I apologise if this question has been asked already, but I could not find any threads that seemed to answer this question. I also searched on Craigslist and Freecycle for my area already.

Does anyone know of resources for cheap or discounted filters in the Northern US? I have a 29 gallon tank coming for my three commons -- they're 1" each, once they get much larger I'll get something else.

However, there's a Penguin 45 and a Penguin 25 that comes with it, along with a pair of undergravel filters... which from skimming the forums sound woefully inadequate.

My current Whisper 5/15 miiight be able to be tacked onto the side, but at that point, I'm running high on filters and low on glass-side real estate...

Many thanks for any suggestions.

Try Ebay! Also Bigalsonline.com has good prices.

Ebay is great!! Make sure you check the listing carefully and ask them to send you pictures of the filter while it is pumping water so you know that it works and that you won't get a rip off. Also, I am unfamiliar with the Penguins you have listed. How big are they and what cartridges do they take? You will need about 300 gph so I would suggest an Emperor 280 along with one of the Penguins or a Penguin 350. A millennium is nice, too, but don't get an AquaClear.

Thank you both for the links.

Why both a Penguin and an Emperor?

Do they have complementary strengths in some of their filter fields? Or is it another reason?

I prefer Emperor 400s. In my experience they are the most durable. Worth the 50 bucks, every time.

Cuz you have a 29 gallon tank. Goldfish need 10x the tank cycled through the filter an hour. So I would get an Emperor 280 or a Penguin 200 along with a Penguin 100. Or an Emperor 280 and a Penguin 100.

I have a Penguin 150 and a Penguin 170 on my 20 gallon. I love them, but I hope to get a Penguin 200 someday.

In other words, the larger of the two filters still doesn't pump enough water (in gallons per hour) to keep your tank clean. The coupling of two filters will give you enough filtration for the size tank you have, as well as give you a bit of a cushion if one of the filters fails. If you only have one filter and it dies, you're in dire straights. But if you've got two and one kicks the bucket, you might be able to get it repaired or replaced with out leaving your tank with no filtration at all.

Usually filters last 10 or more years. I just wanted to tell you that because it sounded like L. E. Pirin was saying that they die quickly.

Oh I didn't mean to imply that they die quickly... but accidents happen, particularly if you're getting a used one that you aren't sure how well it has been taken care of.

Ah!

All of this makes sense -- thank you Fishieperson for the info, and L. E. Pirin for the explanation.



Would waste really build up quickly enough, if one filter died, that 24 hours would be hazardous to the gf's health?

Why not?! I use 7 of them and havent had any problems.

For me I prefer AquaClear. I have two of them and a Bio-wheel 400 which I don't like . May be, it's just me.

I have found that they are not best for beginners. You have to remove a basket and to maintain te mechanical filtration, you have to remove all of the inserts. This can get water everywhere and is not easy. I have also found that cleaner materials for mechanical and chemical filtration are needed. Clean your kitchen throughly with a single sponge. I mean get that sponge literally impregnated with dirt, grime and gunk. Then, gently swish it in warm water (don't wringe or squeeze it). Do you want to go clean another room with what's left? Would you wash your dishes with that sponge? If not, why the heck would you put the gently swished sponge filter back in the AquaClear? Any debris that wasn't magically swished away will decompose in the sponge and foul your tank.

You also may have problems with backsiphoning during a power outage. All filters backsiphon, but the aquaclear doesn't reprime. This will leave your filter running with almost no water and if you are at work or school, you will not know this is happening. This happened to me and it burnt the motor out on mine.

Well I don't clean the filter the way you do. Here is a recommendation for how to clean the filter properly from Paul.
http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/...showtopic=26495



For me, AquaClear is the best in backsiphoning follow by Whisper. Biowheel is the worst... May be just me

I have used most brands of filters on the market. Aqua Clears are good filters in the sense that you can put two sponges in the basket. Put a layer of filter floss in between the sponges to take out small particles. That sponges will last you a good year, and the filter floss can be replaced when dirty. They are extremely inexpensive to operate, and I have found that they last for years. I have two that are 15 years old and still running well.

You should keep the impeller clean. This will allow the filter to restart after a power outage. I have found that with AQ's, if you keep the impeller clean, they will restart.

I am not saying that Penguins and Emperors are not good filters, also. Everyone has personal preferences

Thank you all for your recommendations -- they've been very useful.

I skimmed the sales today at the local evil empire outlet, and I found that the Aquaclear that claims to process 330 gph was pretty well-priced for the bracket it was in, and I liked being able to stagger changing the three separate media... I'm paranoid about de-cycling my tank, once it's finally up.

I'll definitely be checking into the link on proper cleaning of it, though, and the advice about putting a layer between filter is one I'll be taking, definitely.

I'm one of those people who buys the printer with separate ink cartridges for each color, too, so it's more a personal style than anything else.