I was wondering if the media cartridges sold at walmart fit in an Emperor 280. I am asking because they're both made by marineland and the Walmart ones are much cheaper. Thanks for the replies in advance. 
Walmart Cartidges in Emperor?
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while were on topic of emp. 400's, i saw a porous looking insert for $13.00 at a lfs that fits in a 400. it said it had 1200 sq feet of area for benificial bacteria to grow on it and all you have to do is rinse it out every now and then. has anybody tried one of these?
sorry, i forgot the name and brand..
sorry, i forgot the name and brand..
I do know the aqua tech filters will fit a penguin filter. Not sure about the emperor series. Aqua tech and marineland filters are made in the same building by the company aquaria inc.(type in www.aquaria.com and it takes you to marineland). So alot of the parts use the same molds. If the penguin filters fit the emperor filter then the aqua tech filters should work.
Emperors and Penguin filter are very different (particularly size). I doubt you can find one to fit an Emp.
I know they fit for a fact because that is what I use. I takes a good hit of the palm but it fits. (If you can't fix it force it.) The last time I change mine though was about two months ago. There is no reason to change the filter cartrige, just rub the gunk off every week when you change the water. Especially with a biowheel.
yes, replace the carbon by:
slicing open the top end of the blue filter material. Replace the carbon with black diamond carbon and close up slit by sewing shut with monofilament (fishing line). Should save lotssss. Filter should last a least 3-4 times as long
Elliot ·¿·
slicing open the top end of the blue filter material. Replace the carbon with black diamond carbon and close up slit by sewing shut with monofilament (fishing line). Should save lotssss. Filter should last a least 3-4 times as long
Elliot ·¿·
what benefit does carbon actually have? does it actively remove toxins from the water such as ammonia? If it wears out so quickly are there other media forms that can be used more effectively?
Carbon basically has a limit on how much stuff it can remove--sort of a capacity. After that, it simply becomes more media for bacteria cultures. Carbon can absorb ammonia and some other toxins, but since bacteria are better at that task, why interrupt it with carbon? Carbon is great for pulling tannins out, and most medications (though anything that gets into your wood/rock/decorations won't be removed until they've leached back out of that substance). In some tanks, a standard pouch of carbon will be 'working' for less than 3 days, it just depends on how much there it to remove. Since it's costly to keep replacing the carbon to keep it viable, and since the best uses for it are tannins and medications, it doesn't make sense to run carbon all the time. Use it only as needed, and you'll save yourself a lot of money.
And, or course--there is nothing wrong with leaving tannins in the tank--that lovely tea stain for the tetras!
And, or course--there is nothing wrong with leaving tannins in the tank--that lovely tea stain for the tetras!