Marineland Penguin Bio-Wheel Power Filter

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Below Average

Disappointed by TONY CREWS

Experience Level: Expert

Posted on 11/17/2009 from OCALA, FL UNITED STATES

Comments: I had an Aquaclear for years, but it died and I tried a Penguin 200 with my 46 gal bowfront. The wheel wouldn't spin if the tank was down even one gallon, the motor was loud, and the tank never cleared. The PH and nitrates were way too high. Water changes didn't help. I lost all but 5 of 40 little fishies almost overnight. I went to African Cichlids who love the high PH, but the tank is still cloudy. Switched to an Aquapure 50, and the tank cleared within 24 hours, the nitrates are ok and the fish are happy! I'll keep the PH up and the Aquapure, but the landfill will get the Penguin with its sorry biowheel. I would not recommend this product to my friends.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent!

Best for Discus by EARL STRUMPELL

Experience Level: Expert

Posted on 6/25/2009 from EUGENE, OR UNITED STATES

Comments: Discus are very finicky about water quality and are heavy hi-protein eaters, especially in grow-out tanks of which I have several. What goes in must come out and this filter is very well suited to their characteristics. The bio-wheel is a must to remove ammonia and the large surface area of the very easily cleaned media is another terrific benefit. I've tried in-tank foam and cannister filters of every kind and I now have these on all of my tanks with maybe one or two in-tank foam filters to help with the ammonia. I use double the suggested filter capacity/gallon but the gentle water-fall return is fine for smaller fry which can be damaged by strong currents. Yes, it is a bit noisy and really noisy when it runs low during water changes, an annoyance. But the price/performance works for me so I'm not complaining. Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Average

? by Tek

Experience Level: Expert

Posted on 4/13/2009 from OKLAHOMA CITY, OK UNITED STATE

Comments: This is the replacement for the Penguin 200. It is no where close to the quiet smooth operation of the original unit. The output splashes and the media filters seem to be smaller. I would not recommend this product to my friends.

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Average

Bio wheel by DON A

Experience Level: Intermediate

Posted on 3/14/2009 from CHARLOTTE, NC UNITED STATES

Comments: This product is average at best. It seems to clog frequently. I need to clean the botton strainer at least twice per week. The mid level strainer is a nice feature and keeps the water flowing if the bottom strainer intake clogs. The filter cartridge seems to clog up easily also. I just had one in there and am now trying 2 to see if this is better. I would not recommend this product to my friends.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent!

Best Economy Filter on Market by ZACHARY NICKEY

Experience Level: Intermediate

Posted on 3/4/2009 from LUTHERVILLE, MD UNITED STATES

Comments: The Penguin filters by Marineland are one of the best bang for the buck Hang on the Back (HOB) filters that money can buy as it is one of the most efficient and reliable filters on the market. The major advantage of the Penguin series is that they incorporate a 'Bio-Wheel' which as it sounds, is a grooved wheel that spins as water exits the filter. What this does is allow biological filtration in a similar manner as a wet-dry filter, at about 1/20th of the price. The good bacterias grow on the wheel...subsequently, the wheel must be handled in a specific, gentle manner when the tank is being cleaned and should never be cleaned itself or replaced. The Bio-Wheel helps break down ammonia and nitrite which are the top two killers of fish. Additionally, the filter pads that Marineland makes use a high quality filter floss, which means clear water with no particles, and a high-grade carbon, which means clearer water, no foul odors, and no heavy metals or toxins. All of this comes for a very, very reasonable price. These systems move large amounts of water (meaning they have a high turnover rate) last for years. If you are caught between two sizes, choose the larger size as the larger the model, the larger the Bio-Wheel size which means the greater biological filtration capacity. Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent!

Marineland 200b by BRYCE WHITFORD

Experience Level: Expert

Posted on 1/13/2009 from ALBUQUERQUE, NM UNITED STATES

Comments: The Marineland 200b is a nice hang on back filter. I happen to own 3 of them. They are quiet and run very well. I cannot speak for the longevity of this product, as I have only had mine in operation for 3 or 4 months. I anticipate several years of trouble free service. The filter is built out of cheap, thin black plastic, and thats really all you need. The various other parts are cheap plastic, but the engineering has been refined to a point where they are not overbuilding the unit, but still offer a very good product for $40. I especially like the 2 piece cover designed to be quiet and not rattle. Simple things like that reflect the engineer's approach. The motor is not submersible, but it is sealed, and you can easily spray out the housing with a water hose, and get the outside wet without ruining the unit. The biowheel has replaceable purple plastic bushings that press into the black housing. Sometimes you should clean the bushings with an old toothbrush and some water. I typically hose out the filter pad once a week, and remove the entire filter about once monthly to spray it out. It's good to keep the buildup to a minimum, so this basic maintenance is very important. The replacement filter pads cost between $8-9 for 3 of them. But you can just keep reusing the same one if you slit the edge with a razor blade, and dump out the old carbon. Its only after the floss material its self becomes worn out do I change the filter pad. All in all the 200b is a good deal for the money. I do, however, recommend you add a little extra filtration above what is recommended. I have 2 penguin 200b's and 1 marineland magnum 350 canister filter on a 56 gallon aquarium with 4 cichlids in it. They seem pretty happy, and the water is never cloudy and it never has any other problems either. I would recommend two 200b's on a 30 gal. You could, however, probably get away with one of these filters on a 56 gallon, if you knew what you were doing. Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent!

Great Filter by DAN ZABLER

Experience Level: Expert

Posted on 7/21/2008 from CEDAR FALLS, IA UNITED STATES

Comments: This filter works great. It is a little bigger than I expected but does a great job. Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.

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1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Unsatisfactory

Problematic by ANDREW THOMAS

Experience Level: Intermediate

Posted on 7/16/2008 from TRAVERSE CITY, MI UNITED STATE

Comments: This filter has stopped running several times and now the flow is so slow that the bio-wheel wont spin. Thats a problem. I have done all I can to make it run right. I will now throw my 2 filters out and get new ones from another company. I would not recommend this product to my friends.

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11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent!

So far so good by DAVID LANDINO

Experience Level: Intermediate

Posted on 1/2/2008 from CLINTON, CT UNITED STATES

Comments: I am using the Penguin 350 for my 46 gallon salt water bow aquarium. I am in the process of cycling the tank now and the filter is working perfectly. The cleaning is the best part. Turn off the power, pull the cartridges and replace with new ones. The bio wheels never need changing. After adding my live sand to the aquarium the dust storm was nearly clear 24 hours later. I am a beginner at salt water but had 55 gal. fresh nearly my entire life. Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.

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15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

Average

OK Filter, but noisy by RICHARD

Experience Level: Expert

Posted on 11/17/2007 from CEDAR PARK, TX UNITED STATES

Comments: This filter works fine. It has good water flow and great filtration. But, the impeller makes lots of noise no matter what I do. It started after about 3 months. I've had a couple Penguin filters now and they both ended up making too much noise for my office. The first one was a smaller filter and took about a year before it started to sound like this one does now. I pulled out my sound pressure level meter and measured it. geek.. It's 64dBC at 1 meter 58dBA. Which is about as loud as a normal conversation. I would not recommend this product to my friends.

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