Biowheel filter

[platytudes]

Well, I never clean them, and find that in a year or two (depending on the stocking load, the worst is usually on a tank with driftwood...since I have yet to find any driftwood except Mopani root wood that does not gradually rot, and slough off bit by bit) they do get loaded with crap, which greatly reduces their ability to turn. I have never found a way to clean them effectively so that they regain their full turning ability. I don't know what a bio-wheel is made of (it almost feels like the sort of material that Shop Vac filters are made of) but if you're not careful, you can push the folds out of alignment, and it's difficult to make it fit right again.

I am sure if I used those cartridges, I would notice a difference, but since all of my HOB filters are stuffed with primarily biological media (sponges and ceramic media) when I eventually throw them away, I see zero difference in the water quality, clarity or chemistry. And honestly, I am slightly relieved to have the unsightly thing gone by that point

Bio-wheels do work, but they are certainly not essential. If you ran two identical tanks with an Emperor 280 and an AquaClear 70, filled them both with identical AquaClear media (incidentally, the media for the 70 would fit the Emperor 280 very well) I very much doubt you would see any difference between the two. You would however, with the AC 70, have a quieter and easier to clean filter.

 

[Pearl]

it's not the biowheel that is polishing the water, it's the polyester batting on the filter cartridge doing that job.

I realize that the biowheel isn't polishing the water. My point was that of all the HOBs I have tried, the Marineland biowheels do the best job of polishing the water.

 

[stevent]

I like the Marineland and Emperor bio-wheel filters, but I hate replacing the cartridges. Marineland filters should have reusable sponges like the Aquaclear.

 

[SubRosa]

Well, I never clean them, and find that in a year or two (depending on the stocking load, the worst is usually on a tank with driftwood...since I have yet to find any driftwood except Mopani root wood that does not gradually rot, and slough off bit by bit) they do get loaded with crap, which greatly reduces their ability to turn. I have never found a way to clean them effectively so that they regain their full turning ability. I don't know what a bio-wheel is made of (it almost feels like the sort of material that Shop Vac filters are made of) but if you're not careful, you can push the folds out of alignment, and it's difficult to make it fit right again.

I am sure if I used those cartridges, I would notice a difference, but since all of my HOB filters are stuffed with primarily biological media (sponges and ceramic media) when I eventually throw them away, I see zero difference in the water quality, clarity or chemistry. And honestly, I am slightly relieved to have the unsightly thing gone by that point

Bio-wheels do work, but they are certainly not essential. If you ran two identical tanks with an Emperor 280 and an AquaClear 70, filled them both with identical AquaClear media (incidentally, the media for the 70 would fit the Emperor 280 very well) I very much doubt you would see any difference between the two. You would however, with the AC 70, have a quieter and easier to clean filter.

But keep increasing the stocking the those two tanks equally and see which crashes and burns first due to an ammonia spike.

 

[platytudes]

Ok, so...maybe bio-wheels should be recommended for overstocked tanks? I can concede to that. Except that if you use the default media in the Marineland filters, that thin little piece of floss will get filthy in no time, and the carbon will be expended equally quickly.

That's why I recommend the best of both worlds...use AquaClear media in any hang on the back filter. There is a size to fit practically any HOB, or you can just get the media for the 110 and cut it to fit, and get some micron bags to repackage the Biomax.

 

[Obelisk]

I know this is an old thread, but I figured it was better to post here than make a new one.

This review said that the biowheel filters do work, but they aren't necessarily superior to power filters that use submerged biomedia. The author said that while the bio-wheel exposes the bacteria to more oxygen, it has much less surface area than a large sponge. This is the first "experiment" I've read about concerning the bio-wheels, so I found it to be pretty interesting. I use a Penguin 100 myself, though I've wondered what the hype is really all about. If anyone has done something similar to this, it'd be cool to read about your observations.

 

[Tiger15]

I own about a dozen Penquen HOB filters, but never installed one biowheel. Penquen are great mechanical filters, but the biowheels are more gimick than necessity. Turning the biowheels used up some energy, creating backup of the water that would otherwise provide stronger flow and aeration. HOBs are only good for mechanical filtration, as there aren't enough filter media volume to provide effective chemical or biological filtration. However, fresh water tanks don't need extra external biofiltration, as biofiltration can be effectively achieved internally through good circulation of water in the tank substrate, walls and ornamentss. It's better to divert the energy to maximize ciruculation than to turn the wheel.

 

[Nereus7]

You can take a Whisper 40i and pack it full of rings with a sack of carbon on top as a suppliment. Cheap, effective, easy to clean. I tried the bio wheel, it stopped turning - N

 

[SubRosa]

Those who earn their livings putting farm raised fish on our tables would disagree with the detractors of biowheels, or as they're properly known rbc's, rotating bio contactors. They're the industry standard. In the grand scheme of life an ammonia spike in one of our home aquaria is a real bummer. On a commercial fish farm it could easily be the reason you couldn't make payroll or pay the mortgage last month. Those guys tend to know what they're doing a bit better than we home aquarists in these matters.

 

[SubRosa]

You can take a Whisper 40i and pack it full of rings with a sack of carbon on top as a suppliment. Cheap, effective, easy to clean. I tried the bio wheel, it stopped turning - N

If you don't change the oil in your car's engine it will stop turning too. Maintenance keeps things turning smoothly in both examples.