Marineland Penguin Bio-Wheel Power Filter 100 GPH, Multi-Stage Aquarium Filtration

So I had some trouble when I first installed my filter, and I figured I would share the steps I went through to fix it in case it helps anyone else.I put everything together just like the diagram but when I plugged it in, all it made was this really loud grinding sound and there was no water flow. I opened the lid and I could see some bubbles but nothing obviously wrong. I pulled stuff apart and checked the propeller and couldn’t see anything wrong there either. I had set up everything in order according to the directions and was baffled.I began trouble-shooting. When I called the help hotline (it was outside business hours so I couldn’t get a person), something they suggested is taking the propeller out and with the filter plugged in, hold it up against the outside of the filter. If you can feel the magnetic tug, then at least the motor is working. So I pulled mine out and tried this. Propeller and motor were good.Another review mentioned trouble with the flow lever on the intake tube, so I fiddled with this. No change. But it did give me an idea since I had seen bubbles, I figured it could be a different problem with the intake tube. Long story short, the three sections of the tube weren’t connected as tightly as they could have been. Tightened, water started flowing through the filter. There was still a bit of noise, but I noticed that my tank was filled below the top connection point on the tube. I added more water to the tank until it was above the line, and presto, no grinding noise!So if you do have problems with flow or noise you might check your intake tube and make sure it is tightly together (REALLY tight) and maybe fill the tank above the top connection.The filter itself seems to be working great. The water flowing back into the tank can be a bit loud, but it isn’t nearly as bad as some filters I’ve used previously. I really like how sturdy it is built and that I can insert two filters back to back for more filtration if I like. Also, the cover is super easy to take on and off. The bio wheel sounds neat in theory but it isn’t even spinning in mine. Not sure how to fix that or if it really matters. Maybe I’ll fiddle with it later.The fish tank is in the bottom of my Chinese water dragon vivarium, so as you can imagine it can get a bit messy, but the water has stayed clear and clean, so I’m please enough.Update: So it has been running for about a month with no problems. I got the biowheel to run for a bit, opening the flow more on the intake tube and pushing the wheel back all the way in its housing. The water has stayed pristine even with my lizard so I’m really happy with it!

I bought this same exact filter 14 years ago. With regular cleaning, I never had any functional issues aside from the bio-wheel just getting gross and needing to be tossed around the 10-year mark.The only reason I needed to replace this filter is because it started to make a low noise that started to freak out my fish (they had recently been transferred from a different tank also with a newer Marineland filter). The old one was still working like the day I first set it up aside from a bit of noise.Great price for how long they last. I'm pretty sure I paid the same price 14 years ago.The filter cartridges are super easy to install and pretty inexpensive and I've managed to find them at just about every pet store I've ever been to.

The media could not be loaded. UPDATE JAN 2021: The filter died, but to be fair we had a crazy storm here and the power went off and on about 4 or 5 times. I think the motor got burned out from a power surge.This filter is the best I've had so far, and I've done Aqueon, Tetra, Fluval and whatever came with the combo tank packs I've had in the past. I've kept fish since my early teen years (I'm now in my 30s) and I tend to dedicate myself to finding a perfect middle ground of care between Average Joe Pet Owner and Avid Enthusiast. I want ALL my pets to have happy, healthy, generous lives but I can't dedicate my time and money to giving them the absolute best.This filter falls into that comfortable middle space where you want quality but you're not trying to spend your entire paycheck.• I can't agree that it's too loud. Mine is actually incredibly quiet.• The suction isn't as fantastic as my ideal would be, but it's on par for the product and it's in the range it needs to be for my 5.5 gallon tank. If it were more powerful my Betta wouldn't have a very pleasant time getting close to it. It still cleans up the 5.5 in no time flat, so I'm satisfied.• If you keep your water parameters right and your quality tidy (no overstocking or overfeeding), the filter can last longer than the typical change out time.• If you really want to make it perfect for fish like Betta, add a cut sponge filter to the output. It cuts down on noise, throttles back the water disruption quite a bit, and adds extra filtration. If you're not seeing water flow slow down, then you're likely not fitting the sponges correctly. (See photos) Just make sure, once a month or so, that you rinse the sponge in tap water (to kill algae) and let it direct sun dry for at least 12 hours before putting it back (evaporates the chemicals in tap water so you don't kill your bene-bacteria).When I take the sponges out to clean the water at a rapid rate (say, like during a debris vacuum session), I have a little cave in the tank that faces into a corner, so my betta can get away from the current and chill. Its entirely possible to make this work for a betta tank if you've got lots of experience, some ingenuity, and awareness.If you're new to tanks and filters, the recommendation is a filter that turns over the water 4x/hour. So a 5 gallon tank would need a filter that does 20-/+ gph (gallons per hour). This filter does A LOT more than that. I choose to have this kind of filter because I don't subject my fish to regular water changes, I keep the parameters and trace minerals stable with Seachem products and only add water as necessary.All in all I definitely recommend this filter.