Magnum filters- your take on them!

[galen]

hi- this started yesterday when i had to destroy a brand new marineland magnum 350 at petsmart. it was fine, most of it still sealed, but the customer said it was missing parts- i counted only three missing and the poor fellow never thought to call the company on replacement parts. as such, i was ordered to destroy it. i asked if i could have it, but they said no but they could sell it to me for like 75-90 as a markdown. i thought why bother- i could but it online for cheaper, after shipping! it was hard smashing the filter- it was still in its wrap. i thought about putting on some funeral music to suit the mood, but that might be overdoing it...

anyway, i just thought id start a thread to hear what people's experiences with the magnum line are. like, are they quiet enought to run while sleeping, how long do they last, what size tank are they good for, how can you customize it, how long between cleanings, cleaning- is it easy, etc. i just thought we could sound out the likes and dislikes from owners, past and present on them. like the epinions section on magnums, this is for the likes and dislikes of the product with the idea you could state your own experience with the model to help others when buying.

i will begin.

i have never owned one, but have heard they last for many years. my co-worker swore by them as being the best. we had them running on the show tanks and we used a few for water polishing. the hot magnum was good, although when i put my ear next to it i could hear the impeller whirring. did a decent job of cleaning- two hot magnums were sufficient to clean the 75or 90 gallon fish tank on display. the magnum 350 was roughly the same noise level, albeit a little louder. both were very powerful and produced a strong current. overall, seemed like a good buy for water polishing and cleanup.

 

[Weezer]

We like our 350, and its very quiet, no priming involved, the only thing that could be a little better is the large o ring gasket on the lid needs to be put back on every time the cover is removed, not a big deal but you asked, like you said good flow, good filtration, easy to clean, for about 70 dollars its hard to beat, i will probably be adding another one or a HOT Mag soon.......

 

[lovejonesx]

are they quiet enought to run while sleeping,

I use only Magnums right now & although I've used Eheim, Fluval, & Rena, over the years I've settled on Magnums b.c they seem to meet my needs & overall are the easiet for me to take care of.



how long do they last,

I have Magnums that have seemed to last for 15 years at the most & some that start giving me problems right around the 5 & 6 year mark, but they are usually problems from "wear & tear" that I can fix with little work.


what size tank are they good for,

I use them on all of my tanks & they range from my 30 gallon to my 150 gallon tank.

I'd say that they work "good" for all of those.

I had a couple of 350s on the 150 at one point & it did well,...but in truth, I converted the 350's into Hang On Back Cannisters b/c I abhor dealing with the maze of tubes & plumbing that is normal with a Canister Filter that is housed under the tank. & once my last 350 is gone, I plan to convert over to all HOT Magnums b/c of how much easier it is & less mess when a leaking problem does occur.


how long between cleanings, cleaning- is it easy, etc.

B/C of just how much filtration I have on each tank, I usually change/clean my filters at 2 month intravals & I have those lil alarms on each filter that tells me which one is next to be cleaned.

I like Magnums b/c of comparatively how easy it is to clean them & HOT Magnums the best b/c of how much easier they are to clean than 350s.


i just thought we could sound out the likes and dislikes from owners, past and present on them. like the epinions section on magnums, this is for the likes and dislikes of the product with the idea you could state your own experience with the model to help others when buying.


MY DISLIKES :

1. The gaskets & the O-Ring are gonna go/DETERIORATE HORRIBLY :grinyes: at different intravals & need to be inspected with each cleaning. WHEN YOU BUY A MAGNUM, YOU MIGHT AS WELL BUY A SURPLUS OF GASKETS & A FEW EXTRA O-RINGS!!

2. The 350 is difficult to line up properly when you are closing it & the inner tub needs to line up just right with the top of the canister filter. If you mess this up, it may work, but may not work to peak efficiency. LINING THAT PUPPY UP HAS BEEN A HEADACHE FOR ME ON OCASSION WITH 350S!

LJx

 

[galen]

thats the spirit. keep the reviews coming. lets make this a reference type of thread for potential buyers!

 

[jm1212]

they clean the water great, plus they have the water polisher that can be reused. the Mag Pro system with the biowheels is awesome.

 

[lovejonesx]

As sad as this may sound,....in all of the years that I've used Magnums,....
(almost 20 I think), I have only used the Water Polisher twice & the secomd time was yesterday!

IT DID GREAT,....DON'T KNOW WHY I JUST NEVER USED IT.

 

[Slappy*McFish]

I love my HOT Magnum, great little filter.

 

[zazz]

I know I could look find this out for myseld by a little E window shopping, but I thought this would be a good place for it.
What is the difference between the magnum 350, and the hot magnum. are there other models?
thanks
BTW, I like this thread, good idea,thanks.
should it be moved to the equipment/diy forum?

 

[tanker]

I have 5 tanks and they all ONLY run on magnums. I use the water polisher when ever I do water changes in my SW tanks.

 

[Buckdog]

The HOT Magnum is great. The most I would do on it is a 55gal though.

The one thing I cant get into with all the new generation filtration is all the packets and sleeves and wheelie things that you have to keep buying in order to keep your tank clean. The stuff is expensive over time. So I cheat.

On my Magnum I would buy the charcoal in bulk. Then, instead of using the foam sleeve I would wrap the filter seive in pure polyester batting (pillow fill), WITHOUT the fire retartdant in it. Did that for years and it worked great. I would get a large bag of the batting and spend a half hour custom cutting it to size. Then when it came time to clean my filter all I had to do was remove the dirty layer and put on a new one with a couple of rubber bands.