im going to get a emperor 400 to supplement my fluval 304 its a 90 gal tank and i was thinking that the 304 was a little small so i figured it wouldnt hurt to throw on a hob im also getting a uv sterilizer to get rid of my persistent green water and opinions?
emperor filters
- Thread starter mdcordeiro
- Start date
i think the uv will help a lot. sometimes you cant help it; it may be sunlight or other uncontrollable minerals in the water but the uv will clear up the tank better than anything except possible filling it with live plants. and if the uv unit is strong enough will get rid of waterborne parasites. the hob will help filter out everything the uv kills.
cyberbeer65
Scratch Glass!
I'd go with an Aqua Clear 500/110 rather than the Emperor 400.The AC 500/110 will give you 100 more gallons of filtration an hour as opposed to the Emperor,not to mention you have way more flexability with filter media.
FWIW, I had an emperor 400 for about 5 or 6 years (also a pair of emperor 280's, one of which is still in use). When it died recently, I replaced it with a canister filter, and am thrilled with the quiet. Any HOB filter is going to be noisy, and the emperors make a little more because of the bio-wheel spray.
You also have to be sure and keep the spray bar cleaned out with a pipe brush, because if the holes clog, the wheel stops turning.
Also, the media is expensive. A 4-pack of filters will run you around $20 or so. They can be rinsed and reused a few times if you wish to do that, but they do wear out after a couple times.
That said, the emperors are reliable, and the bio-wheel does a great job of providing a great bacteria media, even if your tanks are crowded. I've never had a problem with an Emperor filter restarting on it's own after a water change, and you can get parts pretty much anywhere.
For a HOB, I like my emperors, but I think I've become a convert to canisters, with the quiet, the ease of cleaning, and the reusable media - espensive up-front costs, but it will save money in the long run.
You also have to be sure and keep the spray bar cleaned out with a pipe brush, because if the holes clog, the wheel stops turning.
Also, the media is expensive. A 4-pack of filters will run you around $20 or so. They can be rinsed and reused a few times if you wish to do that, but they do wear out after a couple times.
That said, the emperors are reliable, and the bio-wheel does a great job of providing a great bacteria media, even if your tanks are crowded. I've never had a problem with an Emperor filter restarting on it's own after a water change, and you can get parts pretty much anywhere.
For a HOB, I like my emperors, but I think I've become a convert to canisters, with the quiet, the ease of cleaning, and the reusable media - espensive up-front costs, but it will save money in the long run.
i always thought emperors were junk compared to aquaclears. just sent back 3 emps for replacement.
I've used both aquaclear and emperors, and I don't think either of them is junk.
They each have their advantages and disadvantages. I used sponges in my aquaclear, which means I didn't need to constantly buy filter pads. That was and advantage. On the other hand, with the emperor, I never had to worry about my bio bacteria while I was cleaning the filter. That was an advantage.
I can't say I noticed an overall quality of manufacture difference between the two. I am sure your mileage may vary.
They each have their advantages and disadvantages. I used sponges in my aquaclear, which means I didn't need to constantly buy filter pads. That was and advantage. On the other hand, with the emperor, I never had to worry about my bio bacteria while I was cleaning the filter. That was an advantage.
I can't say I noticed an overall quality of manufacture difference between the two. I am sure your mileage may vary.
I have and AC 300, Emporer 280 and the Fluval 304 on my tank. The only reason for the Emporer is I got it free from a friend and figured why not add it to my tank. It works fine but is much noiser than the AC. It also looses suction if the tank level is low. If I vac with the Emporor on it looses suction when the water gets down 2" while the AC will keep working right to the intake level.
If you have the canister already you do not need the added biowheel on the Emporer. Go with the AC IMO.
If you have the canister already you do not need the added biowheel on the Emporer. Go with the AC IMO.
I have two Emperor 280's on my 75 and LOVE them. I don't think they are hard to maintain at all. I don't buy the expensive disposable media for it though. They come with an empty grey media cartridge that you can fill with whatever you want. I just buy a sheet of the media from the petstore and cut it to fit. I can even add carbon if I want. SO much cheaper. I also run a cannister with them to polish water and a few days a week (Magnum 350) but its far from necessary. I also like being able to control the flow rate on them as well.
Another tip on the emperor filter and the media cartridges since I don't buy the expensive ones they sell! My wife does a lot of sewing and one day when she had her stuff spread out in the basement on the floor I noticed a large piece of what looked like filter floss. Turned out, it was quilting batting or something like that, but it was the same material filter floss is made from! Next time she went to Wal-mart, I checked out the sewing section and sure enough, there it was. I bought the thickest stuff the had at about 1/2" and it came in a big sheet that was like 3' x 5' for only about $6!! I use it in all my emporers now and have been for quite a while. I usually use a double layer or two media cartridges with single layers in my 400's.
I also have had no problems with any of my Emperor 400's being noisy, not sucking or anything else. I have 4 of them running right now and the newest one is 3 years old. My only gripe is that if you turn them off and much water gets taken/spilled out of them, they do not always restart themselves. I've gotten in the habit of just refilling them everytime I change the water in the aquariums. If you simply stop and then start them again, they seem to work just fine at starting their own suction.
IMO, if you order them online, you can get a good filter for pretty cheap. And if you don't keep buying the expensive filters stores sell, you can maintain them really cheaply.
Good luck,
I also have had no problems with any of my Emperor 400's being noisy, not sucking or anything else. I have 4 of them running right now and the newest one is 3 years old. My only gripe is that if you turn them off and much water gets taken/spilled out of them, they do not always restart themselves. I've gotten in the habit of just refilling them everytime I change the water in the aquariums. If you simply stop and then start them again, they seem to work just fine at starting their own suction.
IMO, if you order them online, you can get a good filter for pretty cheap. And if you don't keep buying the expensive filters stores sell, you can maintain them really cheaply.
Good luck,