BIO Wheels?

[Noxious020189]

Are BIO wheels any good?

 

[foma2000]

i personaly dont like bio wheels. i find that in the event of a power failur they fail to start again.

 

[lmw80]

I love bio-wheels. They are very efficient filtration syatem. It might be better or worse for your tank depending on the size, plants, and many other factors.

 

[Noxious020189]

Well 30 gal. probly a few plants

 

[Lance M.]

In planted tanks the best filter in my opinion would be a cannister filter because you can place the water outflow below the water surface so that the water isn't disturbed a great deal. Bio-wheel filters are good for mostly fish only tanks, not too good for the plants because they cause a lot of surface agitation which causes a lot of CO2 to escape out of the water. Plants need that CO2 to perform photosynethesis and then they in turn produce O2 for the fish.

 

[thanew]

i dunno about the surface agitation with some biowheels... the emperor 400 is pretty silent and I dont get much surface agitation, now if you were to say on the 170.. now that is a horse of a different color.. there was too much surface agitation and it was quite loud...

anyways, I found that biowheels are nice, I have an emperor 400, a regular penguin 170, and a penguin mini.. they all seem to do quite well, I overfilter my tanks I dunno if thats a reason, but Ive never had any problems from any spikes no matter what I do in the tank... its great to have a biowheel to help seed....

 

[Frank_the_Tank]

I like my penguin mini, it's a nice little fountain sound in the room, soothing to go to sleep to.

 

[SerLunchbox]

Bio-wheels are the way to go! As for the comment on not starting up ... that is partially true ... but my magnum has never had a problem yet ... for that fact ... starting up my penguin 170 hasn't been an issue either.

 

[purrfect]

Bio-wheel filters are good for mostly fish only tanks, not too good for the plants because they cause a lot of surface agitation which causes a lot of CO2 to escape out of the water. Plants need that CO2 to perform photosynethesis and then they in turn produce O2 for the fish.

Adding oxygen does not cut CO2. What did you mean?

 

[Lance M.]

Bio-wheel filters are good for mostly fish only tanks, not too good for the plants because they cause a lot of surface agitation which causes a lot of CO2 to escape out of the water. Plants need that CO2 to perform photosynethesis and then they in turn produce O2 for the fish.

Adding oxygen does not cut CO2. What did you mean?

What I mean is that the more surface agitation there is, the more CO2 escapes from the water. The Bio-wheel filters I have have an effect like a small water fall, the water from the outflow comes down, splashs with the water in the tank causing more O2 to go into the water, but because of the increased surface agitation causes more CO2 to escape from the water.

 

[FishLover14]

Bio-Wheels are the undoiputed best place for nitrifying bacteria to grow-They do start after power failures-I Have A penuguin Mini with bio wheel i love it it does a great job-If you wnat to cycle a new tank take a filter with a biowheel and put it on the new tank instant cycle!

Bio-Wheels are wonderful I wont buy a filter unless it has A BioWheel On It.

JMHO

 

[Nystina]

I personally never really had any problems with Bio-wheels. If you are planning to have LOTS of plants/high WPG/co2 injection, i would advise against them however. They CAN be used under this setup, don't get me wrong, but a cannister filter is much more flexible and efficient for planted tanks.

I switched from an Emperor 400 to a Rena XP3 and i won't go back.

 

[FancyGuppyGuy]

Put a coarse sponge on the intake of your filter works great for help with bio filtration. They are much cheaper than buying a bio wheel.

 

[ChileRelleno]

I liked the Bio-wheels so much I modified my two AC500's HOB power filters with'em. I've two very, very dirty fish, a 6.5" Oscar and a 12+" Plec. I've no problems with ammonia even if I get lazy and don't surface vacumn the really big turds (feces) for a couple of days.

 

[ChileRelleno]

Put a coarse sponge on the intake of your filter works great for help with bio filtration. They are much cheaper than buying a bio wheel.

Be careful adding anything that might impede water flow up your intakes, you could stress your pump and shorten its life significantly.
While sponge filters are indeed good bio-filters the wet-dry action of the bio-wheel makes them pale in comparison.

 

[Nasty]

I have 4 of the Emperor 400B and love em...