Are Marineland Emperor power filters any good?

[gus6464]

I have a 10g that has been cycling for a while now and today I am going to get my first fish (a Betta). Right now I am using a Tetra Whisper 10 power filter but it seems kind of weak so I want to get a better one.

I found this deal online at drfostersmith.com for a Marineland Emperor 280 filter and was wondering if they are any good. Here is the link:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com./produ...1&pcatid=17971

Or if you guys could recommend another filter that would be better for the tank I would appreciate it. Thanks

[Willow]

Well, if the tank is gonna have a Betta in it, you should probably stick with the weaker filter. Bettas don't like a lot of waterflow, it catches their long fins and they can get tossed around.

[gus6464]

Well the thing is I am planning to add 5-6 tetras later on and 2 Otos once the algae begins to grow.

What about one of these? http://www.drsfostersmith.com./produ...0&pcatid=12320

They are the smaller penguins 100 and 150.

I was also thinking of adding a sponge filter at the tip of the filter so that the plants won't get caught in the tube.

[mousey]

actually those little fish will not add a big bioload anyway so you should be ok with the smaller fillter.
I keep one on a 15 gallon tank that has 10 platies, 1 betta,6 male guppies, 1 otto and 1 sae. The current isn't very strong at all. The betta likes this. The other fish don't seem to care as guppies and platies tend to be of a more stagnant water type fish.
I have quite a lot of plants in the tank and I do 30 % water changes every 2 weeks.
The tank has been established for 4 years.
Those little filters are rated up to 20 gallons if I remember rightly.
Be careful about tetras. Black skirts will go after the tail of the betta and even glolights attack tails. My betta is scared of my 2 little glo's as they have really shredded his tailThey got a quick trip to another tank.
maybe try some small bottom fish like cories or a Bn pleco.

[gus6464]

Originally Posted by mousey

actually those little fish will not add a big bioload anyway so you should be ok with the smaller fillter.
I keep one on a 15 gallon tank that has 10 platies, 1 betta,6 male guppies, 1 otto and 1 sae. The current isn't very strong at all. The betta likes this. The other fish don't seem to care as guppies and platies tend to be of a more stagnant water type fish.
I have quite a lot of plants in the tank and I do 30 % water changes every 2 weeks.
The tank has been established for 4 years.
Those little filters are rated up to 20 gallons if I remember rightly.
Be careful about tetras. Black skirts will go after the tail of the betta and even glolights attack tails. My betta is scared of my 2 little glo's as they have really shredded his tailThey got a quick trip to another tank.
maybe try some small bottom fish like cories or a Bn pleco.

So you just recommend I stay with my current filter? I just wanted to go for a bio-wheel filter because I hear they are very good with new tanks when it comes to growing the beneficial bacteria. The current filter is actually one of those Top Fin filters that come with their tank kits but I found out they are just rebadged Tetra Whispers.

[emc7]

The Penguin 100 would be fine, but the emperors are definitely too strong for a 10. I would recommend keeping the one you have and adding a sponge filter or a little internal filter will sponge media it in. The Tetra filters are fine, but they do occasionally clog or fail to restart after a power flicker and they force you to change the entire cartridge will all your biology in it.

[gus6464]

The main difference between the true Tetra Whispers and the rebadged Top Fin ones are that the Top Fins don't have a trap for the beneficial bacteria. When you change the filter you lose everything.

[Jojo]

I use a penguin bio-wheel on my 10g, I also use a whisper on another 10g. The Penguin is to strong for bettas IMO, it's not as bad the emperor, but it's still pretty strong. Personally I would keep what you have.