Filter recommendations

[Chriznat20]

I have a 29g tall FW setup that is currently running a Whisper 30.

The Whisper 30 came with the tank (craigslist sale).

I'd really like to get a Penguin 350B or at the very least an Emperor 280. I was wondering if either the 350B or the 280 would be "too much" suction and/or filtration for my 29g tank? When fully cycled, I plan on running the tank at full bioload, so keep that in mind.

When I go to http://www.aqadvisor.com, it tells me the whisper 30 is not enough filtration for what I have in there now and what I plan on having in there in the future. I actually brought down my bio-load to 2 fish and http://www.aqadvisor.com was still telling me I needed more filtration with the Whisper 30!

Ive never had a canister filter before, and prefer HOB power filters as a personal preference. Any recommendations/suggestions?

 

[DragonFish71]

I've never used either of the HOBs you've mentioned but I have heard good things from other here about them. After just doing some reading up on them, it seems to me either would be a good choice. You can never have too much filtration IMO and also remember that the manufacturers always give their products a little boost on the ratings.


Personally I'm a canister filter gal. I plan to put a fluval 205 on our 29g but that's just me

 

[mfdrookie516]

Whisper filters, imo, are junk. Then again, i dont like marineland filters either. I would suggest an aqua-clear filter. As far as your question about too much filtration, its not possible. You can have too much flow, but not too much filtration, and neither of the filters you listed would have too much flow. If money isnt a big concern, id suggest a canister, theyre better than any hob imo

 

[Sonomakid]

IMO, i dont like anything with a bio-wheel never had luck with them, i had whispers for the last 10 years and loved them, sure they are not the best but they worked for me, Aqua Clear i like also, the ability to stack like a canister filter in a hob is great, as far has canisters go i here great things about fluval, but i bought a marineland c-530 for my 90g and couldnt be happier with it

 

[DragonFish71]

Hah, after I just posted that I've only seen good things on here about those two filters, you two come along and mess that all up

 

[underdog5004]

I worked for a couple years at a LPS, and I was able to test just about every filter we carried.

Penguin Bio-wheels are a cool concept, but once the filter clogs up a little, the wheel stops turning. Also, it's not self-starting, and the ones that I've had seem to have a problem with the impeller jamming and stopping the filtering.

Whispers are nice for what they are, simple mechanical filtration. On my 29G tank, I have a whisper 30 and a whisper 20 working in tandem. One bad thing about these filters is that the intake tubes are too short to reach near the bottom of my tank. I've extended the fill-tube to the bottom with some clear plastic tubing (ABS?), and it works fine. A cool thing with whispers is that they seem to be auto starting. This means that once the water level gets above the impeller/motor assembly, it starts pumping. I've run them dry many times doing water changes, never had a problem.

Tetra filters are pretty cool too. The new ones have some kind of time-release dye that tells you when to change the filter, but I don't trust that.

I have a second-hand Magnum 350 on my 55G tank. It has ceramic noodles (or whatever, little hexagons) and some filter mesh in it. It seems to keep the water clean and clear. I think it's self starting, but I could be wrong. The only downside is the possibility of leaks (never had any) and the noise. This canister filter is over 5 years old, at least. It's not a quiet filter, but not overpoweringly loud either.

I'm currently looking into trickle wet/dry filters, but it's still very early. I almost never replace the filter cartridges in my filters, but when I do, I'm slowly replacing the carbon cartridges with filter floss. To my way of thinking, carbon is only useful during cycling to help screen out excess ammonia. I think that once a tank is cycled and is getting regular water changes, carbon is unnecessary. I've never had carbon in my 55G tank, and it's doing fine.

Canisters are great because they go a long time without maintanence, but maintenance can be messy

HOB/HOT filters are great because though they require more maintenance, it's easier and less messy

Trickle wet/dry filters seem to be the best in terms of filtration, and it seems like all I'd have to do is swap out the 2" thick filter floss mat on top of everything else. Easy peasy.

Just my thoughts

 

[Chriznat20]

Thanks guys...keep the suggestions flowing!! (pun intended!)

Question #2. Can I change filters mid-cycle?

I want to go buy the Penguin 200 or 350B today. My tank is 1 week into its cycle, assisted by some cycling product. My ammonia is about .25 or less, no nitrites or nitrates (yet). Ive had 1 bloom (cloudy water), and am in 1 mini-bloom right now.

Let me know if this sounds right: I go buy the new filter. I take the BIO-FOAM out of my whisper and set it in the back of the NEW filter.

Would that transfer any bacteria thats in the bio-foam of the Whisper that Im running right now?

 

[underdog5004]

Personally, I would wait until you're SURE that the cycle is complete before changing filtration systems. If you absolutely can't wait for your new filter, ask the people at the store if you can have/buy some of their filter floss used in a tank, but make sure it's a reputable store (NOT petco), and that the tank is very healthy. Try for some from a display tank, as these tend to be more stable in terms of population.

 

[Chriznat20]

Well I wish I had read this a earlier...lol...I just got back and bought a Penguin 200. I put the bio-foam from the Whisper 30 in the "spare filter cartridge slot" on the new Penguin... if any bacteria were on that bio-foam, they are now in the new filter and (hopefully) seeding the bio-wheel.

I noticed on the new Penguins (my old one wasnt like this) there is what appears to be a grated opening for filtering midway up the suction pipe - cool concept I suppose! But would it be wiser for me to keep the flap closed so most of the suction occurs from the lowest part of the pipe? ( I just looked up the part and its called "mid level suction strainer")

 

[martiniduck]

I was also gonna post a similar question. I have had my Penguin 150 on my 29g for a year now, no problems with it. The bio-wheel does stop occasionally but if I just wipe some of the excess debris on the wheel and clean off the filter cartridges, it starts spinning again. I like to think of the bio-wheel as an extra form of filtering not found on any other hob filter. It is almost like having a wet/dry filter. I was looking at either the Penguin 350 or an Aquaclear 50. I would then put the old penguin on my 10g tank. I was leaning towards the Aquaclear because of the biomax media and the foam filtering, but I found out that it is not auto-starting. If the power goes out the filter will not be running until I reset it. If the power goes out and I am not home, my filter will not be running till I come home. The bio media will die out after a few hours wont it? Sorry, don't mean to steal your post, just asking the simmilar question.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Canisters are the absolute best filters when it comes to starting back after a power outage. I've had whispers and penguins both, and neither of them wanted to start back very willingly after unplugging accidentally. The cheap aqua-tech hob's from walmart are, imo, the best hob's for restarting after a power outage. I can unplug mine for hours and simply plug it back in, and after about 5-10 seconds, its filtering again. Just my experience with them, and i know that everybody has different experiences/opinions on filters

 

[supradupafast]

I agree with Rookie.
HOB's are a pain when you unplug for maintenance or when there's a power outage. I'm all for canisters myself, although I like the Idea of breaking the water surface with a HOB.
As for HOB choice, I prefer AquaClear. Easy maintenance, and the foams are only $0.49 at the store. Extremely reliable, and moves plenty of water. I run a AquaClear 20 & Aquaclear 30 on my 20Gal Tank.
Eheim Canister & Marineland Penguin (Will replace for AquaClear) on my 60Gal.

 

[Chriznat20]

With all this talk of the HOB filters not restarting after a power outage (where do you people live anyways?!?!), has anybody ever thought of using a Power Supply for back up power? One like this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/APC-Back-UPS-XS...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item439ce9381d

I have an extra new APC backup power unit I bought for my business that I dont use.

It provides about 45 minutes of back up power, perfect for those times when the power goes out for 30 seconds and comes back on (cant remember the last time that happened - where do you people live anyways?!??!)... maybe more time considering the low load of the power filter (versus a PC). Is this an alien idea or has this been discussed here before?

 

[mfdrookie516]

this has been talked about alot lol. and those apc units are suggested every time, along with small generators. Where i live, outages are to be expected. Last winter, we were without power for 2 weeks, some places a whole month. Living in the country has its advantages, just not when it comes to electricity

 

[7Enigma]

I also don't get the not autostarting? Either you have the water level too low in the tank or something because on both my 10 and 20 gallon tanks (with AquaClear20 and 50 respectively) they auto-restart about 80-90% of the time. On those rare occasions where the impeller doesn't spin a simple poking at the impeller gets it going again (probably in my case due to old tanks with slightly dirty impellers).

A recommendation for anyone using an HOB filter would be to buy an extension for your HOB so the intake is close to the substrate. Not close enough that it would suck up sand/etc, but as far down as possible. The farther down, the more pressure from the water pushing up towards the filter. When the power goes out the water level should never drop in the filter, it just stops flowing. When the power goes back on, *hopefully* the impeller starts spinning again and everything is good. The added benefit is sucking up poo/uneaten food/etc. that tends to not float up higher in the water column.

 

[Chriznat20]

I also don't get the not autostarting? Either you have the water level too low in the tank or something because on both my 10 and 20 gallon tanks (with AquaClear20 and 50 respectively) they auto-restart about 80-90% of the time. On those rare occasions where the impeller doesn't spin a simple poking at the impeller gets it going again (probably in my case due to old tanks with slightly dirty impellers).

A recommendation for anyone using an HOB filter would be to buy an extension for your HOB so the intake is close to the substrate. Not close enough that it would suck up sand/etc, but as far down as possible. The farther down, the more pressure from the water pushing up towards the filter. When the power goes out the water level should never drop in the filter, it just stops flowing. When the power goes back on, *hopefully* the impeller starts spinning again and everything is good. The added benefit is sucking up poo/uneaten food/etc. that tends to not float up higher in the water column.

Apparently you've never experienced a Penguin or Emperor HOB filter!!

In my experience, the Whisper filters do restart... albeit not without a ton of noise.

The Marineland (penguin, emperor respectively) do not restart - they usually lose prime after a power outage. And it has nothing to do with water level. My intake is about 1.5-2" from the bottom of the tank. I burnt out a penguin a few years ago because of this: power went out sometime in the morning (I was at work 8-5), got home and filter no workie. Motor toasted. That was on my 55g tank, and on the rigth side I had a Whisper - it was working fine. I knew the power went out because my light timer was off by 2 hours, and all of my appliances/electronics clocks were flashing.

No big deal - just gotta be careful with the marineland HOB's. Im going to get a backup power supply and hook the filter, heater, and air pump up to it.

 

[7Enigma]

Wow that's a pretty serious design flaw! I'd stick with an Aquaclear or canister then...

 

[martiniduck]

I have not had a problem with my Penguin not restarting. I have had it for over a year and never had a problem with it after a power outage,low water level, or a shut down. It started right back up. I was shopping for an Aquaclear recently online to replace the Penguin. I wanted more filtration on my 29g tank. I saw it did not restart after a shut down, but I guess from the other posters here, that this is not true. I will move my penguin to my 10G and get the Aquaclear for my 29G. Let you know what I think.

 

[7Enigma]

I have not had a problem with my Penguin not restarting. I have had it for over a year and never had a problem with it after a power outage,low water level, or a shut down. It started right back up. I was shopping for an Aquaclear recently online to replace the Penguin. I wanted more filtration on my 29g tank. I saw it did not restart after a shut down, but I guess from the other posters here, that this is not true. I will move my penguin to my 10G and get the Aquaclear for my 29G. Let you know what I think.

Over the years I've been keeping fish (started way back when I was a kid with a Whisper) the restart problem has always been due to seemingly dumb luck with the impeller not starting. If the water level was really low it couldn't pull enough suction to re-prime, but I'd chalk that up to my fault. As mentioned this can be somewhat remedied by having a long intake tube to help create the pressure needed to prime. There is just something about impellers and the magnetic field they rely on for spinning that sometimes they just seize up when plugged in. A simple jiggle and they start spinning again, but without the bump, they just do nothing (and will eventually burn out).

That's one of the nice things about having a heavily planted tank. Even if the filter stops working when I'm on vacation the plants can somewhat take over until I return.

What I would recommend if going on vacation is to remove the covering on the top of the filter (in the case of the Aquaclear). That way if the worst happens you at least get some oxygen transfer to the beneficial bacteria. Sure you will lose some due to evaporation drying out the top bit of filter media, but it's well worth it if you can keep the bacteria below the water alive a little bit longer. Anaerobic conditions are more deadly than lack of food in the short term.

 

[martiniduck]

Would a Aquaclear 70 be overkill for a 29G tank? Would I be better of saving a few bucks and getting a Aquaclear 50?