BIO-Wheel Problems

[DarylF2]

I have a Penguin 150 BIO-Wheel power filter in my 20L Freshwater planted aquarium (set up in early June 2006).

At first it worked great, but now the BIO-Wheel is stopping for no apparant reason. Cleaning/replacing the filter cartridge and cleaning the filter intake tube sometimes helps, but sometimes it doesn't help at all. The wheel itself appears undamaged.

Given that my tank is cycled and well-stocked with plants, is the BIO-Wheel necessary? Given that whenever it stops spinning it kills the bacteria in the part of the wheel that dries out, it not being terribly effective now, and may in fact be doing more hard than good due to the bacteria die-offs...

I'm thinking of just going with a dual-cartridge setup instead (this filter does support the use of an optional second internal filter cartridge), using the "inner" cartridge pretty much just as a biofilter and letting the outer filter act as a mechanical filter.

Advice?

[CaptnIgnit]

from what I have heard BIO-wheels are pretty much just a marketing tool. I would just take it off if you are at all worried about it.

I have a Penguin on my 10g and I didn't even put the BIO-wheel on to start with (it reduces CO2 if you are injecting it into your tank).

[SCFatz]

You will be fine without it.

[mr funktastic]

mine started doing this but apparently it is supposed to slow down alot even stop sometimes. there are lots of things in your tank to hold bacteria and the second cartridge should alos doa very good job of it so i would say ditch the biowheel. i had the 150 on my tankaswell and got rid of it after a few months will no negative effects.

[rkilling1]

Originally Posted by CaptnIgnit

from what I have heard BIO-wheels are pretty much just a marketing tool.

i would have to disagree with that statement. if that was correct then all those people with wet/dry sumps just wasted a lot of money.

the bio-wheel allows for more O2 exchange then most filters, therefore allowing the bacteria to reproduce a lot faster (same principal as a wet/dry sump). as far as needing it, bacteria will find its way to reduce the bio load regardless of the filter being used. ie it is not needed, but will take longer to produce the amount of bacteria needed for a curtain amount of bio-load.

[Codefox]

Bio-Wheel behavior is supposed to be exactly as described. Unless the wheel is stopping for days, I can't imagine there's much impact on the bacteria colonies. I've always had a lot of success with bio-wheel filters in smaller aquariums

[CaptnIgnit]

Originally Posted by rkilling1

i would have to disagree with that statement. if that was correct then all those people with wet/dry sumps just wasted a lot of money.

the bio-wheel allows for more O2 exchange then most filters, therefore allowing the bacteria to reproduce a lot faster (same principal as a wet/dry sump). as far as needing it, bacteria will find its way to reduce the bio load regardless of the filter being used. ie it is not needed, but will take longer to produce the amount of bacteria needed for a curtain amount of bio-load.

The idea is sound, hence why wet/dry sumps are popular and work. However the size of the bio-wheel is the problem. There is just not enough surface area (especially on the smaller wheels) to really make that much of a difference.

That was the point I was trying to get across anyways.

[JeffreyL]

If you want to use the bio wheel, check the axle on it and the plastic bearings the axle spins in. A buildup of gunk or hard waterdeposits can stop the wheel.

As to whether or not to use it ..... I agree, the filter media, gravel, plants, etc will support enough bacteria. But on my emperor & now on the penguins that came with 2 used tanks I will run the wheels. I prefer the sound with the bio wheel in place. Plus, it can't hurt. Especially if I get a bit agressive in vacuming the gravel or cleaning the filter media. lol

Oh and I use the second slot too. I fill the media container with filter floss. It catches a lot of gunk the first misses. Good luck!!