Buy Fish Tank Filters

Review by Tyler Forge:

I bought a load of these and saved a ton of money. Petsmart ships, so no amazon prime savings. Still, what a deal. My big tank takes 8 filters. I was avoiding changing them because of cost.

Funny, I changed all 8 at the same time and threw my tank out of whack. Too much algae and goo left the system with the old filters. I’ll change ‘em in stages from now on.

Review by Arnold Berger:

The Penguin Bio-wheel pumps are great: quiet, effective and long-lasting. (I have a 170 filter in a 39 gallon tank.) These size C filters are widely available, but the Amazon price is much lower than at my not-so-nearby pet store.

A word of warning. The day after changing my filter three months ago fish started dying. Next morning my 6″ long Plecostomus was dead. Then three Clown Loaches, each about 5 ” long. Within a week I had lost 18 of my 20 fish. Yet there was no sign of disease.

A water test and much internet searching finally pointed out what I had done wrong. I had neglected my tank for a few weeks. In a rush to catch up, I siphoned out about 30 percent of the water (more than usual), did a “better” than usual job of siphoning up detritus from the gravel. Then - my biggest mistake - I replaced the Penguin filter too! The result is the water chemistry changed too quickly. The Nitrates spiked to a deadly level. My tank, healthy for more than two years, needed to be started over. Took two months and many water changes before I could safely add new fish.

I visited perhaps a dozen “fish forums” and only one had a comment saying “don’t change filters when you do a water change.’ The Penguin filters and the box they come in carry no warnings. What I (and you) should do is simple: space your water changes and filter changes a week or two apart.

Now knowing how important the “aged” filter is (especially in a tank like mine with no under gravel filter) I’ve started this habit: there’s just enough space to get a second filter flat against the old filter. After a couple of weeks, I remove the older filter and put the newer one - by now doing some biological filtering - in its place. That way the tank is never depending on only a new filter. For larger tanks (say 55 gal and up), the 330 or 350 Penguin pump holds two filters side by side, so just change one filter at a time.

Hope this helps you avoid the disaster that hit my tank

Review by Toshio Shimada:

The Aquaclear power filters are the best in the market. These filters provide a HUGE surface area for an efficient biological treatment of the aquarium water. I own four of these filters and have been running continuously for more than three years! They are extremely quiet. I have experienced only two problems with these filters. First, the filters drain into the aquarium during power outages and will not restart on their own. Second, if not cleaned frequently the foam blocks will be pushed upwards and displace the cover. Overall, these are great filters and I would not replace them for another power filter.

Review by C. Patton:

These are by far the best filters I have ever used. I have had aquariums for approx. 23 years, and these filters are so easy to maintain. They do a great job.

Review by J. Beals:

I have had my Penguin 200 with the bio-wheel for about a month now. Before I bought it, I did some research and read the reviews about this particular model. I saw all the bad press people were giving it about it’s “restart problems” and “Bad Connections” etc. etc. and I have to say, the only problem with the P-200 are the short-bus riders who don’t have their water ALL THE WAY UP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE OUTPUT AREA.

5*s*t*a*r*s, the bio-wheel is super, it isn’t noisy (you know it’s on, but it doesn’t stop you from reading a book), and my fish have personally told me that they love it. My fish talk to me.

Review by Christopher D. Peterson:

I needed just the bio-wheel. Amazon had the whole filter with bio-wheel for 5 dollars more than the bio-wheel inself. I used the extra intake to extend the filter inyake since I have a tall (hexagon) tank. Works great.

Review by V. trusca:

ok so this pump bucket…is about 1.6 galons comes with 3 trays in it. you can load them with whatever you see fit to run whatever type of tank you want however they do come with the filter media you need…so you wont have to go out and buy some.

i own two. both 1000 due to the fact that i didnt hear very good things about the larger models and because i run a 75 saltwater with fish inverts and loads of live rock.

ive had one for 6 months now and i liked it so much and i liked the PRICE so much i decided to buy another one of the same type.

i dont use the rubber hoses and fittings they come with altho they are great. i actually did some diy plumming and have them both hooked togheder on the intake but sparate utputs.

water flow is good they are very quiet and if you plan on running them in a cabinet you wont hear them run at all.

the disconect feature is great but sometimes when i unhook the pump i spill a bit of water. not from the intake or output hoses…its the water thats left in the canister…but its only id say about as much as you can fit in a tablespoon.

as far as priming goes…you hook up the hoses…you pump the top button hard about 5 times and then by suction it will get its own airbubbles out.

NOTE at first it will blow bubbles untill it fills itself with water but this is for less than a few seconds. after 3 minutes if you still see slight bubbles coming out that means you didnt set up the hoses right and you might have an air leak but thats not the pumps fault.

once properly set this will be the last of your worries especially when it comes to maintenance.

if you buy this pump you wont regret it.

Review by C.S. Jennings:

As an fish tank owner for over 15 years, I’d always had the big old Penguin on the back of the tank. Reliable. Sometimes noisy. But it got the job done.

Recently the Penguin gave up the ghost. I decided to upgrade. I could not be happier. I am wondering why I didn’t do it sooner. (And so are my fish.)

I’d read several people say it was hard to hook up. I didn’t have that experience. The tubes went on with a little muscle, and I guess if you’re a 90 pound gal, it might offer some resistance. Another review said he got different tubes instead of the ones that came with the unit. I don’t see a need to do that. They’re stiff, but more than get the job done. Another note, mine came with the filter media pre-loaded. I had to take the carbon mesh bag out of the plastic it came in. I bought media for it with the “buy this with this” option. Now I have media for when I need it. The priming of the pump was not the “press it four times and it will fill in a minute” the instructions said. However, I just repeated the steps they list, and it was up and running in no time.

That said, I put this on a 55 gallon tank. I have never had cleaner or clearer water in my tank. I just stand and stare at it in happy disbelief. It does seem to have a LOT of muscle for a tank that size, but again, it’s doing an awesome job. The fish were a little concerned at first, but by the next morning were doing their thing as always.

I really like the profile of the top of my tank now. My aquarium sits on a stand. The filter went inside and I shut the door. There’s no boxy black thing sticking out of the top. It looks great.

Also. This thing is whisper quiet.

What had kept me out of the canister market had been the price. A lot of the guys are 0-300. The price on this one is stellar. Considering I’ve got over 0 of fish in my tank, worth every penny.

Do I love this filter? Love’s a strong word, but as far as inanimate objects go, I got a serious Jones for this one.

Review by Scott Baret:

I got my fish tank in 1998 and had an older BioWheel filter. However it was pretty much DOA when I got it as the wheel didn’t turn. I instead settled for an underground filter. However, the cartridge on that went bad last year (it always does every few months) and I forgot to replace it.

A few weeks ago I went to my Uncle’s house. He’s always been into fish tanks and I saw how clear his water was compared to mine. Being that I hadn’t cleaned my tank in a while I figured I should revamp it when I got home. I thought maybe my filter needed replaced.

Upon my return home I cleaned the tank and bought this filter for at Petsmart (Amazon is great but the seems a bit high for this compared to what I got it for). It only took a few hours and my water suddenly looked as good as my Uncle’s.

I also fixed the old filter, but this one works better. Sometimes I leave both of them on to provide extra oxygen. This filter has easy to change cartridges that need replaced about once a month or so. They’ll probably set you back a bit, but based on this filter’s performance so far I will definitely keep up the maintence.

Review by rob v:

the filter works much better then my old whisper

its was a little loud at first but eventually got quiet.

Review by Ronald L. Russell:

I’ve used a pair of Emperor 400 filters on a 75 gallon tank continuously for the past five years or so. So far, neither has needed attention other than filter changes and recently, new impellers. After five years, the constantly spinning impellers had worn their shafts and bushings to the point where they made a rattley noise, although they still moved water effectively. Replacing the impellers was an easy repair, and restored the unit to almost total silence. The filter may actually now be quieter than when it was new, as there appeared to be a slight design change in the new impellers when compared to the old ones. The loudest sound is that of water returning into the tank, which varies from almost inaudible to a gentle splashing sound, depending on whether the water level is above the level of the return chutes or below them. The tank is located in the living room where I watch television, and I’m never distracted by the sounds of the filters.

For almost anyone, a single Emperor would provide adequate filtration, however at the time I purchased them, I had seven huge goldfish in the tank, who produced vast quantities of waste matter. Eventually the goldfish grew too large for the tank and were relocated to a pond in the backyard, and the tank was restocked with a variety of colorful tropical fish.

The big selling feature for the Emperor 400 is the dual biowheels, which provide a highly oxygenated living space for beneficial bacteria to colonize. These bacteria help remove some of the waste products which the fish produce, resulting in healthier fish, and extending the time interval between water changes, and thus reducing maintainence of the aquarium. Other filters have alternative methods of providing biological filtration, but the biowheel is so effective that it can keep nitrates at an undetectable level. The Emperor filters, both the 400 and the 280, have an adjustable spraybar above the biowheels. Water falling onto the wheels from the spraybar helps insure that the biowheels never stop turning, and allows the user to adjust the speed at which they turn. The standard Penguin filters have biowheels, but no spraybars, and so the biowheels only turn by the action of water flowing beneath them, with no adjustment for speed. I’m still using the original biowheels which came with my filters, with no end in sight. I’ve never even cleaned them or seen any need to do so.

These filters are made of a black, slightly flexible plastic which seems to be less brittle than the transparant material used on some other filters. I used to use the original Marineland brand replacement cartridges, but have since found that some aftermarket filter pads for the Emperor are made with a reuseable frame which snaps together on either side of the filter pad. This allows the user to purchase filter floss in a bulk roll. When the filter pad becomes clogged, I simply cut new floss pads to fit the frame, making the cost of renewing filter pads extremely low.

As others have mentioned, each filter has four slots for filter cartridges. And the Emperor 400 comes with two refillable media containers which can occupy two of those slots, if you choose to use them. They can hold extra carbon, zeolite, or other material. I have mine filled with porous ceramic noodles.

The Emperor 400 has a control for water volume, so you can turn it down when feeding your fish, preventing all the food from being sucked into the filter. After the fish have finished eating, the volume can be set back to “high”, however I have left it in the second slowest postion for weeks at a time, and the fish seemed to be content. I have found that if the volume control is not moved for a long time, it tends to accumulate mineral deposits and become stiff. So, I turn it down every day when feeding, then turn it back up a couple of hours later. Also, if the power is interrupted while water volume is turned down, the filter takes longer to prime itself and begin pumping properly. If power fails when volume is turned up, the filter restarts with no problem when power is restored.

The Emperor 400 comes with a cleaning brush for the spray bars and an extension for the water intake to be used if you have a very deep tank. My own tank is fairly deep, and the extension would bring the intake nearer the bottom, however I don’t use the extension, and filtration seem fine.

When setting up an aquarium, it should be born in mind that the closer to a natural habitat you can get, the healthier your fish will be and the less maintainence will be required. My own tank is set up as follows:

Two inches of “Eco-Complete planted aquarium substrate” soil purchased in sealed bags at the local store AquariumConnection. The soil is intended for use in aquariums with live plants, which feed on some of the wastes. In the soil, there are approximately 20 Anubis plants scattered around the tank. The fish love to swim between and around the leaves, or hide behind them. From time to time, eggs are laid on the leaves of the plants. The bright green leaves stand out in vivid contrast against the nearly black soil. Two 15 watt fluorescent lights provide illumination to stimulate photsynthesis in the plants.

I strongly recommend that you do NOT use any type of gravel, colored or otherwise, as food falls down into the gravel where fish cannot reach it, and where it rots and fouls the water. If you choose to use gravel, you MUST vacuum the gravel on a weekly basis, and your water still will not be as clean. Gravel equals more work and dirtier water. Sand is better than gravel as food cannot fall down into the sand, but sand still doesn’t provide nutrition for live plants. Use Eco-Complete soil or something comparable, both you and your fish will be happier.

I also recommend that you do NOT use any type of undergravel filter, as these will also require frequent vacuuming, and eventual dismantling of the tank to clean beneath the filter plate. With the Emperor, you won’t need additional filters. And again, undergravel filters equal more work and lower water quality. I NEVER vacuum the soil, and perform a 20% water change every week or so. Filter cartridges tend to last several months.

The fish themselves consist of a number of cory catfish, who snuffle around through the soil and pick up whatever falls from above. There are as well golden tetras, cardinal tetras, redline tetras, silver dollars, danios, flying clouds, and mollies, and one otocinclus catfish. Some of the cory catfish are grandfathers several times over, and have grown to a large size in the five years or so they have lived in this tank.

I feed them once each day, around 6:00 pm. Supper consists of several spirulina wafers, plus a pinch of flake food about the size of a nickle, which I crush between my fingers to produce many very fine particles.

To sum up, the Emperor 400 is an efficient and durable filter which will help provide good water quality and healthy fish.

Review by Ronald L. Russell:

I’ve used a pair of Emperor 400 filters on a 75 gallon tank continuously for the past five years or so. So far, neither has needed attention other than filter changes and recently, new impellers. After five years, the constantly spinning impellers had worn their shafts and bushings to the point where they made a rattley noise, although they still moved water effectively. Replacing the impellers was an easy repair, and restored the unit to almost total silence. The filter may actually now be quieter than when it was new, as there appeared to be a slight design change in the new impellers when compared to the old ones. The loudest sound is that of water returning into the tank, which varies from almost inaudible to a gentle splashing sound, depending on whether the water level is above the level of the return chutes or below them. The tank is located in the living room where I watch television, and I’m never distracted by the sounds of the filters.

For almost anyone, a single Emperor would provide adequate filtration, however at the time I purchased them, I had seven huge goldfish in the tank, who produced vast quantities of waste matter. Eventually the goldfish grew too large for the tank and were relocated to a pond in the backyard, and the tank was restocked with a variety of colorful tropical fish.

The big selling feature for the Emperor 400 is the dual biowheels, which provide a highly oxygenated living space for beneficial bacteria to colonize. These bacteria help remove some of the waste products which the fish produce, resulting in healthier fish, and extending the time interval between water changes, and thus reducing maintainence of the aquarium. Other filters have alternative methods of providing biological filtration, but the biowheel is so effective that it can keep nitrates at an undetectable level. The Emperor filters, both the 400 and the 280, have an adjustable spraybar above the biowheels. Water falling onto the wheels from the spraybar helps insure that the biowheels never stop turning, and allows the user to adjust the speed at which they turn. The standard Penguin filters have biowheels, but no spraybars, and so the biowheels only turn by the action of water flowing beneath them, with no adjustment for speed. I’m still using the original biowheels which came with my filters, with no end in sight. I’ve never even cleaned them or seen any need to do so.

These filters are made of a black, slightly flexible plastic which seems to be less brittle than the transparant material used on some other filters. I used to use the original Marineland brand replacement cartridges, but have since found that some aftermarket filter pads for the Emperor are made with a reuseable frame which snaps together on either side of the filter pad. This allows the user to purchase filter floss in a bulk roll. When the filter pad becomes clogged, I simply cut new floss pads to fit the frame, making the cost of renewing filter pads extremely low.

As others have mentioned, each filter has four slots for filter cartridges. And the Emperor 400 comes with two refillable media containers which can occupy two of those slots, if you choose to use them. They can hold extra carbon, zeolite, or other material. I have mine filled with porous ceramic noodles.

The Emperor 400 has a control for water volume, so you can turn it down when feeding your fish, preventing all the food from being sucked into the filter. After the fish have finished eating, the volume can be set back to “high”, however I have left it in the second slowest postion for weeks at a time, and the fish seemed to be content. I have found that if the volume control is not moved for a long time, it tends to accumulate mineral deposits and become stiff. So, I turn it down every day when feeding, then turn it back up a couple of hours later. Also, if the power is interrupted while water volume is turned down, the filter takes longer to prime itself and begin pumping properly. If power fails when volume is turned up, the filter restarts with no problem when power is restored.

The Emperor 400 comes with a cleaning brush for the spray bars and an extension for the water intake to be used if you have a very deep tank. My own tank is fairly deep, and the extension would bring the intake nearer the bottom, however I don’t use the extension, and filtration seem fine.

When setting up an aquarium, it should be born in mind that the closer to a natural habitat you can get, the healthier your fish will be and the less maintainence will be required. My own tank is set up as follows:

Two inches of “Eco-Complete planted aquarium substrate” soil purchased in sealed bags at the local store AquariumConnection. The soil is intended for use in aquariums with live plants, which feed on some of the wastes. In the soil, there are approximately 20 Anubis plants scattered around the tank. The fish love to swim between and around the leaves, or hide behind them. From time to time, eggs are laid on the leaves of the plants. The bright green leaves stand out in vivid contrast against the nearly black soil. Two 15 watt fluorescent lights provide illumination to stimulate photsynthesis in the plants.

I strongly recommend that you do NOT use any type of gravel, colored or otherwise, as food falls down into the gravel where fish cannot reach it, and where it rots and fouls the water. If you choose to use gravel, you MUST vacuum the gravel on a weekly basis, and your water still will not be as clean. Gravel equals more work and dirtier water. Sand is better than gravel as food cannot fall down into the sand, but sand still doesn’t provide nutrition for live plants. Use Eco-Complete soil or something comparable, both you and your fish will be happier.

I also recommend that you do NOT use any type of undergravel filter, as these will also require frequent vacuuming, and eventual dismantling of the tank to clean beneath the filter plate. With the Emperor, you won’t need additional filters. And again, undergravel filters equal more work and lower water quality. I NEVER vacuum the soil, and perform a 20% water change every week or so. Filter cartridges tend to last several months.

The fish themselves consist of a number of cory catfish, who snuffle around through the soil and pick up whatever falls from above. There are as well golden tetras, cardinal tetras, redline tetras, silver dollars, danios, flying clouds, and mollies, and one otocinclus catfish. Some of the cory catfish are grandfathers several times over, and have grown to a large size in the five years or so they have lived in this tank.

I feed them once each day, around 6:00 pm. Supper consists of several spirulina wafers, plus a pinch of flake food about the size of a nickle, which I crush between my fingers to produce many very fine particles.

To sum up, the Emperor 400 is an efficient and durable filter which will help provide good water quality and healthy fish.

Review by Perry Munger IV:

I bought the H.O.T. Magnum because it was the cheapest canister filter at the local petstore. Good move. Using the micron filter, it got rid of the cloudiness in my tank in about three days (55 gal tank). I switched it to carbon and it as been working like a champ. My tank also has two high-capacity over-tank filters of the normal type, and they constantly overflow and pour gunk into the tank. The H.O.T. Magnum doesn’t do this. It is set to suck from my undergravel filter, which, combined with a powerhead, has really reduced floating stuff in the tank. I’m going to get a Magnum 350 pro next and get rid of both my normal over-tank filters.

Review by D. Cullen:

I just set up my 2nd 50 gallon fish tank and decided to try this filter set up instead of the FilStar Canister Filter that I have used for years in my original tank. I don’t know if you need to but I am using 2 of these filters in my tank. They do a marvelous job, the extra filter works great, you just put it in for a few hours and your tank is crystal clear! The main advantage I see to these filters is, since they sit at the back top of your tank you never have to worry about the filter leaking. There have been a couple of times I haven’t gotten the lid quite sealed enough on my canister filter and woke up to 3 inches of water in my tank cabinet. Fortunately my husband built the cabinet quite sturdy and water proof!