Both the Emperor and Penguin filters are great I currently use both. Although the Emperor is a bit better but not for small tanks. Easy maint., I rinse off the cartridges in my kitchen sink and reuse them for 2-3 months (super cheap). In the extra media basket you can put chemical filtration like carbon or zeolite, or more bio media like Seachem's Matrix rocks or lava rock. So lots of options, the spray bars do need to be cleaned every couple of months but not very hard. The spray bars help oxygenate the water so you don't need an airstone. Both of my Emperor's do a great job, I have a Emp 400 on a 40 gal turtle tank and an Emp 280 on a 55 gal hex. with tetras, cory's, and guppies. Turtles are very messy and my tank is crystal clear and healthy water(ph, nitrates, ammonia, etc.) I love them. The one complaint I have heard others say is that it is noisy. With mine as long as you keep the water level up high and make sure the "grey flow control knob thing" is on full force or close to it, it runs silent. Maybe if you put your ear up to it and everything in your house is silent you could hear a slight hum. If you put the "knob thing" on 50% or lower it makes a bunch of noise, but good for feeding maybe. Just my 2 cents, but you should definitely carry them at the store. You co-worker doesn't have to use them, but many ppl find them very reliable and cost effective over expensive cannisters.
penguin/emperor filters
- Thread starter reptileguy2727
- Start date
A pet store not carrying penguin/emperor filters is ridiculous... It's like running an ice cream parlor and not serving vanilla just because one of the employees doesn't like it.
Penguins and Emperors have been the basic mainstay in the aquarium hobby for quite awhile now. Whispers, Aqua-Clears, Fluvals are all good filters. The bottom line is that you carry what you sell, period unless there is some major problem with a product that is morally objectionable i.e. tattoed fish, painted fish etc... Since I don't really carry inventory in my business, I order my customers whatever they want but I certainly recommend what I think is the best option. That is my job as the "fish guy", right?
Penguins and Emperors have been the basic mainstay in the aquarium hobby for quite awhile now. Whispers, Aqua-Clears, Fluvals are all good filters. The bottom line is that you carry what you sell, period unless there is some major problem with a product that is morally objectionable i.e. tattoed fish, painted fish etc... Since I don't really carry inventory in my business, I order my customers whatever they want but I certainly recommend what I think is the best option. That is my job as the "fish guy", right?
thank you all so much, this was exactly what i was looking for. i will print this entire conversation out and hand it to the owner. honestly i was expecting a little more negative feedback as i usually do when talking about any filter system. everyone has their preferences, but i guess penguin/emperor has earned its reputation.
partsrep said:
LOL
That being said... You guys are ripping people off with the filter cartridges. Lure them in with the cheap, dependable power filter, then take all their lunch money to keep the things filled with cartridges.
I beat you though. I found a way to DIY your filter cartridges for about a dime a piece. :clap: Go me, go me...
carpediem said:
I agree about the replacement cartridge habit. That's why I use Aqua Clear and clean the sponges when they get dirty.
My point was there are people who prefer the features of a biowheel and a good store should carry that product to fulfill the needs of those hobbyists.
To each his own. Care to share your idea on that 10 cent cartridge?
carpediem, how about sharing your money saving tip with the rest of us, i like to save money too.
reptileguy2727 said:
Here is what I am doing with my emperor filter cartridges, probably about the same as carpediem. . .
1) I rip the blue media off and pour out the carbon that I never wanted in the first place.
2) Use the plastic frame as a template to cut a piece of filter floss. You can buy sheets of this at the pet store, but if you are really cheap, it is also known as 100% polyester hypoallergenic quilt batting found in the sewing section of (gasp) Wal-Mart. You can also buy a bulk sheet of blue/white filter media at the pet store which is more expensive but looks a lot like what marineland puts on the filter cartridges.
3) Use 2 or 3 rubber bands to attach your new filter media to the plastic frame.
4) Spend the money saved on someone you love
I honestly believe that Marineland designed the Emperor/Penguin line of filters to generate sales of frequently replaced cartridges as much as they designed them to filter water. They did a good job of achieving both!
Oh, and if you do have the standard cartridges, you can clean them MANY times with a kitchen sink sprayer. Just clean only one of them at a time to preserve the beneficial bacteria on the other one, although the biowheel makes up for lost bacteria on the mechanical media so it may not be as critical as most fear.
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I have a Emperor 280 and a Penguin Mini (100). They both work great and are easy to clean. I just rinse the filter with the sprayer from my kitchen sink. I used the same filter for 6 months.
As far as he spray bar. One little clip holds it in place and it quickly pops of. Run the filter brush in it a couple of times and it is clean. 2 minutes to remove, clean, and replace.
As far as he spray bar. One little clip holds it in place and it quickly pops of. Run the filter brush in it a couple of times and it is clean. 2 minutes to remove, clean, and replace.
