Review on 🐠 Tetra Whisper IQ Power Filter with Advanced Quiet Technology for Aquariums by Melanie Lee

Despite the name, this isn't the quietest filter out there, but in my opinion, it's probably the best small cartridge filter. I recently bought a small aquarium with a popular brand filter. Within a week I replaced the filter with a higher quality filter from a high end brand that I trust in my larger aquariums. However, after a few days the water became cloudy and I switched back to the original filter, but there was no change (it was mid-week, I work a lot and don't have time to mess with filters). I didn't want to go down the harsh chemical route and currently don't use "water polishing pads" in this tank because I really try to stress the tank to a minimum (I have two 40+ gallon tanks that require more intensive maintenance while this applies to 15 gallons), which is the main point of the cartridge-based system anyway. I went to the fish store and saw this filter on the shelf next to me. I like that it's self-priming so I bought it, installed it and went upstairs to take a nap. When I came down two hours later, the water was absolutely crystal clear. I'm not saying you will get the same results, but I can tell you that my results have been great. Now I could probably get the same results by installing a water filter or polyfil in one of the other filters, but it's nice to get good results without the extra steps. One piece of advice I will pass on to novice aquarists is that many filter brands have ample space behind the cartridge to add other filter media and I always put the old cartridge behind the new one for 3 days before removing it. This allows the bacterial culture to persist until the new cartridge develops its own. In any case, I highly recommend this filter for your small aquarium!