BIO-Wheel

[izabeau]

ok...looked all over the site and unless I am blind, I cannot find any info about the bio-wheel filters. All I really want to know is if they are good. I am looking at getting a 3 gallon tank with a built in bio-wheel filter and want to know if I would be better off just getting a regular tank and a hang on filter like an aquaclear.

I heard the bio-wheels don't disturb the water too much which would be great as I want the tank for my new betta, when I get him.

Any info would be great guys!!

 

[levia7han]

Bio-wheels can be good in theory... But I have a penguin filter that I HATE. And its because of that bio-wheel. (That and the filter cart is way to thin in my opinion.) Some people like them. But If my water output drops just a fraction of a inch because the tube has a bit of slime or something like that then the wheel stops turning.

I have an old whisper that I like alot better or a aquaclear is really good. With the sponges in it I think it would have about the same bio-area as a small bio-wheel anyway. And it will never stop turning.

As for disturbing the water... mine makes alot of noise if the tank gets just a little low. Which means its disturbing the water quite a bit. But. I have only had this filter with this bio-wheel.

A built in one might be just fine. And I guess it wouldnt hurt anything. But if someone was going to get a penguin I would recommend they look at another filter

HTH
Lev

 

[SomethingFishy]

I have heard that the small tanks with the filter and bio-wheels in the hood are not very good.

On my 29 gallon tank I have a Penguin 125. It works good enough but not my favorite filter. I agree witht e previous post . . . the filter pad is too small and you cannot add any different media. Also, it is a loud filter. Not the motor but rather the water spilling into the tank is noisy. Seem that if your water level is even a bit low the spillage is noisy unlike other types.

*celebrate

 

[rocketshrimp]

First of all are you going to be growing real plants because if you are i would go for a plain 5/5.5 gallon rectangle tank and an internal filter because the bio-wheel increases the oxygen in the water and depletes the carbondioxide.

If your usind the 3 gallon(i assume its a bowfront) for a betta and it has the built in light and filter it should be fine, my sister has a 5 gallon hex made by marineland with the filter/light. The biowheel works good but i would replace the mecanical/chemical filter insert for a wod of filter floss cramed in there or an ac replacement sponge cut to fit just a bit bigger than the room for it, so it fits tight. Last but not least you should still get aheater for your tank a 25 watt should be perfect, there will not be room for a hang on back heater because the filter(IME with the 5 gallon hex) is there so get a good sumersible.

 

[Lotus]

I have a 5g hex with a built-in bio-wheel. It works pretty well for me and the betta. It's a really quiet filter, too, if you want it in a bedroom. On smaller tanks it's nice not to have an HOB for looks reasons, the built-in is nice and neat looking.

 

[Daemonfly]

I've had a Penguin 170 & an Eclipse system 6. They work, although the 170 seems to have a very common problem of wheel stoppage. The wheel can get quite noisy, but I have a page in my Articles section on my site that will explain how to quiet them down.

I'd personally just save my money & go with a properly sized Aquaclear stuffed with sponges & poly-floss.

 

[Flex26]

Originally posted by Daemonfly

I'd personally just save my money & go with a properly sized Aquaclear stuffed with sponges & poly-floss.

I agree with Daemonfly. But I don't think you will be disappointed with the 3g Eclipse (I am assuming it's an Eclipse). I have a 6g Eclipse and I have no complaints other than the occasional bio-wheel stoppage. I just mess around with the bio-wheel and it is moving again.

Good luck!!

 

[Avalon]

Yup, an Aquaclear will probably be the better choice.

The "biowheel" is a gimmick. I don't care what your defensive argument is for it, if it doesn't work 100% of the time, then it's useless. I have a commercial sump version of the biowheel filtration system on a 100g+ tank and I hate it (this is not a personal tank, but one I use for a business). I can't stand the damn thing, and Marineland has the nerve to create a "vanity" window for this modified toilet paper roll. In this sump, the water falls freely at a very high rate from a good 10" onto the biowheel, and the thing will still stop turning. I've got ANOTHER one ordered. I swear I will not order another one. I will ditch their entire system and build my own from the ground up.

Now, I like Marinelands filters for certain reasons, but I despise their biowheels. I personally use a Magnum HOT and it fits it's purpose very well and I would be hesitant to replace it for anything else and would consider it in future applications. Add a biowheel and my blood pressure rises higher than their gallon-per-minute rating!

 

[izabeau]

WOW!!! That's a lot of info, thank you everyone!! I was asking as I need to get a new small tank for a betta or 2, and I was looking at the Marineland 3 or 6 gallon Eclipse system with the built in biowheel. However after all of ya'll's input, I think I might change my mind. I'm assuming that because it's "built in" you cannot take it out and just use an Aquaclear mini?? Plus I don't know if the 3 gallon Eclipse will have enough room for a small 25 watt heater.With the Eclipse, I like the tank itself, I don't like the Mini-Bows, but I might have to go for one of those instead. I can't find a 5 gallon regular glass tank with hood/light "kit" so I don't know what to do now. I wanted a "flat front" tank so that it would be easier to put a divider in it if I decided to get 2 male betta's and that way they can share the tank. Hummm what to do, what to do...???

Lotus, you said that you have a 5 gallon hex for your betta, that it's quiet and works fine/well for your betta. My tank is in my bedroom which is why I would like it to be a quiet as possible...do you have, or can you tell me if there is room to put a heater on the tank? I live in Toronto, and this time of year, it's really cold, so I would prefer to have a tank that I could put a heater in/on if I could.

Thank you again everyone!!!

 

[Lotus]

I have a "Junior" heater in the 5g hex. It's a cheap nasty thing, but it seems to work OK so far. You could fit a 25 watt or probably a 50 watt heater in there. I really wanted a heater for my betta, as they do like it fairly warm. There is a hole in the lid for a heater wire, and another for an airline (or whatever else).

I have to say, the motor on mine makes NO noise whatsoever. The only sound I hear is the water splashing very quietly. I guess it would be harder to divide it for two bettas. I am happy with one, and may get an ADF to go in there eventually.

By the way, I got my 5g hex from Walmart under the Regent brand. It was $5 - $10 less than in other stores under the Marineland brand, although it's the same tank. I paid $29.99 (US) for mine. (if you get one, the filters are cheaper under the Regent brand, too)

 

[izabeau]

Thank you sooooo much Lotus, I didn't expect such a quick response. I really just wanted something simple for a betta, I don't think I'll put putting anything else in the tank with it, I think I'll be going to Wal-mart this weekend!!!

 

[equinom]

Hold on now...

I was very surprised to see so many people "down" on BIO wheels. I have so many BIO wheels that I jsut stopped to count them. There's:
1 on the 12 G bow front
1 on the 5 G hex
1 as an extra filter on the 30 G breeder

Then there is a pair (Penguin or Emperor - it was given to me and I can't identify the model #) on the 30G tall and a Pro 60 as additional filtration on the 55 G
The only complaint I have is the design on the Pro 60:
it came with those darn O rings to attach the tubing to the joints. Not the easiest things to remove and adjust.

Anyway - I have not had the problems mentioned here about the spinning - these things spin 24/7. Always have. The 12 G Bow front was our first tank and it is still rotating like a top. I wonder if somehow the "bearings" have gotten lost on the ones that aren't rotating... They call them bearings but they look more like cushings or sleeves to me. If one of those gets lost or worn down, the wheels balance gets thrown off and that could cause a problem...

As far as the filter media - I make my own cartridges with floss and Diamond Blend crystals. That back of floss has lasted over 2 years - from Walmart, such a deal!)

 

[catfishmike]

i have avoided this thread for a while but now i'll add my 2 cents.i think bio-wheels are fine.i will admit that the cheaper ones that come on the penguins are prone to heavy deposits,but i think thats due to inherent flaws in the waterflow.whereas the emeror and bio-wheel pro modles are much more effective and long running.i have only seen a biowheel stop in situations where there is hard water build-up or heavy,i mean very heavy deposits on the wheel.my pro and emperor 400 wheels are real clean and never stop.with all that being said i still don't like the eclipse systems except for the eclipse 2 it's grat for bettas.the eclipse line doesn't provide enough filtration unless you have a very light load of fish and the built in lighting is crap.full spectrum ligt my rear end.

 

[fishlover25]

i have a penguin 330 and it works perfect. it never stops or anything

 

[bumblebee]

I now run two aquaclears and two bio-wheels, because I really wanted to see if there was a difference. By the way, like lotus I also have the 5 gal hex with the built in bio wheel and it works awesome. The only difference so far is that I had to buy the micro floss at walmart for my emperor 400 to remove small particles, since I won't pay the $9 for two cartridges. But the part I really wanted to share is the difference I have found with the nitrogen cycles. I have noticed that in both my biowheel tanks, I never get "mini" cycles when adding new fish. Even in my five gallon tank, when I was a beginner, my 5 gal hex had to go from one platy to 6 platies when it was a quarentine tank. Ammonia/nitrites never ever even were readable! But, on both my aquaclear tanks, moving one small fish in will create a mini cycle. Both my 10 and 20 gal tanks with the aqua clears have had this happen, even when moving just one small platy! I haven't had the bio wheel problems others have, but I did noticed that the water flow is easily reduced by sludge on the impellor causing me to wash it regularly. Other than that, the emperor's I feel are winning the battle due to their ability to alleviate the minicyles we all face. HTH
JC

 

[Killer_Guppy]

FWIW, I've been running an Eclipse 12 for almost a year now without the biowheel ever stopping. With the hood on, I never hear it. As far as filtration goes, I usually just stuff the filter compartment with a ton of filter floss and plastic mesh to hold it in place, no probs. Other than the initial cycle (which only took two weeks), I've never seen the tank take another cycle, no matter how many fish I add/remove. Come to think of it, I've yet to clean the impeller on this tank. I'll have to do that at the next water change. Overall, I can't complain.