Header banner
Revain logoHome Page
Natasha Graham photo
1 Level
629 Review
0 Karma

Review on 🐧 Optimized Penguin Power Filter Rite-Size Cartridge by Marineland by Natasha Graham

Revainrating 1 out of 5

It's noisy and the bio wheel doesn't work at all!

I was expecting a good design from a popular company like Marineland but in the end I was totally disappointed and will be returning this product. A thin layer of water on an air-exposed substrate provides an excellent place for aerobic bacteria to clean the water. But after unpacking, my bio wheel had trouble spinning and eventually stopped spinning altogether. The biowheel was unbalanced, so it didn't rotate evenly on its axis, as seen in other reviewers' videos. There was a copious flow of water hitting the wheel's corners and friction in the bearing seemed minimal, but it just wouldn't spin no matter how hard I tried to coax it by hand! I soaked the wheel in water overnight, no change. Maximized the water flow by filling the aquarium almost to the brim and removing the filter mat and it still didn't work. There was a slight vibration in the unit, probably due to part of the impeller, but I think the impeller worked as expected and there was adequate water flow. The "fitting" of plastic parts, such as the front and top covers and filter mat, was of poor quality, and the plastic rattled against the case during operation. I doubt the amount of water even for my 10 gallon tank. So I decided to spend a little more money and upgrade to Fluval C3. Don't skimp or waste your time and money on this low quality product. I think the flow of oxygenated aquarium water running over the bioballs is good enough to house bacteria and this biorad thing is just a publicity stunt that literally doesn't work!

Pros
  • Stylish and modern design
Cons
  • Expandable