New filter recommendations

Looks like it’s time for a new filter as my penguin 200 is making a bunch of noise and not moving enough water to turn the wheel even after taking it all apart and cleaning everything. I still have some filter cartridges for it so am leaning towards just getting another of the same one or possibly upgrading to the 350 since they use the same filter carriages. I have a 29 gallon tank that is pretty heavily stocked so any filter recommendations for this setup would be appreciated.

Forgot to add it’s a planted tank so would this be a good time to switch to something without activated carbon?

 

Personally I would go with the Aquaclear 70 for a 29 gallon tank.
Noise issues with HOB filters are usually corrected. Thats been my experience.

 

Personally I would go with the Aquaclear 70 for a 29 gallon tank.
Noise issues with HOB filters are usually corrected. Thats been my experience.

Does that one have an option to not have carbon filtration? I have been looking at canister filters for the flexibility in filter media and the inevitable upgrade to a bigger tank

 

Does that one have an option to not have carbon filtration? I have been looking at canister filters for the flexibility in filter media and the inevitable upgrade to a bigger tank

AquaClears come with a pouch of carbon you can choose not to use. You can customize it about as well as a canister.

 

Does that one have an option to not have carbon filtration? I have been looking at canister filters for the flexibility in filter media and the inevitable upgrade to a bigger tank

What size tank are you upgrading to?

 

What size tank are you upgrading to?

I haven’t decided for sure but probably somewhere in the 55 gallon range

 

I haven’t decided for sure but probably somewhere in the 55 gallon range

You'd want a canister something like a Fluval 407. That would be a bit much for a 29 gal but you could use the flow control valve.

 

I figured it would be too big of a jump to have one that would work for both so I went with the Fluval C4 because it was only $50 on Amazon. I’m planning on taking the carbon pouch out since it takes away my fertilizer and nutrients for my plants. Any recommendations on what to use in that spot? I was looking at purigen but am still trying to figure out if it will leave my plant nutrients

 

I’m not a fan of the canister filter. Never used a C4. But I’ve used that penguin for years. What I’ve done is remove those cartridges and added a sponge into that slot. In front of the slot I added any type of media :matrix or biohome or whatever. Filter works great. No need to run carbon. When making noise it’s probably the impeller needs to be replaced.

 

Personally I would go with the Aquaclear 70 for a 29 gallon tank.

That is the one I used on my 29. It worked fine, no problems. I switched to canisters a long time ago. I prefer canisters because there is minimal maintenance (I clean mine 2x /yr), but the original reason I replaced the aquaclear was because I think HOBs are ugly to look at. Obviously my own personal issue

 

I agree with the others. Aquaclears are great filters that will last.

 

That is the one I used on my 29. It worked fine, no problems. I switched to canisters a long time ago. I prefer canisters because there is minimal maintenance (I clean mine 2x /yr), but the original reason I replaced the aquaclear was because I think HOBs are ugly to look at. Obviously my own personal issue

Nothing against your choice but this is another reason I don’t use canisters. People just don’t clean them enough. What happens with canisters is the muck builds up inside them and slows down the flow. Now the motor is still trying to pull the water through the filter but it’s got much more resistance than when clean. This wears out the motor or burns it out. Canisters should be cleaned out at least once a month for best results.

 

there's positives and negatives to every type of filter.
the HOBs, tend to get stuck impellers and it goes out of balance and makes noise.

Canister filters are a little complicated and get kind of neglected (out of sight out of mind, you dont' see it unless you open it and nobody likes opening a can of worms

wet/dry or trickle filters work great, too good, it's an aeration and nitrate factory. the always wet, but not submerged media can get buggy with drain flies if you don't stay on top of it.

Sponge filters are simple and cost effective but they don't do a whole lot in the form of mechanical filtration, good at biological, a little too gentle for mechanical, and no chemical filtration. everything stays in the tank.

I found HOBs to be too unreliable and if it has a problem, it then forever has a problem afterwards.
I found canister filters to be a bit overly complicated.
I found Sponge filters could do more, but don't, so you do more with water changing and vacuuming.
I found Wet/dry *trickle filters*, pretty simple, for large tanks even ponds, but not conducive to plant keeping, too much aeration, it pushes out CO2 even, and creates too much nitrates, yet plants can't really deal with so low CO2 so they aren't effective at uptaking the nitrates. this forces water changes or low stocking also.

In the end, people usually either stick with what they know and start with or get fed up with what they had as not cutting it, and try something else. I've tried them all except the canister filter, and I just don't see myself maintaining it correctly, I'm a "gets frustrated and bangs things around" kind of person.

With a 29G, I'd do a modified XL sponge filter (adding an airstone to it) and a strong airpump. It's simple, there's really no parts to break and if it does break, cheap to replace. Some people don't like the look of a sponge filter in a tank, but for simplicity and reliability, it's hard to beat. And it will make you do your tank maintenance where other filtering methods kind of keep it out of sight and out of mind.

 

Looks like it’s time for a new filter as my penguin 200 is making a bunch of noise and not moving enough water to turn the wheel even after taking it all apart and cleaning everything. I still have some filter cartridges for it so am leaning towards just getting another of the same one or possibly upgrading to the 350 since they use the same filter carriages. I have a 29 gallon tank that is pretty heavily stocked so any filter recommendations for this setup would be appreciated.

Forgot to add it’s a planted tank so would this be a good time to switch to something without activated carbon?

If you want quiet and reliable get a canister filter, I suggest an Eheim 2215 or even a 2217 and turn the flow down, they get gunked up and you can turn the flow up as required. I had a 2217 on my 29 gallon with some messy goldfish and the tank was always clear even after 2 weeks without water changes. It was the easiest tank I ever had. Canisters are harder to service, so keep that in mind but worth it in my opinion, can go months before cleaning depending on your stock.

 

Nothing against your choice but this is another reason I don’t use canisters. People just don’t clean them enough. What happens with canisters is the muck builds up inside them and slows down the flow. Now the motor is still trying to pull the water through the filter but it’s got much more resistance than when clean. This wears out the motor or burns it out. Canisters should be cleaned out at least once a month for best results.

Pumps that move less water than they are designed to move is not a bad thing. It lowers the pump motors (electrical) current as the pump is doing less work not more work.
It seems to be wrong thinking. But its a proven fact. Less work, less current and less wear and tear on parts.

 

Pumps that move less water than they are designed to move is not a bad thing. It lowers the pump motors (electrical) current as the pump is doing less work not more work.
It seems to be wrong thinking. But its a proven fact. Less work, less current and less wear and tear on parts.

HOB have their merits, easy to clean, inexpensive, take up less space. They can be loud, lose prime after power outages, less room for media. I personally couldn't deal with the noise of a HOB being that my tank is in my room. The impeller would act up and it would drive me crazy. I wasn't crazy about how it looked either but it was just a personal preference. I have used both in combination in the past an AquaClear 20 which is the smallest and quietest filter, filled it with polyfil and my tanks were crystal clear.

 

We run a canister and hob on 3 of our tanks. The 20 long has a fluval 206 and a tidal 55 that we actually won from coralbandit a couple years ago and it’s still goin great.. our 29 has an AC50 and a SunSun forget what model and our 55 has a fluval406 an AC 70 and a small corner sponge filter. I definitely stand by all 4 of those brands. Just my .02

 

Pumps that move less water than they are designed to move is not a bad thing. It lowers the pump motors (electrical) current as the pump is doing less work not more work.
It seems to be wrong thinking. But its a proven fact. Less work, less current and less wear and tear on parts.

Ok yes this sounds good and I’m just guessing here. But an AC motor that is designed to move 100gph that can’t move the water isn’t going to use less electric because if its set to use 10 amps to move that the electronics of the motor are going to be calling for 10 amps and the motor is going to try to move the water. Something’s got to give. Now a dc motor will slow down. More than likely will have some sort of alert to let you know its not running right or it may shut off. But all of these pumps are AC. Many people have had these motors burn out on them.

 

Ok yes this sounds good and I’m just guessing here. But an AC motor that is designed to move 100gph that can’t move the water isn’t going to use less electric because if its set to use 10 amps to move that the electronics of the motor are going to be calling for 10 amps and the motor is going to try to move the water. Something’s got to give. Now a dc motor will slow down. More than likely will have some sort of alert to let you know its not running right or it may shut off. But all of these pumps are AC. Many people have had these motors burn out on them.

Interesting, my Eheim 2217 is going on 7 years, I just recently changed the impeller, shaft and bushings, runs like new. Started makings noise so I gave in an overhaul. My friend has an Eheim 2213 I gave him thats over 10 years old, still original parts and running fine. Most moving parts will have wear and tear and eventually the motor will give out I guess.

 

Interesting, my Eheim 2217 is going on 7 years, I just recently changed the impeller, shaft and bushings, runs like new. Started makings noise so I gave in an overhaul. My friend has an Eheim 2213 I gave him thats over 10 years old, still original parts and running fine. Most moving parts will have wear and tear and eventually the motor will give out I guess.

In my experience the Eheim Classics are pretty much indestructible, except for the ceramic impeller shafts which need to be handled with care.

 

Nothing against your choice but this is another reason I don’t use canisters. People just don’t clean them enough. What happens with canisters is the muck builds up inside them and slows down the flow. Now the motor is still trying to pull the water through the filter but it’s got much more resistance than when clean. This wears out the motor or burns it out. Canisters should be cleaned out at least once a month for best results.

The canister can safely have the flow reduced by 50% by the user without damaging the motor per the manufacturer. At 6 months the the waste buildup in the filter is not nearly enough to reduce the flow that much. In fact, I see no reduction in flow at 6mos., though in theory there must be some. My oldest canister is 11 years old. It's been cleaned a couple dozen times over that period and shows no signs of quitting. I just don't think it's an issue.

I would clean them more often if I felt they needed it, but the water is crystal clear, the fish are healthy and the parameters are all good.
This is interesting:

Just read a post from yesterday where the OP ran their canister for 2 weeks with the valves closed. Apparently the only problem was that things started to stink. No mention of motor failure or problems

 

HOB have their merits, easy to clean, inexpensive, take up less space. They can be loud, lose prime after power outages, less room for media. I personally couldn't deal with the noise of a HOB being that my tank is in my room. The impeller would act up and it would drive me crazy. I wasn't crazy about how it looked either but it was just a personal preference. I have used both in combination in the past an AquaClear 20 which is the smallest and quietest filter, filled it with polyfil and my tanks were crystal clear.

HOB's were noisy to me until I started using Aquaclear. I found the biggest culprit is the cover. So I leave it off on both tanks.
Second was the impeller shaft. The stainless steel shaft inside the magnetic rotor. It will move and can be pushed back into place.
I found this condition when I could not quiet a filter. I read somewhere ( I think its on the packaging) about the shaft and sure enough it pushed back in just a little. That was enough to quiet the filter.
When the shaft moves out of position this will allow the impeller to touch the housing. I am very glad I found out about this. No more noisy filters.

Ok yes this sounds good and I’m just guessing here. But an AC motor that is designed to move 100gph that can’t move the water isn’t going to use less electric because if its set to use 10 amps to move that the electronics of the motor are going to be calling for 10 amps and the motor is going to try to move the water. Something’s got to give. Now a dc motor will slow down. More than likely will have some sort of alert to let you know its not running right or it may shut off. But all of these pumps are AC. Many people have had these motors burn out on them.

AC motors draw less current when their work is reduced. An example is the simple pump.
Throttling back the water, lowers the current. Less work, less amps, less wear and tear.
Amps are decided by the work needed. There is no electronics inside the filter. The pump is a simple stator with rotor. The GPH is determined by RPM and the impeller. There are no set amps to this simple motor. The motor determines how many amps it will pull by the load. Load is water and or obstruction.
Now if you stop this motor with lets say an obstruction and the rotor can no longer spin, this causes high current, heat and most likely motor failure.
But this is called "Locked Rotor". It will harm the motor. Reducing water flow will not.
We also have to take into consideration the rotor and the stator are submerged and in direct contact with the water. This aids in keeping the motor cool during operation and this is why the manufacturer recommends to not operate the filter without water present.

A DC motor runs at the prescribed RPM. Or will try. We don't use DC motors in this application for several reasons. The most important reason is there is no need for speed control. We control flow through mechanical means not electrical means.
DC motors are designed for speed control and full torque at very low speeds. Meaning they use them where low speeds are required with full loads (work) to operate.
Most all DC motors require a drive or speed controller if you will that can be adjusted by the operator.
AC motors can be operate in a very similar way, but that is a whole new discussion.
The point is less work means less amps, less work and less wear and tear on components.

 

HOB's were noisy to me until I started using Aquaclear. I found the biggest culprit is the cover. So I leave it off on both tanks.
Second was the impeller shaft. The stainless steel shaft inside the magnetic rotor. It will move and can be pushed back into place.
I found this condition when I could not quiet a filter. I read somewhere ( I think its on the packaging) about the shaft and sure enough it pushed back in just a little. That was enough to quiet the filter.
When the shaft moves out of position this will allow the impeller to touch the housing. I am very glad I found out about this. No more noisy filters.


AC motors draw less current when their work is reduced. An example is the simple pump.
Throttling back the water, lowers the current. Less work, less amps, less wear and tear.
Amps are decided by the work needed. There is no electronics inside the filter. The pump is a simple stator with rotor. The GPH is determined by RPM and the impeller. There are no set amps to this simple motor. The motor determines how many amps it will pull by the load. Load is water and or obstruction.
Now if you stop this motor with lets say an obstruction and the rotor can no longer spin, this causes high current, heat and most likely motor failure.
But this is called "Locked Rotor". It will harm the motor. Reducing water flow will not.
We also have to take into consideration the rotor and the stator are submerged and in direct contact with the water. This aids in keeping the motor cool during operation and this is why the manufacturer recommends to not operate the filter without water present.

A DC motor runs at the prescribed RPM. Or will try. We don't use DC motors in this application for several reasons. The most important reason is there is no need for speed control. We control flow through mechanical means not electrical means.
DC motors are designed for speed control and full torque at very low speeds. Meaning they use them where low speeds are required with full loads (work) to operate.
Most all DC motors require a drive or speed controller if you will that can be adjusted by the operator.
AC motors can be operate in a very similar way, but that is a whole new discussion.
The point is less work means less amps, less work and less wear and tear on components.

Absolutely, removing the cover is a must. A little vasoline on the impeller goes a long way. Even doing all this, the impeller acts up and it has to be adjusted. I keep my tanks in my bedroom so this was driving me crazy, I hear everything. Noise was the main reason I switched to canister filters. I have run HOB in other parts of the house no problem. I have an Eheim 2217 which is rated at 264 gph and it is practically silent, my Eheim 2213s were silent, had to see flow to see if they were running. Great information on the AC/DC motors.