Whisper 5 Filter

[donh]

Hey! New to the forum.

I bought a 55 gallon that came with a Whisper 5 filter. I can't find any info on this filter at all except that it is REALLY noisy - which it is. Can anybody tell me anything about this filter? GPH? Is it sufficient for a planted community tank? Could some of the noise be fixed by putting a new impeller in it? The one that is in there is kind of cruddy looking.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Those were a great filter (outside of AquaClears). Try replacing the impeller. It should do well for a lightly stocked planted tank, although you may want a powerhead at the other end of the tank to keep the whole water column moving well.

 

[donh]

Any idea what the GPH is? Sounds good putting the powerhead at the other end.

My plan is to set this up with a couple of schools (10 or so of each) of smaller tetras or rasboras, a couple of angels, maybe a couple of rams or rainbows and some cories (4). I'd like it to be well planted but not to the point of seeing nothing but plants. I'd call it medium on the planting.

Sound like the Whisper would work for that?

 

[toddnbecka]

The worst thing about Whisper filters (compared to aquaclears) is the relatively small media compartment and the disposable media bags. I'd use a suitable size chunk of poret foam or something similar, and simply rinse it out when doing partial water changes.
Check the inside of the impeller and the shaft for wear. If the onside is no longer round or doesn't fit closely over the shaft it's worn out. A worn shaft is easy enough to spot as well, it will be thinner in the middle.

 

[patrick cleveland]

Does anyone know anything about diatomesticated earth filters I was given a lot of aquarium stuff from someone getting out of fish hobby and one of those filters along with several cartriges came with the stuff

 

[donh]

The worst thing about Whisper filters (compared to aquaclears) is the relatively small media compartment and the disposable media bags. I'd use a suitable size chunk of poret foam or something similar, and simply rinse it out when doing partial water changes.
Check the inside of the impeller and the shaft for wear. If the onside is no longer round or doesn't fit closely over the shaft it's worn out. A worn shaft is easy enough to spot as well, it will be thinner in the middle.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to get a new impeller. The one in there now is pretty rough.

 

[toddnbecka]

Does anyone know anything about diatomesticated earth filters I was given a lot of aquarium stuff from someone getting out of fish hobby and one of those filters along with several cartriges came with the stuff

Diatom filters are useful occaisonally to "polish" the water, the media will trap just about anything larger than bacteria. Not practical to run full-time though, the media clogs up too quickly for long-term use.