penguin 175 WOW!!

[LMOUTHBASS]

i just got a penguin with the bio wheel i have it on for a few days, my tank is lookin great this thing seems to be an awesome filter!!! i bought the model that can handle up to a 50 gal even though i have a 20 so i'm sure this might have something to do with it, but is there any harm in this(having maybe too much filtration) i went with the bigger one in case i get a bigger tank setup soon!!! what are you opinions on this product??? thanks

[Rometiklan]

I've never had a Penguin filter before, so I can't comment on them, or their performance. But I would like to make a point about your turnover rate. In my earlier days of this hobby, I would always use the power filter as recommended by the manufacturer. This would usually only give me a turnover rate of 5 or 6 times my tank volume or even less. For example, the AquaClear mini is rated for 20 gallons, which is about a 5 times turnover rate. Now I always shoot for at least a 10 times turnover rate on all my set-ups, which does wonders for the clarity and quality of the water. So in a long winded way, to answer your question, there is no harm in using the penguin 175 on your 20 gallon.

[Manix]

No such thing as too much filtration, too much current MAYBE, but never too much filtration.
I have one of these my self, not a bad little filter. It didn't care for sand, but other than that its great.

[cdawson]

Penguin bio-wheels are awesome filters, you can wash your filter in the sink and the ben. bacteria will still be alive in the bio-wheel. They're also very efficient and work best as over-filtration.

[Strgazr]

My first Penguin 300 biowheel just gave out on me - after just short of 10yrs! I used it on a freshwater, then salt, then back to freshwater again. It only cost about $40 - not bad for 10 years! I of course replaced it with a new one.

[Xeider]

I have a penguin 170 running on my 20 gallon tall, and it has done a very good job so far. There is allways some decent current in one part of the tank, but some of my fish seem to enjoy it.

[Tiger15]

I use almost eclusively Penquen filters now, after replacing most of my aging Whispers. They are very reliable filters that will start reliably every time the power is turned off and on, an important asset to consider for power outage. I don't use the biowheels though, and don't believe they make anything different.

[ROLLIN]

I should be getting a penguin 330 within the next few days, cant wait. :)

[LMOUTHBASS]

the bio wheels were one of the main attractions to this for me, what is other peoples experience with the wheels??? do they seem to make a difference ??? thanks

[dave76]

I have three penguin 330s and a pengiun 125. I just recycled a 55 gallon with only the 125 attached to it. I bought a new 330 to go on the 55 as well and when I put fish in the tank I removed a biowheel on one of my other filters and a placed it on the new 330, bam! instant bio filtration! I am considering adding a cannister filter on my 100 gallon but only for mechanical filtration purposes. I was going to fill it with polyfloss for water polishing.

The thing I like the most about them is their cost effectiveness. you can get a 330 at big al's for US $23. the 125 was given to me or I would have probably gotten another 330 to take isntead. Eventually I will replace it with one I am sure :).

[paradigmcubed]

GREAT FILTERS AT A GREAT PRICE, CAN'T BEAT THEM!!!!!!!!!!! The bio-wheel on these things is great. My water is always clear and never cloudy. Much better than an aquaclear, tetra etc. At least the other filter brands including the previous ones have never done as good a job as my bio-wheel.

[Andy16]

I have an aquclear mini, and hte penguin 170 on my 20 gallon. I will be soon gettin a cannister and i want to make a wet/dry filter also. So there really isnt such thing as too much filtration. I really like my 170, the only thing i like better about the AC is the media basket.

[dave76]

I had one biowheel 330 in a 55 gallon that was probably a little overstocked. For the life of me I could not get rid of ammonia traces. So I added a second 330 and it was Gone....... I would say yes it does make that much of a difference. Turns out that the ammonia was coming from a UGF that I removed when I upgraded to my 100. it was an inch thick layer of fish crap. for it to keep the ammonia levels down with that much crap it there it must have been doing the job pretty well. I left some of that crap in there to begin the recycle process and without a filter on it the ammonia levels quickly rose to 2.0 ppm. Those same filters kept my new 100 gallon under control and I only do waterchanges once a week when my nitrates get high.

[dave76]

Andy gotta agree with you there the media baskets on the penguins SUCK! I just wish I could put some more poly floss in mine. Thats why I want the cannister. My water is not as clear as it could be, of course I dont use carbon either.

[dethjam316]

i use an emperor 400 on a 50g. we'll see how clear the water ends up, because this tank is relatively new. the penguin 170 i had on a 20g never satisfied me. the water was always cloudier than tanks i had comparable aquaclears on. i gave that filter for my father to use on his tank, and he took off the biowheel hoping maybe the water will clear up. who knows?

[Andy16]

Ive never used other media in m AC but at least the baskets keep more options open. I think they even make media bags so you can choose your own.

[dethjam316]

yea dude, aquaclears have space for just about anything you can imagine. i just ran mine with the sponge though, and the water was crystal clear and all the bad stuff were at nonexistant levels. suffice it to say, if i were buying a filter right now for something, i would probably head in that direction.

[dethjam316]

actually, my only complaint about the aquaclears filters is that they seem to jam up pretty easily. take a little java moss, or another piece of a plant that broke off and got sucked up, and the impeller just stops. that happened about three times over a six month period, while that's never happened with any other filters i've used. even the cheap whispers i've had will slow to a trickle, but they won't completely jam up.

[ROLLIN]

People always say they like aquaclears best because of the size of the media basket, but who cares how big it is? Nothing you put in there is going to filter the water as good as a bio-wheel, and all the junk you can put in there like zeolite you dont need anyway. You can put filter floss in penguins and emperors (I have floss in my emperor, and will in the penguin) just like aquaclears. You could probably even stuff a sponge in there if you wanted. Im not saying I dont like aquaclears because I do, I currently run 3, but a bigger media basket isnt better than having a bio-wheel.

[dave76]

the thing I dont like is that the penguins have those media baskets that hang in the back of the filter instead of forcing the water to go through them like aquaclears do. ROLLIN do you just line the bottom with it and pack it in there? Do you use filter cartridges? I was going to fill the inside of the filter with poly floss but I was worried that the impeller might get caught up in it.

[ROLLIN]

In the emperor I just stuffed some in, and I dont use the cartridges, theyre to expensive. I havent got the penguin yet, but when I do Im going to stuff it with floss too, or maybe have nothing in it and just let the wheels go to work, the tank already has an aquaclear 500 which can be the mechanical filter.