Arnie B.
The Penguin Bio-wheel pumps are great: quiet, effective and long-lasting. (I have a 170 filter in a 39 gallon tank.) These size C filters are widely available, but the Amazon price is much lower than at my not-so-nearby pet store.
But a word of warning. The day after changing my filter three months ago I began losing fish. Next morning my 6" long Plecostomus was dead. Then three Clown Loaches, each about 5 " long. Within a week I had lost 18 of my 20 fish. Yet there was no sign of disease.
A water test and much internet searching finally pointed out what I had done wrong. I had neglected my tank for a few weeks, so in a rush to catch up, I siphoned out about 30 percent of the water (more than usual), doing a "better" job of siphoning up detritus from the gravel than I usually do. Then - and this was the biggest mistake - I replaced the Penguin filter too! The result is the water chemistry changed too quickly. The Nitrates spiked to a deadly level. My tank, that had been healthy for more than two years, needed to be started over after many water changes and waiting more than two months to add new fish.
I visited perhaps a dozen "fish forums" and only one had a comment saying "don't change filters when you do a water change.' The Penguin filters and the box they come in carry no warnings. What I (and you) should do is simple: space your water changes and filter changes a week or two apart.
Now knowing how important the "aged" filter is (especially in a tank like mine with no under gravel filter) I've started this habit: there's just enough space to get a second filter flat against the old filter. After a couple of weeks, I remove the older filter and put the newer one - by now doing some biological filtering - in its place. That way there is never a time when the tank is depending on only a new filter. For larger tanks (say 55 gal and up), the 330 or 350 Penguin pump holds two filters side by side, so the advice here is to change only one filter at a time.
Hope this helps you avoid the disaster that hit my tank.
Marineland Penguin 350 BIO-Wheel Power FilterMarineland Penguin 200 BIO-Wheel Power FilterMarineland Penguin Rite-Size Ready-To-Use Filter CartridgesMarineland Penguin Cartridge B 125/150B 6 Pk
| Manufacturer | Marineland |
|---|---|
| Part Number | FBA_PA0133-06 |
| Item Weight | 0.8 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 4.5 x 6.5 x 6.75 inches |
| Country of Origin | USA |
| Item model number | PA0133-06 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Size | 6-Count |
| Color | C - Blue |
| Style | Size C |
| Material | Cotton |
| Pattern | Filter |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Number Of Pieces | 330 |
| Usage | Active |
| Included Components | Marineland Penguin Power Filter Cartridge Rite-Size B (6 pk) |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
Lisa Lynn
