Bio-wheel 350 is LOUD!

dontgetbit

dontgetbit

AC Members
Feb 26, 2010
25
0
0
43
Raleigh, NC
I have a 20g in my bedroom with a Marineland Penguin Bio-wheel 350 on it. I bought both as a package deal on craigslist. This is my first bio-wheel but from what I can tell so far it will be my last. I can not seem to get rid of the waterfall noise that is coming from the bio-wheels.

I searched and most suggest to raise the water level, well my water level can not get any higher without overflowing.

The next step is just remove the bio-wheels but I am not sure what effect that may have on the tank. Any suggestions?
 
Is it the actual wheels making the noise when they spin? I have had a Marineland Penguin Bio-wheel 200 for over a year and the only sound it ever makes is the impeller grinding when it's not sitting right in the housing. The wheel itself has always been virtually silent.

A 350 is awful big for a 20g. That may have something to do with it.
 
Ive had a 350 for about a year now, and its not significantly loud. my air pump is louder than the biowheels. do yours have the covers over them?
 
IME when removing my bio wheels (i have the penguin 350b), the splash noise gets louder. now mind you that is because the covers are off the filter, and i've never thought to put them back on to see how much splash noise there would be.

hmmm, here's a thought (if you don't mind ripping your biowheels apart). take the fabric off the wheels and fold it to fit laying across the waterfall area, so water runs over it before going back to the tank. i think this would quiet the splash noise while at the same time you don't lose any media surface area for bacteria. you may have to get creative about attaching/securing the fabric to the filter though.
 
Check to see if the water is running through the by-pass groove. The water free falls a bit when by-passing.

Is your filter sitting down snug on the tank lip? If it's elevated somehow, then yeah, you can't raise your water to the proper level of course.

See if the outlet "lip" of the filter discharge is at water level. If not, see what is holding your filter up. Maybe the leveling pad in back is catching on something.

Other than those two items, there's not much that can cause water to free fall out of a 350.

Good luck!
 
Bio-wheels can be noisy at first but they do quiet down as they absorb water over the course of a few days or so. I would give it a few days to see if the splashing quiets down.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom