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Marineland 200B Penguin Bio-Wheel Power Filter 200 GPH
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Penguin BIO-Wheel Power Filters 200 by Penguin. Penguin series aquarium power filters provide superior biological filtration to eliminate toxic ammonia and nitrite
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Searched Marineland 200B Penguin Bio-Wheel Power Filter 200H in Reviews
good little filter 
| Installation and Operation |
installation is a no brainer, if you need instructions to install it you should not be keeping fish, haha, but its very easy to put on the tank, insert the filter pad, which can actually be made with a filter bag and whatever media you want too as this saves money, operation and maintenance is easy as well, switch the filter cartridge when its looking dirty, take the whole filter and give it a good rinse every month or two to get gunk out, esp if you have live plants it can get clogged if you dont, DONT EVER RINSE THE BIOWHEEL THOUGH!
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| Performance vs. Expectations |
it performs just as well as i thought it would, i used it on a 30g planted tank for almost five years and it seems to still work just as good as the day i bought it...
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| Value for money |
for a HOB freshwater filter, best brand in my opinion!
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| Customer Support |
never had to deal with them
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| Liked about it |
-easy to use and maintain
-easy to make your own filters for it
-very quiet
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| Didn't like |
-if you are using sand as your substrate, which i was, it is easy to get sand in the impeller housing, which makes it rattle very loud
-could be made slimmer for people with little room behind the tank
-could have a little more flow but it still pushes a good amt of water...
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| Overall rating: |
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4.5 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.5 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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4.5 |
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nice product but better off with freshwater
| Installation and Operation |
installing this product is pretty fail proof, remove it from box, put together a few parts and hang on aquarium. in other words just plug and play
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| Performance vs. Expectations |
i used to have a biowheel mini for my 10gal tank. i really enjoy these filters. The biowheel is what really sets them apart - a nice rotating wheel with a fibrous material that provides immense surface area for bacterial growth, and since it rotates there is plenty of oxygen to keep the bacteria thriving. The enhanced biological and will allow for stocking more or larger fish. they can be easily moved to another tank, and they work fairly well. They also act as a sort of "alarm" for decreasing water levels due to evaporation. i do water changes frequently enough, but when the water level gets low, the waterfall sound changes from silent to loud and annoying ensuring that you replace evaporated water, and perhaps check the thermometer that much more frequently. there isn't a way to adjust the intake tube length, which was a problem on my quarantine tank, as the tube was long enough to be partially burried in gravel. But it's fairly easy to cut a section out and glue the top and bottom back together. in conclusion the filter does well but i would personally recommend it for freshwater or cycling saltwater tanks
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| Value for money |
you are getting a good product for what you are paying for, although beware that for saltwater tanks a better kind of filter (if any) should be used
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| Customer Support |
i did not contact the provider on this occasion and i never have with my experience with marineland.
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| Liked about it |
-wheel
-flow
-quality
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| Didn't like |
-nitrates can rise from using this for too long
-the pump isnt as strong as i imagined
-biowheel can and provably will get stuck
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| Overall rating: |
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3.8 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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3.5 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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4.0 |
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What a disappointment, I returned it to the store after 2 weeks
| Installation and Operation |
Installation was simple, as simple as any other hang-on filter. The bio-wheel cover didn't fit very nicely and came off a couple of times.
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| Performance vs. Expectations |
I installed this in my tank and after 2 weeks it stopped working, totally shut down. I thought perhaps I just had a faulty one and so took it back to the PetCo where I purchased it to exchange it for a new one. The sales clerk told me they had several comeback with the same issue so I decided not exchange it but to get a Tetra filter instead. I did some research afterward to see what might have been the issue. It seems if algae gets in the intake it burns out the motor quickly because it can't handle the extra work, at least that's what I read. I have a planted tank, so in my case a plant had gotten sucked into it.
Before you say this was an accident and probably wouldn't happen, keep in mind this has happened countless times with my Tetra Whisper filters and they just keep plugging along. While you may not have this kind of issue, it just makes me feel like the motor might not be what it should be.
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| Value for money |
This isn't an expensive filter, just a little more than other brands. I think, knowing what I know about filters, that if you get one to keep working (which is easy really since not everyone has planted tanks) the design is quite nice. I would say, despite my experience, it is well built filter with a nice idea behind the design.
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| Customer Support |
I didn't not contact customer support. I did use their web site, which was helpful.
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| Liked about it |
1. Nice flow pattern from the return.
2. Large biological media surface area.
3. VERY quiet.
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| Didn't like |
1. Not a powerful enough motor to work through the difficulties that can often arise in certain types of tanks.
2. It broke!
3. The cover doesn't fit snugly.
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| Overall rating: |
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2.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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2.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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2.0 |
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Good basic filter - helps with cycling additional tank
| Installation and Operation |
Anyone can install this filter: insert carbon filter, drop bio-wheel into slots, pour water into container and turn on. Specified to 50 gallons, it certainly works well on my 37 gallon tank. The bio-wheel, which is left in place and not replaced, is my favorite part because I can use it in an established tank and then set it up with a cycling tank to help establish the bacteria in the new one. Activated carbon filters are changed as needed relative to the bio-load. Multiple carbon filters can be inserted if you experienced a big need to filter (i.e., you have driftwood tannins in a freshwater tank or something big died in saltwater).
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| Performance vs. Expectations |
Performs well and filters with an adjustable mid-level intake on the intake extension. The bi-level intake works well if you want to draw water from different levels or if you have plants in one level that catch against one intake. The higher-level intake can be adjusted "on" or "off" to give you control. Also the intake extension tube works well in tall tanks. Noise, the eternal problem, is average on this filter. It has a vented cover to run quieter, but the biggest help is running it on a full tank to decrease the water falling sound.
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| Value for money |
Good value. There are quieter pumps but this one does clean the water well and biologically filter with the bio-wheel.
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| Customer Support |
No need.
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| Liked about it |
Simple to use.
Activated carbon filter and bio-wheel effectively clean water.
Two-levels of intake can be used.
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| Didn't like |
The pump doesn't refill its container well when first started: you should pour water into the container to get it going. This causes problems for some people who have frequent power outages. I always want equipment to be quieter; the Penguin Bio-wheel is average on noise, but I can wish it were quieter. Bio-wheel sometimes turns irregularly; this doesn't bother me as it is still functioning fine.
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| Overall rating: |
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4.5 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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:(
| Installation and Operation |
A breeze to install...my 4 yr. old could do it.
See "likes" and "dislikes" for maintenance comments.
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| Performance vs. Expectations |
I have sand substrate, live plants, 3 cory catfish, 4 African Dwarf frogs, 3 danios, and 2 snails in a 30 gal. tank. On my third Marineland 200 Penguin in 6 months. The current one is starting to go (can hear a very loud errrrrrrr from time to time). Will not purchase another one. Suspecting it may be the sand substrate burning out the motor. Local aquarium store said to bring in one of the broken filters and they'll take a look...said Marineland is one of the best you can buy...should have for 10+ yrs. NOT 10+ weeks.
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| Value for money |
No comment.
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| Customer Support |
Not yet.
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| Liked about it |
1.) Beautifully clear tank (while it worked) but note that I was using two filter cartridges at a time.
2.) Easy to install.
3.) Pretty quiet.
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| Didn't like |
1.) Must replace the filter cartridges every 2 to 4 weeks with brand new cartridges, which gets costly and, I would assume, messes with established bacteria.
2.) They keep burning out.
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| Overall rating: |
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1.8 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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2.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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1.5 |
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Great Filter for the Price.
| Installation and Operation |
Very easy to install. Hang it on the back, fill it with water and plug it up. Instructions are pretty much worthless cause installation is gravy. It is very easy to operate. It basically has one setting to control the flow and that's it. Cleaning is a piece of cake as well. Unplug it and go clean it. Filter changes are easy as well.
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| Performance vs. Expectations |
Performed well. I was not expecting much but it kept the water clean and I was impressed. I used this in a 55 gallon tank with 2 oscars that only ate live food and it kept the water very clean.
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| Value for money |
Great value for the money.
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| Liked about it |
-Easy to clean
-Great Price
-Easy to find spare parts
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| Didn't like |
I wish it had a actual power switch on it rather then just a cord you plug in.
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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nice filter
| Installation and Operation |
this is a simple hang on the back filter that has the bio-wheel. simply hang on the back of the tank pour some water in it and leave it alone.
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| Performance vs. Expectations |
i was hoping for a little more power out of it but it does a decent enough job.
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| Value for money |
if you dont need a canister filter this is a good filter.
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| Customer Support |
n/a
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| Liked about it |
reliable and quiet
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| Didn't like |
bio wheel quit working two weeks in
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| Overall rating: |
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3.5 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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3.0 |
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Decent for the money
| Installation and Operation |
Easy install and maintenance is easy as well
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| Performance vs. Expectations |
Performs o.k., have one on my 55g african cichlid tank as well as an emperor
emperor brand does a better job
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| Value for money |
For the money its o.k.
would purchase another emperor though
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| Liked about it |
easy to keep clean and change filter pads
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| Didn't like |
bio wheels seem to clog up pretty fast.
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| Overall rating: |
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3.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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3.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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3.0 |
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You get what you pay for
| General |
Within 3 months of purchasing this filter, the impeller shaft was warped, the drum was scored, and the filter was extremely noisy. I was very dissatisfied with this filter and would not purchase it again. If you are looking for a biowheel filter, consider upgrading to the Emperor line of products. |
| Liked about it |
The biowheel makes this a very efficient biofilter
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| Didn't like |
Cheap parts and construction
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| Overall rating: |
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1.5 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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2.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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1.0 |
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awsome filter
| General |
Great filter and does the job efficiantly. I love how you can just change the filter pad without worrying about not having your good bacteria lost with the old filter. Awsome product and I recommend this a lot. |
| Liked about it |
Great design and great idea on the bio-wheel
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| Didn't like |
the flow onto the bio-wheels becomes obstructed
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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internal use: spec349
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