emperor vs pengiun
- Thread starter dave76
- Start date
It is a better caliber filter. Think of it like a car. A pontiac grand prix is a better car than the grand am. The emperor is designed better, has more media room, and is more powerful.
Basically it has more media room, it has spray bars that will move the bio wheels (much better performance), and the water inflow is adjustable. Generally, they are better built and will last longer. Additionally, the intake tube is larger.
They have more media room, but in no way are they a 'better built filter'. In fact, the additional pumps, spray bars, etc. are just more things that can break. A few people on this site (me included) have had penguin filters running continuously for well over 5 years with no problems.
Besides, Ive seen threads on problems with the Emperor quite often, but I cant remember the last time there was a thread on the penguins.
Besides, Ive seen threads on problems with the Emperor quite often, but I cant remember the last time there was a thread on the penguins.
I have had a number of problems with the penguins with clogging, (I have hard water) not so with the Emps. Just my personal experience. I will say, the penguins have been easier to prime.
The design is better with the Emperors. The Emperors are more heavy duty compared to the Penguins. The Emperor will have a lot less problems with biowheels rotation stopage (mostly the 330 and 170 models).
Having said that, The Penguins are fine filters except for the problem with the biowheels. They can stop rotating when the filter(s) get clogged or the bearing get gunk in them. Take off the biowheels, like what you get get with Walmart AquaTechs, and the filter is very reliable. It self-primes very well. It's easy to maintain. If you have the room, go with the Emperors. If you have less room on the back of your aquarium the Penguins are fine too. You just need to keep an eye on the biowheels.
I own an emperor 280 and I don't like it at all. It seems to me the things that I don't like about the emperor filter are the same in the penguins. Specifically, I don't like the cartridge system. I find these filters are not very flexable when it come to media choices. Also, I find these filters to be quite large and awkward in relation to how much media they contain as opposed to an aquaclear filter.
I long ago gave up using my 280. I was tired of buying the proprietary filter cartridges or alternately going through the hassel of making my own. IMO, the Aquaclear filters are they way to go. They are simpler, more versatile and cheaper to operate (those sponges last FOREVER!). That said, I do like those bio-wheels. They are just so **** cool.
I long ago gave up using my 280. I was tired of buying the proprietary filter cartridges or alternately going through the hassel of making my own. IMO, the Aquaclear filters are they way to go. They are simpler, more versatile and cheaper to operate (those sponges last FOREVER!). That said, I do like those bio-wheels. They are just so **** cool.
In my case I have found the opposite to be true. My 280 clogs repeatedly but my 3 170s and 1 330 work well all of the time.
In your comparision, are the filters subject to the same tank, bio load condition/filtering work load?
It's quite obvious that the filter media area on the Emperor 280 is greater that a Penguin 170 (by about 1/3 more). Same is true for 400 vs 330.