My Penguin power filter 150 bio wheel

So I'm confussed.. I here so many different stories trying to get to the facts. How often should you change the carbon filter? And is it OK to rinse the used carbon filter off and reuse? And does the bio wheel need to be rinsed off? And how often should you clean the filter box itself tubing, propeller etc? And is it normal that the bio wheel doesn't turn as fast as it did when it was new? Also is it OK that water flow also comes out of the right side slotted area too? And this filter has 2 slots for I assume to filters is it necessary to have 2 filter cartridges?

 

I'll try to answer your questions in order. I have a Penguin 150 and they are pretty good filters in my opinion.

Carbon only works for around 2-4 weeks depending on how "dirty" your water is. Carbon is a debated topic, some love it, others only use it in certain situations, like after treating with meds. I lean on the side of just using when needed like after meds, or if you are trying to deal with a certain problem. What I do on my cartridges is after 3 weeks or so, I cut a small slit in the top of the cartridge and dump out all the carbon. The cartridge can be used for few months if you just rinse off the blue mesh well. Be sure to use some tank water to preserve the beneficial bacteria.

The bio-wheel occasionally needs to be rinsed in tank water as well, for the same reason.

The filter box, tubing, impellor need to be cleaned approx. once every month or two, depending on how dirty your tank is. I use a sponge pre-filter on all my filters and this keeps the insides much cleaner, meaning I can go longer without having to break it down and clean it out. Use a test tube brush to loosen up all the gunk on everything including the filter box, tubing, and impellor. Then you can rinse it out with tap water at your sink. Of course be careful not to get any soap or other chemical in there.

It is completely normal for the bio-wheel to slow down a bit. As long as it is turning you are good to go. The occasional rinse in tank water will help, as well as maintaining the cartridge well.

Ideally you do not want water to come out the other side. This water is not getting filtered. This is caused by a dirty cartridge. After rinsing your cartridge well for a month or two and you can't get it that clean, or the mesh is falling apart, then it's time to replace your cartridge. When it's time, you can cut the old mesh off your dirty cartridge and lay it across the new cartridge in your filter for a week or 2. This will help transfer the bacteria to the new cartridge.

I personally only run with one cartridge in one slot. You could use the extra slot when switching out cartridges, by putting the dirty one first, then the new one second, so any bacteria would flow through and get caught up in the 2nd, and start to colonize. I prefer the laying the old mesh across the new method as the 2 mesh are touching facilitating more transfer of bacteria.

Hope this answered your questions.

 

It did and thank you... 1 quick question when u say u cut a slit and empty the carbon out and get another 2 Mos or so from the cartridge don't u need the carbon to keep your tank clear? Maybe I'm confussed. . How does the tank stay clear?

And what about water changes every week 25% or every 2 weeks? And when I do my water changes I use prime I assume that is ok?

 

Carbon is not needed at all. Some like to use it as it adsorbs organic compounds. Many people do not use any carbon at all in their tanks. It's only "needed" in certain situations like after a med treatment to remove any excess meds in the water. Or if you have a smelly water problem you are trying to combat. Some people like to use it as they feel it keeps their water cleaner. But it is not "needed". Up to you really, as it's more of a personal preference. I personally see carbon as an added expense that needs to be replaced every 3 weeks or so. After that point the carbon is useless as it's adsorbed all it can.

Filtration has 3 main methods, mechanical, biological, and chemical.

Mechanical is mainly what keeps your tank clear. It removes the floating around debris in your tank. Much like an air filter removes dust from the air. In your filter the mechanical part is the blue mesh on the cartridge.

Biological is the main work horse of your tank. It provides surface area for bacteria to grow and colonize. This bacteria turns ammonia (fish waste) into nitrite and then turns that nitrite into nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite are very toxic to fish. Nitrate is much safer and can be tolerated up to around 40 ppm. So your biological filtration is what keeps the toxins at a safe level (nitrates below 40ppm) until you can do a water change to lower them. In your filter the biological part is the bio-wheel and also some bacteria builds up on the blue mesh in the cartridge.

Chemical is not needed aquarium but some prefer to use it. Chemical filtration is where a product like carbon, zeolite, Seachem Purigen, adsorbs toxins, chemicals, and organic particles from the water. It's a personal preference thing. Some love to use it and replace it every 3 weeks or so. While others don't use it all. I have some carbon on hand in case of emergency but I don't ever use it in either of my filters. In your filter the chemical filtration would be the carbon.

 

You posted while I was responding to first set of questions, so to answer your others....

Yes tanks need water change to remove the nitrates. Once a week is suggested for most tanks, in the amount of 25-33% or so.

Prime is a great product for treating water. It is also good in case of an emergency and you are having an ammonia and/or nitrite spike as it can neutralize them for 24 hours.

I would do some research here on the forums to fully understand filtration and how an aquarium works with the nitrogen cycle. It will help answer your questions somewhat.

The nitrogen cycle
https://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

Part 1 of a 4 part article that explains a lot of the basics with fish keeping, be sure to check out the other parts to the article, I believe they are linked at the bottom of the article.
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/sept07/fishkeepingbeginner.htm

Tank maintenance
https://www.fishlore.com/Maintenance.htm

Those should help you.

 

So I'm confussed.. I here so many different stories trying to get to the facts. How often should you change the carbon filter? And is it OK to rinse the used carbon filter off and reuse? And does the bio wheel need to be rinsed off? And how often should you clean the filter box itself tubing, propeller etc? And is it normal that the bio wheel doesn't turn as fast as it did when it was new? Also is it OK that water flow also comes out of the right side slotted area too? And this filter has 2 slots for I assume to filters is it necessary to have 2 filter cartridges?

Activated carbon last about a month, and can be replaced if you see a need too. It is not needed but helps in some cases. It can not be reused. Not sure if it makes the water clearer.

Bio wheels axle points tend to gunk up and won't spin as fast. keep the axle points clean and it will spin like new.

Only clean the tubing and box if it shows signs of a ton of dirt. The impeller should be pulled out and cleaned every couple months and oil the axle with silicon gel if you'd like.

The water coming out the right slotted side is called the Overflow, that means your filter media is dirty so its harder for water to flow, so some goes out of the overflow.


Rinse mechanical filtration with dirty tank water every month and replace it when it falls apart or blocks water still after cleaning. Rinse bio filtration (that bio wheel) in dirty tank water every a few months and replace only if falling apart. Which should be years. When replacing media be sure to leave some of the old media in the filter to prevent a minI cycle. Some filters only have a single pouch for the mechanical and biological. Are both slots used in your filter?

And what about water changes every week 25% or every 2 weeks? And when I do my water changes I use prime I assume that is ok?

Yeah that's fine.

 

No I'm only using one slot..

 

No need to run two filter cartridges, I only run one on each side in my 350. here is a link to where you can buy carbonless filter cartridges:



Once of the things I did to maintain my cycle and have teh ability to replace the filter floss cartridges monthly on my biowheel filters is I added sponge as mechanical filtration to the slots of my filters using one of these:



I personally have had little issues with the biowheels stopping, usually, this happens when your filters are gunked and restrict water flow. Best of luck.