marineland penguin 350, any good? $40 bucks.

[Toby_H]

My cartridges last a month I high pressure blast them with water every couple days. I have some 200's on my growout tanks and all they need is some bathtub water or hosing off

Some people here would freak out if you admitted to rinsing your filter cartridges off under the sink. But I won't jump on that train...

I'm not saying it's a bad filter and since the OP got a good deal on them even better. Then we have to look at ways to increase the practicality of using it.

Rinsing and reusing filter cartridges is agreat place to start. I highly recommend it

But eventually they will wear out. At that point hang on to the frame and look for some other form of cloth/media to wrap around it. You may also look for some media to put in the middle.

Do the new cartridges still have carbon in them? The debate about carbon leaching bad stuff back into the water once it is "full" has been going on for years. Since I don't use carbon I haven't followed it too closely so I'm not sure the general consensus anymore.

But I do know carbon is best to be changed out often (every week or so)...

I'm by no means saying it's a bad filter... I'm just saying that there are ways to make it a more practical filter

 

[bizzy]

Some people here would freak out if you admitted to rinsing your filter cartridges off under the sink. But I won't jump on that train...

I'm not saying it's a bad filter and since the OP got a good deal on them even better. Then we have to look at ways to increase the practicality of using it.

Rinsing and reusing filter cartridges is agreat place to start. I highly recommend it

But eventually they will wear out. At that point hang on to the frame and look for some other form of cloth/media to wrap around it. You may also look for some media to put in the middle.

Do the new cartridges still have carbon in them? The debate about carbon leaching bad stuff back into the water once it is "full" has been going on for years. Since I don't use carbon I haven't followed it too closely so I'm not sure the general consensus anymore.

But I do know carbon is best to be changed out often (every week or so)...

I'm by no means saying it's a bad filter... I'm just saying that there are ways to make it a more practical filter

thanks for the info.

 

[mfgl]

I have one for my 55, I think I paid about 50$ for it at petco 4 years ago. Seemed to work pretty good, the whisper bag filter cartriges fit it and are cheaper. You will just have to buy 2 three packs to start to get the plastic frames. After that you can buy the petco brand and they are really cheap. My filters last forever. I do rinse them out every three weeks or so, but only one at a time.

 

[gt1009]

I have heard that the biowheels on this filter don't turn too much. I have a 400 and a 200 on my 55, and of the two the 400 with the spraybar system turns the wheels much better. The 200 just needs to have the water up nice and high in the tank, otherwise it doesn't flow enough to make the wheels turn. Also, if any water is going through the overflow, the wheel doesn't turn as much. If you keep this in mind, the 350 should be fine.

 

[mfgl]

I actually has to enlarge the little cups the biowheel sits in. I just shoved an allen wrench down in the slots and widened them slightly and they turn much better. I think they fit really tight and after a few weeks of gunk/salt built up around there thy dont turn well.