[Guest]

Hi,

I'm in the need of filters and I wanted to know if marineland 200s and 300s are good. I heard that the bio-wheel in the 200 will stop spinning after awhile. Is this true? Are there better filters than marineland.

 

[m1aman]

I bought a Marineland Biowheel in 1992 and it is still working with the help of impeller replacement. I also bought a couple of Penguin 350s this past December and they are still working as well. They are great filters.

 

[benny71]

I have a few 350s. They keep the water very clear and they are really quiet for an HOB.

There is a plastic shell that goes over the front that forces the water to flow down into the tank, instead of creating that annoying waterfall sound.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the help :thumb:

 

[doxiegirl]

I have both a penguin and an emperor- the only thing I dislike about them is that it's a pain to get sand out of the motor. It's really frustrating because it's hard to get into the impeller chamber- I have to use a pipe brush plus a spray bottle to get all the sand out. So if you have gravel it should be fine.

 

[Cromak]

I have a 350 and 200 and both have worked great. The only thing i am noticing with the 200 is that it for whatever reason has become a bit louder. Once i power it off for a bit, then turn it back on it becomes quiet again for awhile. But then will eventually get a real faint grinding noise like the impeller is hitting something. But overall they are good.

 

[cichlid_baby]

Although I have used many Marineland Emperors (which are the larger versions of the filters you mentioned) in the past.. I am not a big fan of them in terms of mechanical filtration capability. The design just does not provide enough surface area to effectively do so.. the bio-wheel debate is another reason.. I am not sure just how effective the wheels really are.. and yes.. they will become non-spinning wheels after a while which would really limit their effectiveness as wet/dry bio-media. On top of that.. the cost of filter cartridges is rediculously priced that you will have to go with some kind of DIY media in order to allow you to change out the media regularly as needed.

IMO.. I would rather go with the Aquaclear filters.. preferably the AC110.

 

[zoyvig]

About 15 years ago, my daughter started me on Marineland Magnum 350 cannisters. Over the years we have used Magnum 350's, HOB 250's and Penquin 350B's on all of our systems. I have Rena, Whisper and Aquaclear in storage. Not that they are not good, but I prefer the Marineland products for ease of use, quietness, and expense of operation.

We use Seachem Matrix in the Magnum 350's and HOB 250 and cheap polyfil in the Penquins.