innacurrate box measurements?

[Retuks]

i went to the lfs in the mall and got curious about buying a hang-on filter to overkill my 10 gallon. (it would also make for a fun pic XD)... and there i got very confused.


if a box lies about how much gph a filter actually produces, how will we be able to tell? i was going back and forth between the Aquareons and the Marinelands that were available there and now im stumped.

the first hang filter i looked at was a $69.95 Emperor 280 (50gal) that had said its turnover was 280 gph. but here are some other things i read:

$69.95 Emperor (280gph) (50 Gal)
$59.95 Penguin (350gph) (70 Gal)
$46.95 Penguin (200gph) (50Gal)
$39.95 Aqueon (280gph) (30Gal)

for starters, why is Marineland selling a lesser filter for more money than one of its OWN superior products??!?!

i stumbled myself after reading that last one. why is 280gph meant for a 30 gal aquarium to Aqueon but Marineland says 200gph is suitable for a 50?? is it just what these companies think?? and are they lying about what the turnover actually is???? cause im thinking its possible that Aqueon being the more generic company will be more sketchy and LIST a higher output than actually occurs... but then again it could just be that Marineland has its head in the clouds from being mainstream and is miscalculating it themselves.

the prices are LFS garbage but its still upside down on what should run each size tank... any help here? im confusing myself the more i type.

 

[dennisdeng2002]

Water turnover really doesn't mean anything, you could be running 10000gph with no filter media and it would do nothing, the more filter media you have the higher capacity your filter can support. Manufacturers use these labels in order to give the average hobbyist a good sense of what they're filter can do, but it's really trial and error to be able to determine what works for you. I.E. the marineland has a biowheel which is supposed to have great surface area for more bacteria colonization, and therefore is rated for a larger tank, I'm not familiar with the aqueons but I assume they're like all other hob and have a carbon filter pad which has relatively low surface area.

 

[Burko]

"is it just what these companies think?? and are they lying about what the turnover actually is???? "

I'd say it is a misguided estimate at best. Buyer beware.

 

[patatmblife]

for starters, why is Marineland selling a lesser filter for more money than one of its OWN superior products??!?!

You can't compare a Penguin to an Emperor. It's like saying my Silver Arowana is twice as big as my Asian but why is my Asian 10x the price?

 

[Retuks]

You can't compare a Penguin to an Emperor. It's like saying my Silver Arowana is twice as big as my Asian but why is my Asian 10x the price?

Dennis, who runs their filters without filters in them anyway??? output does matter because it tells you how fast (how much) water is being sucked in hence the range of your cleaning power. every power filter has a filter pad or something to basically block crap from going into the water.

to patatmblife.
that would make scence, however we are not talking about popular demand and opinion ratings like asian > silver. we are talking about hard performance that can be measured for what its capable of. what filter keeps more water healthier.

what makes that Emperor greater than the Penguin other than the name?

the Penguin pushes 350gph and it came with 2 "waterfalls", both running a biowheel over it. it was also meant for a 70gal tank. however the "Emperor" was 280gph and was basically a single unit like most small hangons. it had one biowheel and was meant for a 50 gallon, yet costs an extra $20 for a name??

 

[tcarswell]

You can't compare a Penguin to an Emperor. It's like saying my Silver Arowana is twice as big as my Asian but why is my Asian 10x the price?

Why is that ? I don't own one currently but my mom has a penguin 200 and AC50 on her 46 bowfront.

 

[velanarris]

They typically advertise the flow rate of the filter motor. That's the motor with no impedence (media in the way). When you add media, that flow rate is affected based on the design of the filter. Less bypass, greater decrease in flowrate, better filtration.

That being said, yes, you pay for a name, hence why FX5's have gone through the roof price wise while the aquaria community goes bonkers for them.

 

[tcarswell]

They typically advertise the flow rate of the filter motor. That's the motor with no impedence (media in the way). When you add media, that flow rate is affected based on the design of the filter. Less bypass, greater decrease in flowrate, better filtration.

That being said, yes, you pay for a name, hence why FX5's have gone through the roof price wise while the aquaria community goes bonkers for them.

Not to mention the aqua clear 110's going from like 30 dollars to 90 and people still buy them (Myself included I got two I paid 70 each)

 

[velanarris]

Not to mention the aqua clear 110's going from like 30 dollars to 90 and people still buy them (Myself included I got two I paid 70 each)

Easiest way to keep retail prices down is to not buy expensive products.

 

[tcarswell]

Easiest way to keep retail prices down is to not buy expensive products.

What can I say I like the filters I would say they are worth the money in the inexpensive media and high turnover.Sponges that last years not weeks like most HOB cartridges. You easily save the price difference between other filters in cartridges alone. Plus they are rock solid and run for years and years.