Biowheel filter

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footballfan

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Jul 14, 2006
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Has anyone used a biowheel filter?I was curious to see what people think of them.Are they any better than a regular filter?Thanks in advance for any info
 

platytudes

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Nov 4, 2006
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Nicole
I wouldn't say they are necessarily better. They are helpful for seeding new tanks, but then so is regular biological media like sponges and ceramic rings...personally, I find the biowheels wear out and start to get too gunked up too turn properly, or otherwise get beaten up and misshapen so they don't often make a full rotation. Supposedly they are working no matter how fast they turn, but when all they are doing is turning every once in a great while, I just chuck them at that point.

They used to be cheap, but now you can't find one at an LFS for under $10 here! It's crazy. (I'm talking about for the little ones, like the ones that go on the Penguin 100...yeah.) And online is cheaper of course, but then there's shipping...

Speaking of cheap, there are frequently excellent sales, so never pay full price. Amazon has the best deals consistently, but once in a while Big Al's will have a steal on Marineland filters, especially if they include a rebate coupon.

United Pet Group has overall excellent customer service, by the way. They are a monopoly of sorts in the pet trade...Marineland is one of their brands, along with Tetra.
 
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SMinNC

What you give
Feb 23, 2009
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I've used them.
Don't really know if they're any better.
I've owned a few different bio-wheel HOB's including the best one they had. Whatever it was called. And will never try another HOB bio-wheel.
I had some success with the 350 magnum set-up. They could've done alot better on the mounting idea.

Anymore I just keep my tanks at a very reasonable load. And don't worry much about bio-filtration.

I suppose if you wanted a 30g L with 100 feeder goldfish in it. You could use an UGF with about 2" of gravel on it, run by the PH/bio-wheel set-up on each end and do ok. ; )

Come to think of it. The last time I used a bio-wheel. It was on a 10g tank I was starting up.
Took the 2 wheels running on a 55g with a 350 magnum. Stuck them on the 10g with a 250 magnum. Fired right up. ; )
And yes, it take's a little ingenuity. But it can happen.
I'm sure I had an AC on there with it, to eventually run the tank.
 

BettaFishMommy

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Mar 17, 2008
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Sherry N.
i had a penguin 350 biowheel filter running alongside an aquaclear 110 on a 55 gallon. i would've been much much happier running two aquaclears on that tank instead.

as mentioned, the biowheels gunk up, stop turning, and become ineffective. IMO the biowheel is on these types of filters because they are designed to have a disposable poly batting and carbon cartridge in the filter box area, and once you remove that cartridge, the only beneficial bacteria you are left with in your filter is on the biowheel. if that wheel isn't turning at all, you are left with no beneficial bacteria in your filter at all if you change that cartridge. not a good scenario at all.

go with a different hob filter. i recommend the Aquaclears.
 

thebrandon

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Jan 29, 2009
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I liked them enough to make this :)


Attached it to one of FX5's under my 135.
 

AbbeysDad

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Nov 7, 2011
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I think the bio-wheel is as close to wet/dry as most HOB's can get - I'm just not a fan of cartridge type HOB's. I agree that the AquaClear's by Hagen are very good filters and offer the flexibility of media selection. I also like the look of the Fluval 'C' series, also made by Hagen. It's actually an AquaClear with media compartments and is the first HOB to have a true wet/dry media chamber - definitely worth a serious look.
 

SubRosa

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Jul 3, 2009
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Biowheels are standard equiptment at commercial aquaculture facilities where stocking levels are measured in lbs per gallon instead of inches per gallon. They will process more ammonia in a given period of time with the minimum amount of maintenance to do it. That's why the pros whose livelihoods depend on everything working use them. Does a home aquarium need one? Of course not. But as insurance against sudden ammonia spikes, they're the best. I am truly amazed at all of the claims about excessive maintenance. On Penguin models all that's required is to take a cotton swab to the inside of the little plastic bushings that the axles of the biowheel rest in, and a quick wipe of the two axles on the wheel. On Emperors you need to remove the retaining clip and pull out the spraybar/s and holding the capped end up shake it up and down in the water several times to clear the nozzles, as well as the axle/bushing cleaning. Maybe shake off the wheel in a bucket of tank water.I might do all of this once or twice a year on the biowheel equipped tanks I maintain.
 

Pearl

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Aug 12, 2009
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I'm with SubRosa. I've used the Marineland biowheels as well as AquaClear, Aqueon and Cascade. The AquaClear filters do a decent job, as do Aqueons, but no HOB polishes the water as well as the Marineland biowheels. At least that's been my experience.
 

BettaFishMommy

finkids make me happy :-)
Mar 17, 2008
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Deadmonton, lol, Canada
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Sherry N.
but no HOB polishes the water as well as the Marineland biowheels. At least that's been my experience.
it's not the biowheel that is polishing the water, it's the polyester batting on the filter cartridge doing that job.
 
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