# Biowheel vs. Aquaclear



## Markus_m (Jan 31, 2006)

Which one do you perfer?


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## ben2957 (Sep 17, 2005)

imo bio wheels are much better than aqua clear filters.


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## Wussola (Jan 25, 2006)

Bio-wheel all the way! I did a little research before buying my new filter and from what I've read and been told - the bio-wheel has the best biological filtering hands down. Plus, if you're bored it fun to watch the wheel go round and round .... jk!

That's my two cents ... I personally have not used the aquaclear filter. From what I've seen, I don't like how you have to replace individual parts (carbon, filament, etc) ... I like just having one item that you have to replace monthly (that contains everything) and all you do is pull the old one out and put the new one in.

Good luck with your purchase!


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## therizman1 (Jan 6, 2006)

I much prefer biowheel over any other hang-on filters.


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## Markus_m (Jan 31, 2006)

sweet looks like most of you are leaning towards the biowheel. But i could still use more opinions.


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## TripDs (Oct 11, 2004)

biowheels apparently have the ability to culture an unprecedented amount of bacteria than others


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## Apott05 (Jul 19, 2005)

i have one of each and prefer my AC. and i do not beleive the bio wheel has the best biological filtration. If you notice you do not have 100 percent of the water passing thru media as you would with ur aqualclear. And the carbon in the Bio wheel filters is useless IMO hardly anything there. With the AC you get 100 percent of the water flowing thru all of your media. You also have a greater choice of what kind of media you would like to use. Also there is a neat trick you can do and add bio wheels to your AC.


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## Joga Bonito (Oct 30, 2004)

Aquaclear for me.


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

Apott05 said:


> i have one of each and prefer my AC. and i do not beleive the bio wheel has the best biological filtration. If you notice you do not have 100 percent of the water passing thru media as you would with ur aqualclear. And the carbon in the Bio wheel filters is useless IMO hardly anything there. With the AC you get 100 percent of the water flowing thru all of your media. You also have a greater choice of what kind of media you would like to use. Also there is a neat trick you can do and add bio wheels to your AC.


100% of the water that enters your filter passing through your filter does not equal better biological filtration. Sponges fill up with debris and are exposed to only the amount of oxygen available in water. Because biowheels rotate with the water flow, they are exposed to many more times the amount of oxygen in a submerged sponge, and therefore can maintain many times more aerobic bacteria. The bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite, and nitrite to nitrate, are aerobic. Many biowheel filters come with extra media bays that you can add more carbon or other media if you so desire as well. IMO, adding a biowheel to an AC is a must if you want good biological filtration.


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## Apott05 (Jul 19, 2005)

i tried looking but i cant find the mod to add bio wheels. It is something i would really like to do because i do know that the wheels have alot to offer.


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## JuN_SpeK (Oct 6, 2005)

imo i choose the aquaclear.. i have a emp 400 and a pengiun 330 bio wheel and an ac 110 and the ac is much better. always keeps my water clear. and bio wheels always have a problem with noise..


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## Markus_m (Jan 31, 2006)

can anyone who has used both filteration methods maybe layout the pros and cons of each type? It would help a lot.


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## mattd390 (Dec 5, 2005)

Markus_m said:


> can anyone who has used both filteration methods maybe layout the pros and cons of each type? It would help a lot.


 I have three biowheel filters and 1 AC110. The biowheels (pengiun) are pretty good filters but I think that their downfall is that fact that they dont hold alot of media compared to the AC (no real trays like the AC) and they are noisier. The AC110 comes with bio media and you dont have to replace it. I just wash out the sponge every other week.. DO NOT wash the little cylinder things! Hope this helps.

MattD


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## Oscar5001 (Sep 22, 2005)

How about an Aquaclear with a DIY biowheel? It's a pretty easy add-on.


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

Markus_m said:


> can anyone who has used both filteration methods maybe layout the pros and cons of each type? It would help a lot.


AC

Pros: cheap, less water noise, more media possibilities

Cons: cheap, more frequent maintainance, less reliable biofiltration

Penguin

Pros: biowheel is virtually maintainance free, replacing filter pads won't disrupt biofilter

Cons: can be more expensive, less media possibilities on older models (new 200 and 350 come with extra media bay), water splash noise off of biowheel

I've had both, and got rid of my ACs and old penguins. The new Penguins are much better in design, the Emperor series is still the best if you can get them on sale because they already come with media trays for the extra media bays, have adjustable flow that works like a charm, and have a spray bar that ensures a constant supply of water to the biowheels. I've also had stellar performance with the Eclipse hoods and tanks, as well as the Magnum 350. Marineland makes good stuff. I'm a big fan of their heaters too.


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## Guest (Feb 13, 2006)

Apott05 said:


> i have one of each and prefer my AC. and i do not beleive the bio wheel has the best biological filtration. If you notice you do not have 100 percent of the water passing thru media as you would with ur aqualclear. And the carbon in the Bio wheel filters is useless IMO hardly anything there. With the AC you get 100 percent of the water flowing thru all of your media. You also have a greater choice of what kind of media you would like to use. Also there is a neat trick you can do and add bio wheels to your AC.


You cleary dont understand how a biowheel works :laugh:

Its simple...Penguins have a better bio filter system, but Aquaclears are cheap, suck up the water better, are less noisy and have less impellor problems.

Show tank: Aquaclear
Tank in the basement: Penguin


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## Blue (Mar 23, 2005)

I prefer the ease of cleaning the AC 500 over the Emp 400. I own both and thoroughly servicing the AC is much easier for me than doing the same for the Emp with all it's tubings and spraybars, plus its opaque black casing makes it difficult to see how plugged the media is. I don't think I will buy another Emp 400.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

Bio-filtration has one job....to provide surface area for bacteria to colonize. I have had at least 6 emp400's and never had a problem with water quality. I have also had at least 8 AC500 or AC110's as the are now called...and again I had no problem with water quality. I prefer the ac's hands down. The main reason is they dont loose there syphon a easily and they are so much quieter. It is less hassle doing a water change because I can drain the tank way down and never have a problem where the emps always seem to loose the syphon..and then can be a bitch to get started again. I have never had an issue with keeping an established bacteria colony with the ac's so I personally like them much better. This is an age old question...but as long as I dont have issues with bio-filtration with ac's...they are my choice....and I will never get another bio-wheel filter.


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## AE Aquatics (Alex) (Jan 15, 2006)

I had 2 330s and I switch for the ac70s. I hate the sleeves , the biowheels stop spinning and the 70 puts out a better flow. Just my 2 cents.


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## Fishjunky (Nov 11, 2005)

I've used them both for years and when I was a tech for Petware house. I suggested thousands of both filters. I've also trouble shot them both thousands of times. I personally do not have a favorite filter. I have come to the conclusion that you need to find a filter that fits you. If you get the bio wheel you will spend a fortune on the blue cartridges. The bio wheels are great and provide alot of bio filtration. The Aquaclear will run forever and have more flow in most cases. However there is alot of bypass going on in those filters. However in any case I suggest oversizing the filter no matter what you get. Most petstores and hobbiest alike make the big mistake of getting a filter for the size of the tank. yes you do want to make sure you are getting the proper water volume through the filter but more important you want to match the filter for bio load. Example if I have a guppy in a 100 gallon tank versus 10 3" piranha in that same tank. Goodluck with which ever you choose.


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## b_ack51 (Feb 11, 2003)

I've used both filters and the aquaclear with holding more actual filter media was better than the biowheel. Just my 2 cents. If you want more biomedia, just use your aquaclear for it. Put the sponge first, then two to three bags of bio media. Anothe thing was the trays for any filter with the biowheel is just way to small to handle a large bioload. If you want a biowheel, add one to an aquaclear. Then you get all of the "benefits" of both filters.

But cannister beats both HOBs.


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## Wussola (Jan 25, 2006)

There's a lot of good information on both filters presented here ... and I'm not saying one filter is definitely superior over the other ... but from my experience:

Just to add: from the research I did on filters, what "BioTeach" said above is what I found. It's the science behind bio-wheels that make them better as a biological filter (more available O2). Their maintenance free and disturbance free nature (never disturb media when changing filter cartridges, longevity, etc) is what I like. In the past, I had a filter that used the cartridge style bio media, similar to AC, and after 6 months or so the cartridge became full of debris ... which made the filter back up and bypass all filtering. After attempting to clean it (to save the bio-media) I finally had to get a new cartridge ... which meant a spike in ammonia, etc (cycling) in my aquarium which I had to deal with until the new cartridge was adequately populated. This experience is why I choose the bio-wheel.

Hope this helps!


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## evermore (Oct 7, 2003)

I have both. i perfer AC. cuz the emp4oo's spraybars get clogged often. it seems not to want to reprime it self after power outage.The Ac is way more maintainence free plus cheaper. and if properly set up is way more efficient, i feel Ac is away better product.


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## seven11junkey (Sep 9, 2005)

my fav is the emp bio whe filter i never liked Aqua clear because they always died on me after a little bit.(and the emp have a little button on the top and if you push it it in it will prime)


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## BASSFISHERMAN (Feb 22, 2004)

Here's a link to the DIY bio wheels for Aquaclear filters I wrote a while ago:
http://oscarfish.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=46

Pics:
View attachment 94355

View attachment 94356


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## caribehunter (Jul 13, 2005)

there you go, just use the bio wheels from the penguin 170 you can buy replacement wheels at petsmart petco wherever. you have yourself the best of both worlds. or just do what i do and just be lazy, run both 1 ac 500 and one emporer 400.


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## Bluegill (Nov 28, 2003)

I've never used a biowheel, so I can't comment on them. I have, however, used Aquaclears for a long time. IMHO, AC's are great. They're inexpensive, quiet, easy to maintain, and last forever. For example, I'm running an AC on my 20g hospital, its 20 years old.


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## 50cent$13 (Jan 3, 2005)

i use both and have the most amazing quality in water, and on maintenance it works well, i totally clean one of the filters every other week and the water quality stays the same


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## SAFETYpin (Feb 1, 2004)

Wussola said:


> Their maintenance free and disturbance free nature (never disturb media when changing filter cartridges, longevity, etc) is what I like. In the past, I had a filter that used the cartridge style bio media, similar to AC, and after 6 months or so the cartridge became full of debris ... which made the filter back up and bypass all filtering. After attempting to clean it (to save the bio-media) I finally had to get a new cartridge ... which meant a spike in ammonia, etc (cycling) in my aquarium which I had to deal with until the new cartridge was adequately populated.


Aqua Clears aren't a cartridge type filter they have separate mechanical and biomedia. Personaly I run Aqua Clears, you can't wrong with either its just what I am used to.


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## toerag2 (Feb 16, 2006)

I have two aqua clear 110's on each of my tanks....(also have two hot magnums, on each of my tanks...also an undergravel in each tank...in addition to these, I have two large fluvals on my 110 gallon tank, three fluvals and one large cascade on my 250 gallon tank and two fluvals on my 150 gallon tank)....Hell....I could filtrate a small water supply reservoir for a medium size city!!!...BUT, I'm lazy, old and I don't like cleaning......and my fish tanks are way overcrowded and this has worked well for me over the years....


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## electricman (Aug 25, 2005)

i've never had a bio wheel,but i have 2 ac 70's on my 75 gal. tank. so far i only have good things to say about them.water parameters stay perfect,water stays crystal clear and they're easy to clean.


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## black_piranha (Jan 12, 2006)

BIO WHEEL!


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## divinelawyer625 (Dec 12, 2005)

AC... all the way, HANDS DOWN!!!! i own 10 AC and never gave me any trouble.


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## Slim (Jan 9, 2005)

Aquaclear for me also. I love them.


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## Markus_m (Jan 31, 2006)

Alright well so far Aqua Clear is in the lead vs. the Bio Wheel.

AC: 15
BW: 8

Just from the clear opinions i got from the post.

Anyone who hasn't gaven their opinion please add on...


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## rubinm (Jan 24, 2006)

Bio wheels for sure.. NOT PENGUINS.. Emperors are way better than penguins. period.


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## fliptasciouz (Jul 4, 2004)

penguin 330s are loud(needed impeller replacement)! learned my lesson. AVOID penguin 330s


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