Bio-wheel Filters And Sand Substrate

[Barracuda518]

I just bought a 55 US gallon tank that I will be keeping cories in. Im looking to get a bio-wheel filter and was looking at the Marineland Pengiun filters. I dont want a really loud filter. I have 2 questions. First, has anyone had problems with a bio-wheel filter and a sand substrate? The second question is, I have no idea which one to get to provide the proper filtration and not too much current in the tank. I was wondering if I need to get 2 smaller filters so that there is a lot of current on one side of the tank.

Thanks for the help in advance.

 

[StarOrbs]

First Answer
I use to have to have an Marineland Emperor 400 on a tank with sand substrate and I never had a problem. Only thing I ever noticed is sand collecting on the bottom of the filter.

Second Answer
I believe the Penguin 330 is designed for 50-75 gallons which I believe would fit your needs. The 330 is similar to the Emperor 400 that I had but I believe the 330 is cheaper.

As a general rule I believe the water should be filtered 5-8 times per hour. You have a 55 gallon so something around 300-500 gph would work well. Most of the filters have a switch where you can lower the filter rate if you want the lower the current. I'm not sure if the penquins can do that but I know the emperor 400 can.

If you wanted to try another filter the AquaClear filters are great. You would want the 500 or 50 model depending on where you get it. I have an AC filter on my 40 Gallon and it cleans the tank really well without creating a tidepool. hehe. Hope I helped you a little..

 

[freddyk]

Sand can easily scratch the impellers of these Hanging power filters, and then they become very noisy and annoying. This is especially so with Aquaclears for some reason. As long as you keep the intake well off the sand bed you'll have no worries, but any time you do something in the tank that lifts the sand you should certainly shut off the filter until the it settles.