Emporer filters...???

I love my emporer.... I used to use Whisper's back in the 80's, then switched to the Penguin's in the 90's.... which I really liked... then I discovered the emporers last year and I love it above the rest and I think a major contributor to that is the spray bar that moves the biowheel and the hinged cover......
 
I was on the exact same path as DangerDoll and actually have gone one step further and have now switched all 12 of my Emperor 400s to AquaClear 500s. I like both the Aquaclears and the Emperors.

whispers in the 80's, penguins in the 90's, emperors Y2K, Aquaclears present.
 
I have 2 AC-500s, and 1 Emperor 400. I personally prefer the ACs because they are more flexible in my opinion as far as media options, and you can go completely with sponge, which is what a lot of AC owners do. The Emperor folks want you to repeatedly buy more of their filter media. They work wonderfully if you don't mind doing that. But there are many people out there I know who hold a completely opposite view on this, so just consider this 1 opinion. :dance
 
If you are going with a HOB filter then yes Emperors are great ones. I used an Emperor 400 and was very pleased with it. I don't have any experiance with Aquaclear as the Emperor was my last HOB (now I use Rena canisters--very highly recommended) but I would choose an Emperor over a whisper.
 
gburgess said:
I have 2 AC-500s, and 1 Emperor 400. I personally prefer the ACs because they are more flexible in my opinion as far as media options, and you can go completely with sponge, which is what a lot of AC owners do.
Click to expand...

You can also put AC sponges in the cartridge areas of the Emps too. Nothing says you have to use the cartridges. It's easier for some folks to fork out the dough than to mess around with sponges.

I personally would run an Emperor with AC 500 sponges cut to fit. Excellent biofiltration all the way around. Superior to a regular old AC, unless you're trying to preserve CO2, which is a whole other subject...
 
I have an AC 500 and an emperor 400 on my 50 gallon. If the emperor dies, I'll replace it with a smaller AC - foam & bio balls. The emperor moves a fraction of the water that the AC does. Of the 3- AC, whisper, and emperor. The emperor is my least favorite.
 
You have opened the mighty AC / Emperor debate which all comes down to a matter of opinion. I have read many thread though where individuals did not maintain their AquaClear and the media basket became clogged and proceeded to overflow onto the floor until the intake tube could no longer pull water. Emperors are designed to overflow into the tank should the media become to dirty for proper water flow.

I have an Emperor 280 and am very pleased. I have two baskets in it, one with fluval rings in it for bio media and the other with pillow stuffing for filteration (very cheap).

I do not own an AC so I cannot say much about them other than the stories I have heard about the media basket spilling out all over the floor and emptying the tank. If my emperor media gets gunked up, it is designed with an overflow area so the water overflows aroung the media and stays in the tank.
 
Last edited:
I have a penguin bio wheel filter which is kinda like the emperiors but I realy like mine and I think it is the best filter I have ever used but they can be messy to clean.
 
i like aquaclears they are a lot more powerful and all my emperors work fine but they all rattle really bad i like penguins more than them or even the walmart aquatechs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom