Upgrading filter

[Jebus]

my tetra whisper 10i doesn't seem to be doing much filtration, most of the time i have to push waste and food to the filter so it could suck it in...
i was thinking about upgrading it to a penguin bio wheel 125
also, if i were to get the bio wheel, should i put it in my tank and let it soak for a few days, then take out the tetra filter and put this one on?
thanks for the help

 

[Paul_MTS]

you should leave the old filter in there for atleast a week for new bacteria to develop on the new filter then you will beable to safely remove the old one.

 

[Jebus]

do you think the penguin will be better than the tetra whisper? would it be worth it to get it, or do you know any other better filters

 

[Becca]

Speaking from personal experience, here's my 2 cents:

I've tried the 3 major brands for Hang-On-Back filters and of them all, all three (Aquaclear, Whisper and BioWheel) were great, but Aquaclear is my favorite, followed closely by the BioWheel.

As for whether or not the BioWheel 125 would be enough for you, it depends on how much tank you have. IME, it's always better to overfilter than under filter. For my 30-Gallon tall, I went with a BioWheel 170, simply because the specs on the box (you know what I'm talking about - the "Filters a 50-Gallon Tank!") are under best case scenarios. Besides, if you're putting the money out, might as well put out an extra couple of bucks and get a bigger capacity filter.

When you buy your filter, don't rule out PetSmart! I got both of my Aquaclear 500's from them for about the price of ONE. If you visit their website, determine which product you want and print out an ad that shows the online price...the store WILL honor that price. (YAY!) You can save mucho bucks this way!

Once you get the filter you want home, run the two side by side for a while, I'd say a week or two, to help establish the ecology in the new filter.

 

[Chasing Puck]

I prefer the Aquaclear filters. They have an adjustable flow, and are easy to clean. There's a variety of media available, as well, though I use just the sponges for the most part. The sponges last for a long time with regular cleaning, and since you can have 2 in there, it's easy to replace half at a time when they do wear out.

 

[Synastic]

Hey Jebus,

Well I have both filters and have ran them both in my 10 gallon.... I would choose the 125 anyday, it does the job, has a biowheel and so on.... If you are going to buy the 125, I would recommend going to Petsmart they have the best price and they might have a special offer to go along with it.

 

[Becca]

Hey Jebus,

Well I have both filters and have ran them both in my 10 gallon.... I would choose the 125 anyday, it does the job, has a biowheel and so on.... If you are going to buy the 125, I would recommend going to Petsmart they have the best price and they might have a special offer to go along with it.

Just remember, if you go to PetSmart - check the price on the web, print it out and take it with you. You can save some big bucks this way.

 

[Synastic]

Hey Jebus,

Well I have both filters and have ran them both in my 10 gallon.... I would choose the 125 anyday, it does the job, has a biowheel and so on.... If you are going to buy the 125, I would recommend going to Petsmart they have the best price and they might have a special offer to go along with it.

Just remember, if you go to PetSmart - check the price on the web, print it out and take it with you. You can save some big bucks this way.

Hum, good thinking, ya do what becca said, you cant go wrong.

 

[Jebus]

it's too bad, cuase there are no pet smarts around my house
only petco, and petland discounts, and petland doesn't sell any penguins, so i am gonna have to go to petco
i will look for both the penguin 125 and the aquaclear, and see which they have in stock
thanks for all the help

 

[HiggityHank]

Check out the Cascade filters. I've got a Cascade 200 on my 26gal bowfront, and I LOVE it. I was a hard sell on it, but I'm glad my GF refused to buy anything other than this one.

My major issues with it was it looked very gimickey, and cheap... but it performs like a champ. Quiet, easy to clean, adjustable flow, and the carbon in their carbon filter carts is held in place by a very cool grid system (unlike the whisper where it all ends up at the bottom of the bag) I hear tell they're coming out with a "roll your own" system soon for replacement carts, but I recently just cut apart an old one and filled the little grid with some floss, it works great. They sell em at Petco, and they're not priced badly at all.

http/www.aquahobby.com/products/e_cascade.php

I'm pleased with it.

 

[Nidge]

If you have to push food and waste towards your filter you have a problem indeed.
I dont really know much about the filters you guys are talking about but normally you should go for a well known brand and check the filtration rate ( how many litres per hour ).
When adding a new filter run it side by side for at least three weeks,
It will work as a good mechanical filter while your old one will do the biological filtration.
Good luck

 

[Jebus]

update:
i went to petco a few hours ago, and was suprised at what they had in stock
they had lots of tetra whispers (the one i already have), so i ignored those
they had some aqua clears, but they were too big for my tank
i finally found the penguin filters, and luckily they had the penguin 125
so i got it
i am running it now with my current filter side by side, and everything is going smoothly
thanks for they help

 

[Leslie]

I'm running a Penguin 125 on my 10 Gallon and like it very much. Personally I would keep both filters running for at least 2 weeks.