Rated 2 out of 5 by
Bamff from
Waaaaaay Too Loud At first the Bio Wheel was the item making the most noise, a scraping sound similar to when a fountain is low on water. I know it was the Bio Wheel because when I removed the wheel most of the noise stopped. The remaining noise was from the impeller that pumps the water. Over the past few days, the Bio Wheel is making a little less noise but the impeller has gotten louder. I've tried reseating the impeller and making sure the assembly was snug in its seat but it didn't help. The 'splash guard' over the Bio Wheel simply amplifies the noises. My old Penguin didn't make as much noise but somewhere down the line, the engineers or accountants lost sight of the customer's needs. The system does keep the tank clear but the noise can be heard (barely but heard) in the next room. Date published: 2016-04-13
Rated 2 out of 5 by
mbrownq9 from
Poor power filtering I live in an area where brownouts are common. I am now on my fourth filter in just over a year. It appears not a surge issue since the brand new surge protectors did not trip when the brownout occurred. This would most likely mean there is little to no protection filtering on the power input to the motor, of the pump, allowing for switching transients to damage the electronics. While I have otherwise been pleased with the performance of the filters, please resolve this issue so that I do not have to replace it 2-4 times a year, or look for more durable filter. Date published: 2016-04-12
Rated 1 out of 5 by
Willie from
Instantly broken I got the Penguin 350 a month or so ago and it now makes this insanely loud noise when its on and after a few minutes of doing that it just shuts off. I bought this filter because it was affordable for my price range and the reviews were good. I had it running for about 2 days then it started with its loud noise. I think it is the Impeller rubbing but not entirely sure. If there is anything I am doing wrong can you tell me because I set it up like the instructions given with the product and just plugged it in. Date published: 2016-03-30
Rated 5 out of 5 by
Rockabilly87 from
Great filter for the price. I purchased this filter because I found it on amazon for cheap and it had pretty decent reviews. I have to say I'm not disappointed. I originally had it on my 30 gallon tank to over filter due to the amount of stock I had. I ended up upgrading tanks to a 65 gallon still using the same filter. I'm impressed. even though at this point this is putting this close to it's max tank load it is preforming very well. Crystal clear water.My only complaint it that is a little noisier that some hob filters I've used.Great product and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone. Date published: 2016-03-12
Rated 5 out of 5 by
JamesFishTanks from
Bio Wheels I bought my penguin 350 about 5 years ago best filter ever I just recently bought a emperor 400 to replace it and to be honest thinking about going back to my penguin 350 I'm having a lot a problems with the 400s intake tube Date published: 2016-03-08
Rated 3 out of 5 by
sfschenck2016 from
Was quiet at first... gradually getting louder 350B - was quiet at first... gradually getting louder, but I don't think it's worth the money to replace the impeller for this filter because it doesn't do any better of a job reducing NH3 NO3/NO2 than the much quieter canister filter I have on another tank. It was packed up for about a year and I can't find the bio wheels, which I also think are a bit too expensive considering I don't think they do much. Cartridges are easy to replace but expensive. Flow rate continues to be good. I will continue to use it until I run out of the filter cartridges then maybe sell it for $10. I would consider buying another Marineland filter because many people have had good luck with them, if it is on sale for a deep discount. Date published: 2016-02-24
Rated 5 out of 5 by
Happygolucky from
Satisfied I own a small penguin 75 for my 10gal,it did am amazing job. So I bought the 200 penguin here recently and it's doing a beautiful job. Keeps my tanks clean and cycled. Date published: 2016-02-20
Rated 2 out of 5 by
MDMJH from
Penguin Power Filter 350 I decided on this filter because all of the noise complaints on the 400, but guess what, I set it up, and the impeller is so loud I can hear it 3 rooms away! I'm not happy with this, it is actually so loud I can barely hear the water trickle that I really do like about this line of filters! Date published: 2016-02-13
Rated 5 out of 5 by
Harleybill22 from
Penguin Bio Wheel 350 I don't normally write reviews, but I felt it necessary to do one on this awesome Product. I purchased one and installed it on my slightly over stocked 20 gal fresh water tank. I did some modifications on the filter. I placed the two 'C' filters on one side of the filter, and in the other side, I put in a foam filter from a different company. On top of the foam, I added a bag of charcoal, and some filter glass wool. The gravel was dirty, so I stirred it up. The combination I used cleared to tank with in 45 minutes. I added some Spira Bio to start the biological filtration since it was a new filter. I checked the Ammonia, Nitrates, and Nitrites after two days. The count for all three were '0'. I am extremely happy with this filter and would recommend it to everyone!! PS..NO NOISE from the filter. Date published: 2016-02-08
Rated 3 out of 5 by
KB61 from
Penguin 350 Great filter. Easy to maintain BUT, once the impeller begins to rattle, the cost to replace it , including shipping, was $10 less than buying a whole new filter. That did not impress me! Good but disposable I guess. I will compare other brands next time. Date published: 2016-01-28
Rated 4 out of 5 by
seachipmunk from
great filter I got my filter and it was very easy to set up and install. It was pretty loud at first but I took the impeller out and rinsed it off and put it back in and now I can barely hear it running. My water is very clean and clear and it seems to be doing a great job. Overall a very good filter Date published: 2016-01-06
Rated 2 out of 5 by
greenfaeri86 from
penguin 350 It does the job of filtering ok for an HOB however I had to heavily modify this thing to make it quiet. This is the most noisy HOB I have ever used in terms of water noise. The design is deeply flawed. There are water chanel s on either side of the intake tube that make excessively loud water trickling sounds. I can hear it over my tv and it keeps me up at night. After I finaly figured out what was making all the water noise I had to stuff filter pad over the chanel and finally all I can hear is a light hum of the pump. So ad often as I have to do water and filter changes I will have to redo the filter mufflers and will be sure to tire of it quickly just to keep this thing quiet, I'll be sure to get sick of it and either go with a Fluval canister or Fluval HOB. I will never reccomend this filter or ever buy another one again. Date published: 2015-12-17
Rated 1 out of 5 by
Ryu100 from
Never lasted longer than a month Tried the Penguin 100 on my 20L tank. First one never worked, second lasted about a month and then proceeded to just stop working and my third try gave out on me in about two weeks. While the filtration when working was excellent, I have never had so much of an issue with my filter's lifespan. I spoke with others on a facebook group I am in and the majority had experienced the same issue. Date published: 2015-12-01
Rated 3 out of 5 by
LugNut from
comparatively noisy, works pretty well in a different room with closed door. I bought a used 300 when I returned to aquariums from outdoor ponds. The biowheels were missing and the impeller shaft was quite worn and allowed the magnet spindle to bang around, but it was dirt cheap and worked well enough in conjunction with the under gravel system to keep the tank clean. When I decided to set up a second tank I bought a 200 and a 100. Both have covers that ratled from day one. The front covers over the wheels barely hang on and are frequently jostled off their mount points. Still, they also a decent job of keeping the tanks clean and the ammonia in check. After a few months it dawned on me that they were getting louder and I was hearing that mag spindle banging around in both. Sure enough both stainless shafts were worn, and it isn't due to gravel. Both tanks have 1/4 to 3/8 gravel, washed and sieved so that isn't getting in the moving parts on either pump.I've now switched to under tank cannisters. Date published: 2015-11-23
Rated 4 out of 5 by
Gouramis from
filter 200 filter200, I have one for over 2 years now, completely satisfied. Date published: 2015-11-18
Rated 5 out of 5 by
Patches from
Great Fresh Water Filtration I have been an apprentice to my friend who's shown me the ways of making an aquarium thrive. My dear friend, Matthew Wiener, has been doing aquarium business for over 20 years and has since been extremely impressed with my success. He pointed me towards all the right products and I have to say I use all MarineLand Penguin Power filters for ALL OF MY TANKS i use the 100, two 150's, and two 200's in my assorted tanks. Im very satisfied with your products and will continue using them. Date published: 2015-11-04
Rated 5 out of 5 by
James55 from
This product is queit and reliable! They back their product 100%! I bought a Penguin 350 Bio-Wheel. I have bought about a dozen Marineland Filters and have only had one issue. The issue was with a defective impeller. The pet store said I was out of luck since I could not find my receipt. I sent an email to Marineland customer service asking for help. The very next day I received an email from them. They are sending me a replacement impeller free of charge! I couldn't believe how helpful they were with my problem, and they responded so fast. This is why I always have and will continue to recommend this brand! Not only are the products easy to use and reliable, they back their products and will resolve any problems you may have. Thanks MarineLand. I am another very satisfied customer. I strongly suggest anyone looking for a quality aquatic filter to give this brand a try. There is no way you could regret it. Date published: 2015-10-06
Rated 2 out of 5 by
FisherBOB from
issue with pump I set the 200 series up and it worked great. Then one day I added some more substrate to my tank. Halfway through adding the new substrate the gear mechanism started to make a strange noise at random intervals. I turned it off and checked the assembly to see that nothing had somehow become lodged within the impeller mechanism. I plugged it back in and after reassembling the unit and it continued to make the noise for a few more minutes. Then it shut off completely and I have yet to be able to revive it. I am curious if anyone else has ever experienced this and if so what did you do to get it to work again? Date published: 2015-09-17
Rated 1 out of 5 by
Carlo from
Very Noisy I bought the 350 model, and I set it up the way it explained on the pamphlet and it worked great for the first few days, Then it got really noisy and I couldn't make it stop. Will be returning it today and buying something else. Very disappointed as this is a good brand. Date published: 2015-09-12
Rated 1 out of 5 by
hyde from
this filter works great when it works ive had two of these filter in the last 3 weeks and they just start to make a grinding noise Date published: 2015-08-30
Rated 5 out of 5 by
GarfieldFan1969 from
Best HOB Filter I Have Ever Used! Excellent Customer Service. I have been an aquarium enthusiast for more than 30 years and the Penguin is the best HOB filter I have ever had. The Bio-Wheel offers the best biological filtration by providing the ability for both beneficial bacteria to grow on its surfaces, helping to lessen nitrate as well as ammonia and nitrite. Customer service is excellent as well. One of the rubber tips on my impeller stretched over a year's time and was not fitting properly. I contacted customer support to see if I could purchase just the tips and Laura Bradley contacted me in just a few days with an offer to mail me a new impeller at no cost. I am planning on setting up a larger tank ASAP (I really miss having a tank bigger than 20 gallons in the house) and have every intention of trying one of the Emperor HOB filters with it. I have been a fan of Marineland for many years and the Bio-Wheel technology ensures I will remain a fan for a long time; the customer service just sweetens the pot. :-) Date published: 2015-08-17
Rated 1 out of 5 by
SleeplessInMyBedroom from
Loudest filter I have ever owned, regardless of the water level. I am sitting here months after purchasing this product listening to it splash water. How I've been able to maintain my sanity perplexes even me, as my aquarium is in my bedroom. From the moment I took it out of the box it was loud, but please keep in mind this is after I had to exchange it twice due to mechanical noise. When I heard no mechanical noise from this one I was thrilled, the splashing I chalked up to the biowheel not being broken in. Days passed, weeks passed, months passed, and it still makes significant splashing sounds. I purchased the 200 model because we have a 150 on the aquarium in the living room and it's very quiet, but sadly the 200 has done little more than grate on my nerves. I've adjusted the water level countless times to no avail, sure it provides adequate biological filtration, but I have no reason to believe that it is performing any better than any other (quieter) filter in existence. Early on I tried contacting the company, they assured me it was due to the biowheel not being broken in yet, confirming my suspicions. Sorry guys, I'm pretty sure it should be broken in by now. I'm just going to live with it this way and hope the splashing becomes comforting white noise. I would not recommend this filter. I feel kind of stupid for giving it as many chances as I did. Date published: 2015-08-14
Rated 3 out of 5 by
Roxy1971 from
Noisy Very noisy . Its not the waterflow but mechanical noise almost like a grinding i have tried playing with the intake tube to completely removing the propellar to make sure it was sitting in correctly. Nothing has helped. Unsure if im going to keep it or return it. It filters the water terrific would be a great product if not for the noise. Date published: 2015-07-06
Rated 5 out of 5 by
thatguyfromVA from
does work! The Marineland filters work very well. I run my 55g saltwater with 2 emperor 400s. They do work! I have a Penguin 150 on my 2.5g pico reef tank. not only does it provide great filtration, it provides a lot of circulation in both tanks.The bio-wheels have never been an issue. The emperor spray bar needs to be cleaned about once per month to avoid clogging (old toothbrush works without disassembling it). and I have never seen my Penguin 150 stop.Noise is not really an issue. If the filter starts making some noise, its the impeller. Just tap on the intake siphon or wiggle it, and the noise goes away every time. I have only had to do that a couple times. Very quiet operation. I sleep with this thing running in my bedroom (6 feet from my head) and I am a very light sleeper.The back of these filters is great for many things. Not sure how much Marineland endorses modifying their product, so I won't go into detail. Suffice it to say that these filters are very versatile!I will recommend Marineland filters to anyone. My only advice is to use a filter that is at least twice the rated capacity. For example, if the Penguin 150 says it can work for 20 gallons, just ignore that. Get a Penguin 350 or an Emperor 400 for 20 gallons. Seriously. Its hard to over-filter a tank, but under-filtering is very easy.I made my friend buy a Marineland 20g kit. Awsome! Comes with a Penguin 150. That didn't cut the mustard. Put my spare Eperor 400 on it (yes, I have 3 Emperor 400s. and 2 Penguin 150s). Her freshwater tank is now very well circulated and the fish are much more active. (they seem happy, but freshwater fish are a bit harder to read)Just in case you missed that: GET FILTRATION AT LEAST TWICE THE ADVERTISED CAPACITY!!!!!Cant beat this value though. Great filters, low cost Date published: 2015-05-13
Rated 1 out of 5 by
Bri2 from
Noise, noise noise! I have 2 of the 350. I'll never buy Penguin again. I had Penguin almost 20yrs ago and it was awesome. What happened? I had a penguin almost 20 years ago that lasted for at least 10 years and it was fantastic. With the 2 that I have now it's nothing but trouble. Every time I shut them off to clean the tanks I fear they won't start again and they never do without me having to keep messing with it. Today the filter chewed the little rubber end off the empeller! I'll never buy another penguin. I want the company to succeed but you've got to change something. Date published: 2015-05-11
Rated 2 out of 5 by
Friend2Fish from
Penguin 200 is very noisy I've had a penguin 125 for many years, it runs quietly and works great. I currently use it as a secondary filter on my 29 gallon freshwater aquarium. My primary filter was a penguin 150 that became very noisy over the years and started making loud clicking sounds. I decided to replace it with a penguin 200 filter which I just installed a few days ago. The new filter makes even more motor noise than the last one. I will be taking it back to the store and purchasing a different filter. Date published: 2015-05-05
Rated 5 out of 5 by
Cocokisses from
OMGoodness! I have a 55 gallon tank and use a 75 gallon Penguin filter. I'm on my 4th tank and refuse to use any other filter. There quite and reasonable priced. I do understand the trickling sound, but that comes from not having enough water in the tank. Once you refill the tank you don't hear it anymore. That's not really a big deal, it's part of the weekly maintenance. I'm upgrading my tank soon so i know I have to purchase a new filtration system .. Date published: 2015-04-08
Rated 5 out of 5 by
T123 from
I would not want another...... I have tried many including National Geographic. I have in the tank but not sure what it does other than bubble. ALL my tanks have two of these power filters. They have helped me to have balanced water and healthy fish. What more could you want for your investment! I am happy with my purchases. I am sutre you would be too. Date published: 2015-03-11
Rated 4 out of 5 by
Bsom1 from
Easy to use and works great I used a Penguin to filter a smaller aquarium and it work very well. The bio wheel helps keep the water oxygenated and clear. Easy to use and Easy to clean. Date published: 2015-03-11
Rated 1 out of 5 by
fishguy2345 from
this product is awful worst filter ever.bought two and both horribly loud.never get this product because you will be very disappointed with it. Date published: 2015-02-01