Penguin Filter

[mr.waffles1842]

Hey AA world! One of the filters on my 20 gallon is completely terrible. It does the job, but its noisy, annoying, and hard to maintain. I have a Marineland Penguin filter. It takes forever to start it up again after i PWC, plus its wicked noisy. Advice?

 

[Mark388]

Get rid of it. I hated my penguins. Get a canister or aquaclear HOB filter. Never had a prob with them

 

[blert]

Is the noise coming from the pump motor or the wheel? The answer to both is clean them. Clean the "bearings" that the wheel sits in and the pegs of the wheel, you may need a stiff brush if they are crusty. Pull the impeller out of the pump and give it a good scrub and find something to clean out the impeller well also. Fast start up for any HOB... Pour in a cup of tank water, don't let it sit there and grind empty for a half an hour.

 

[phoenixkiller]

Is the noise coming from the pump motor or the wheel? The answer to both is clean them. Clean the "bearings" that the wheel sits in and the pegs of the wheel, you may need a stiff brush if they are crusty. Pull the impeller out of the pump and give it a good scrub and find something to clean out the impeller well also. Fast start up for any HOB... Pour in a cup of tank water, don't let it sit there and grind empty for a half an hour.

+1. I would take the impeller out of the housing and just gently scrub it. Place it back FIRMLY into the housing, and the noise will be reduced to a minimum. That's what I had to do a few times on my Marineland BIO-Wheel 350 on my 55 gallon. Purrs like a kitten now.

 

[mr.waffles1842]

i think ill just get rid of it. the only reason i still have it is cuz it was not too bad. But im really tired of it. Any good filters out there cheap? even after cleaning its still less like a kitten and more like a lion.

 

[blert]

You want quiet... Go canister, SunSun make nice quality filters for cheap. If you want to stay HOB then get an AquaClear.

 

[phoenixkiller]

i think ill just get rid of it. the only reason i still have it is cuz it was not too bad. But im really tired of it. Any good filters out there cheap? even after cleaning its still less like a kitten and more like a lion.

"If you want a good filter, you better have a good pocketbook, because the only good filters are not cheap." - My brother

A good filter isn't always the cheapest one, but it's well worth it and will save you money in the long term.

If you decide to get a good filter, AquaClears or canisters are the best (Assuming you ruled out the Penguins...).

 

[mr.waffles1842]

Remind me to buy your brother a gift. Wise advice. Do you mind if i quote him in my logbook? I just gotta ask the price. grand total on fish funds currently? $14. The rest is on gravel, heater, food and other accessories for my new 20 gallon build project. ill see what i can scrap up.

 

[phoenixkiller]

Remind me to buy your brother a gift. Wise advice. Do you mind if i quote him in my logbook? I just gotta ask the price. grand total on fish funds currently? $14. The rest is on gravel, heater, food and other accessories for my new 20 gallon build project. ill see what i can scrap up.

Aquaclears are relatively inexpensive, so a bit of saving should get you there.

Not sure if you were being sarcastic or not about the comment on my brother, but if you were being serious, you can quote him in your logbook if you want.

 

[mr.waffles1842]

I was serious. It'd make a great addition to today. Of late, stuff hasnt been as exciting or interesting as usual. Its never boring, but its just a leak in the tank, some minor equipment faults.

 

[phoenixkiller]

I was serious. It'd make a great addition to today. Of late, stuff hasnt been as exciting or interesting as usual. Its never boring, but its just a leak in the tank, some minor equipment faults.

It happens. I myself wanted to give up fish keeping a while back when my fish were dying. (I knew almost nothing about fish then.) Then I persevered, and got a 55 gallon tank... now there is no way I'm giving up, especially when I have this forum to pick me up when I fall down.

What is the new filter that you are planning on getting?