New to HOB...emperor 400 & penguin200 setup

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Moloch

Feeder Fish
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Sep 8, 2010
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Raleigh, NC
Edit: I know I tend to ramble, here's the quick & dirty:
On a 55g tank, I'll be using an Emperor 400b. Will the 2 biowheels handle all the biofiltration I need, allowing me to dedicate the rest of the filter to mechanical? Or should I add ceramic media to the setup? The emperor uses those plastic media containers...do I stuff these with mech, or do I leave them out & just stuff mech into the compartment loose?

On a 20g tank, I'll be using a Penguin 200. Same question, 1 biowheel.

-------------Beware of rambling below this line--------------

I feel like this is completely backwards...most threads like this I see people asking about canisters and completely mystified by their operation. I started with an xp3 & a magnum HOT, canisters make perfect sense to me:screwy:

I've had an emperor 400b sitting in the closet with a busted impeller and missing bio-wheels since I got my 65. I bought a stand last night for my 55 and the dude gave me a box full of old poweheads, filters, heaters and other random stuff he had. Looks like he just got out of the hobby. It looks like all of it was used in salt setups & I don't feel like taking the time & effort to clean it all up and see whats useable. BUT, one of the filters happened to be an emperor 400, so I did jack the impeller and biowheels, and now mine works beautifully :)

SO. I say all that to say this: I have no idea how to effectively set up the media in the HOB filters. I've got 4 of the plastic cartridges for the emperor and there's a plastic frame in the penguin with a filter pad on one side & it holds carbon on the other.

can I assume that the bio-wheels (emperor has 2, penguin has 1) will hold enough BB to handle my bio filtration and I can fill the rest of the filters with mechanical media? Should I use those plastic cartridges with the emperor or should I just stuff a bunch of floss or filter pads or other stuff in there?

The emperor400 will be the sole filter on a 55g with two sen's & two pictus cats

The penguin200 will be the sole filter on a 20g with a breeding pair of convicts.


edit: one other thing I forgot. I have the emperor400B, an older model. Its got what I believe is a flow adjustment built in; basically a little gray handle that I can pull up or push down 3 or 4 clicks which I believe is supposed to allow more or less water flow from the impeller...anybody familiar with this? I can't really tell a difference between up or down so I can't really tell where I should set it.
 
Put the flow control in the upward most position and let her flow! I use my media containers for biological filtration. I've got them filled with ceramic rings from Aqua clear. They fit great and you can pack a ton in there. For mechanical filtration I use the rite size E cartridges. It wouldn't hurt to run 2 emperors on your 55. No such thing as over filtration! Also put the media containers in the slots closest to the bio wheels. Place the filter cartridges (foam facing rear of housing) in the slot closest to the rear of the filter. I run 400's on both my saltwater tank and my freshwater.
 
i have used the orginal 400 for like 10 years and its still going. i have a new one too they are greeeeaaaatttt!
 
So...is the pair of bio-wheels not enough bio-filtration on their own? Should I put a rite-size cartridge + a container full of ceramics in each side?

Right now I don't have the money to add another filter to the 55. My plan is to mimic what I have on the 65 and go with an xp3 & a magnum hot250 (although I just put this combo together...its been just the xp3 until now, so I'm waiting to see how it goes over the next month or two).

Another thing...this emperor is noisy as hell, not the water noise, but a mechanical noise as if something is grinding the impeller, although I'm fairly certain that area is clear. I'm going to look at it a little closer when I get it moved to the 55...I'd had enough after playing with my filters for 2 hours today getting everything moved around:p.

And one last thing...one of the bio-wheels gets caught on the lid. As soon as I close it, the bio-wheel stops or has trouble spinning. I have to get it set JUST RIGHT for it to still be free-spinning. I tink I'm just going to get something I can stick to the filter to keep the lid raised an 1/8th of an inch or so.
 
there are many ways to setup the 400 it all depends on ur stocking and preference. I have eheim bio in the refillable grey cartrides and use a polishing pad on one on the othe othe it is stuffed with scrubies. and yes they are a lil noisey especially at first till they get broke in.
 
I put the media in the baskets in a media bag in front of the filter cartiges.
I ripped the material off of the frame on the "stock" filter cartrige, dumped the carbon and used mechanical media batting placed in front of the frame. So it goes, batting(cut to size)-frame-Ehiem Substrate Pro in media bag. This places the media below the bio-wheels.
I had this set-up for years for both of my Emp280s and my Penguin 330, 350 and Emp400.
Like a charm.
 
My emperor was noisy as hell when it first started. Had the same grinding noise you are describing. Now after about 3 months its quieted down so I can barely hear it running. Certainly not as quiet as my Eheim canisters but its acceptable.

I stuff the refillable gray cartridges with filter floss.
 
Ok...so I'm still not sure if I need to add extra bio, or if the biowheels are enough on their own.

Filter floss in the cartridges sounds like a great idea...easy to deal with it, effective. I might try that.
 
On my 400's, I always put carbon and ammonia chips in the gray cartridges. I believe the two bio wheels are enough biological for a 55 in most instances, but a cheap and easy way to add some is to add a sponge filter. Removing the gray cartridge and stuffing it with scrubbies is another option.
 
Ok...so I'm still not sure if I need to add extra bio, or if the biowheels are enough on their own.

Time and an ammonia test kit will answer that.
Between the bio wheels and in tank surface areas, your currant setup could do quite nicely, without the need of any additional bio media..
But, the only way you would know for sure, is to test the water.
 
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