good, good size for that tank

What was your problem with the filter?

For a 29 gallon tank, I'd definitly stay with a hang on the back power filter. They aren't that expensive and they come in a wide range of flow rates.
Personally, I prefer Penguin filters. But since you don't, a Whisper 40 would be good. It has a higher flow rate than your current filter. Plus, the replacement cartridges are cheaper and more versatile.


Last edited by T/A at 03-Nov-2004 18:52