|
|
Post by ickyfishywishy on Feb 2, 2005 13:04:34 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by twoluvcats on Feb 2, 2005 14:12:34 GMT -5
my first choice would be the marineland one with the bio-wheels. I have a Penguin 170 on my 29 and it rocks!!
the 2nd one looks cool, and its a great theory, but the bio-wheel seems to get the same results at half the price.
I've never liked aquaclear filters...but that's a personal thing...others may like them.
|
|
|
|
Post by ickyfishywishy on Feb 2, 2005 15:27:47 GMT -5
thanx luvkitties  umm... does ur filter look anything like the marineland 400 ? if it does can u pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease send me a photo of what it looks like from the inside? or just tell me is it easy to clean and describe what it looks like thanx and do i have to change the filter cartridge? |
|
|
|
Post by amanichen on Feb 2, 2005 15:50:25 GMT -5
In short...
Hagen (Aquaclear series):
Better reliability. Greater flexibility with media choices. Larger media capacity. Easier to clean.
Marineland (go for the Emperor series, NOT penguin series):
Better media design and placement (less likely to disturb bacteria while performing filter maintenance or water change.) High flow rate, but mechanical media must be cleaned often to keep the flow rate up.
At this point in time, don't bother with Whisper or Tetratec filters.
I won't comment on the biological efficiency of either filter, because it's difficult to quantify such things. There's also no evidence outside of Marineland that says a bio-wheel is any better than a submerged sponge of equal surface area. Again, if the only way to get enough bacteria to grow was a wet/dry system (bio-wheel) then other filters wouldn't work at all.
|
|
|
|
Post by ickyfishywishy on Feb 2, 2005 19:14:40 GMT -5
thanx for the details brian, i found a site on the emperor 400 that had details on it and it says that the bio wheel has the bacteria on it, for some reason i see that as not enough :S next to the filter i have i mean i have 4 sponges with A LOT of bacteria on it growing along the leingth of the tank and thats 4 feet of bacteria :S, plus the emperor has things i need to change every month but i wont find them here so too bad  thats been crossed out, i guess ill have to keep looking for a way to connect a fast power head to my filter :S sorry for the trouble guys  |
|
|
|
Post by amanichen on Feb 3, 2005 14:13:23 GMT -5
thanx for the details brian, i found a site on the emperor 400 that had details on it and it says that the bio wheel has the bacteria on it, for some reason i see that as not enough :S next to the filter i have i mean i have 4 sponges with A LOT of bacteria on it growing along the leingth of the tank and thats 4 feet of bacteria :S, plus the emperor has things i need to change every month but i wont find them here so too bad thats been crossed out, i guess ill have to keep looking for a way to connect a fast power head to my filter :S sorry for the trouble guys The main advantage of the bio wheel comes with its aeration, and the fact that there's media which is separate from the mechanical media (so when you change the cartridge out you still keep lots of the bacteria.) However, as you correctly pointed out, there are lots of other surfaces in the aquarium where bacteria can grow, it's just the filter will have the highest concentration of them, so really any surface area works, just as long as you don't throw it away =) As for changing the cartridges every month...they say that because of the carbon in them. Since the emperor models also have a separate media container, you could add filter floss, a sponge, or other media in there if you wanted. If you got an aquaclear, you have more flexibility, where ahythimg you can stuff into the media chamber, will work. You can use the sponge and carbon bag that come provided with it, and those don't have to be thrown away. The sponge can be washed gently in old tank water during a water change, and you can re-fill the bag with fresh carbon (purchased in large quantities), and secure it with some rubber bands. You could also add another filter medium such as polyesther filter floss (this is a VERY good mechanical filter for a VERY low price!), or add another sponge for more surface area for bacteria. The Marineland Emperor series (the regular Penguin series don't have the extra chamber) contains an additional container for media, but the Aquaclears allow for a greater flexibility, and you could have one with less overall operating cost. |
|
|
|
Post by starlight on Feb 3, 2005 20:04:03 GMT -5
I really love my AquaClear filters. They have the most flexibility afaic. I bought a good media bag with velcro closing. The media compartments are larger than other filters. Even the smaller Aquaclears have generous media compartments.
Here's just a few ways that I've used it.
(1) peat in media bag to soften water and lower pH
(2) crushed coral in media bag to increase KH
(3) two foam filters to remove debris
(4) carbon in media bag, industrial poly filter cut to size to grow beneficial bacteria
I like the fact that I can raise the sponge level and really force the water through the top of the sponge if I want.
I find that this filter is very reliable and has a nice Hagen guarantee should it fail. The price is right too! I really like the flexibility of this filter. The Bio-Wheel is a nice concept but as amanichen mentioned aside from Marineland's advertising there's no evidence that it is superior to other systems.
(I find that Marineland does this with it's other products as well. I use a few of their products including Black Diamond Carbon, White Diamond & Bio-Spira) The Bio-Wheel requires more maintenance. The Hagen is almost bullet proof. Hagen has been in business for a very long time. You can pretty much set it and forget it. They usually include an extra intake tube. Nice to have just in case.
I use an AquaClear in the most important tank in my house. It's the tank that I use to turn my sterile reverse osmosis water into water that's fit for bettas to live in. It's been running for four years.
|
|
|
|
Post by ickyfishywishy on Feb 3, 2005 20:48:28 GMT -5
wow thanx for the great info guys, i saw some aquaclear filters in the LPS but didnt find anything that filters 400gph and it is going to be hard enough trying to fit one on my tank since i have to modify the hood,, a lot! :S but i thought of something, would 3 internal filters be good? i mean, its gona look UGLYYyyy  but i just wana know if it would work? im gona try to see if i can make the hood in a way to acomidate 2 aquaclear filters, but after what amanichem said that all i need is the extra filter cartregde and put some filter floss (which i have) in it and that would make it much better, well,,,,, <---still inventing thanx guys |
|
|
|
Post by starlight on Feb 3, 2005 21:12:08 GMT -5
The AquaClear 110G filters 500 gph. It's only $35.99 via catalogue/online at That Fish Place.
Submersible filters are good for special apps but aren't the answer as a main filter in a large tank. It's all about oxygen here. They don't grow much beneficial bacteria.
The Bio-Wheel gets abundant oxygen due to its design. A submersible is the other extreme with a limited oxygen supply which bene bacteria thrive on.
"Submersible filters ...are ideal for unusual installations where other filters cannot be used or additional circulation is desired....They provide mainly mechanical filtration, but some models do allow the use of small amounts of carbon for chemicial filtration. These filters provide very little biological filtration and should be supplemented accordingly...."
from..."Filtering Facts"...That Fish Place p.19 current catalogue.
|
|
thats been crossed out, i guess ill have to keep looking for a way to connect a fast power head to my filter :S sorry for the trouble guys 
but i just wana know if it would work? im gona try to see if i can make the hood in a way to acomidate 2 aquaclear filters, but after what amanichem said that all i need is the extra filter cartregde and put some filter floss (which i have) in it and that would make it much better, well,,,,, <---still inventing