>The good thing about the Emperor power filter (for those who like to
>have these options) is you get the advantage of wet/dry (bio-wheel) and
>the option of using any filter media you want, with extreme ease of
>maintenance and placement of the media. They are almost half the price
>of canister filters. Even Roy needs to put his carbon somewhere if he
>needs to use some.
>
>Another point about sponge filters. Where do you put your peat if you
>want tannin stained water? Under your gravel, no doubt. Well, what if
>you decide you don't want to run peat in a particular tank anymore, or,
>want to change the peat you have in there? I guess you have to tear
>that fucker down then.
>
>I will probably change my tune as my tank collection grows and don't
>want to keep spending money on power filters. But, until then, I will
>keep running peat in my new Emperors revelling in the fact that I don't
>hardly have to do a damn thing from a maintenance standpoint, while
>still enjoying the flexibility these units provide
>
Hi Jim,
I am not sure how much the Emperor filters cost in the US, but I have
homemade power filters with the flexibility of a canister filter for less
than $50 (which is cheap in comparison with power filters such as canisters
and bio wheels which start at around $80 to $100 in OZ).
The filters consist of a powerhead, some PVC tubing, a couple of plastic
elbows and tupperware (around 2-4 litre capacity). A hole large enough to
fit an elbow is made in the tupperware lid, and the elbow is siliconed into
it. Another hole is made at the base of the tupperware and another elbow is
siliconed into this hole. Your choice of filter media can then be placed
into the tupperware. One end of the PVC tubing is then connected to the
powerhead outlet, the other to the elbow on the lid of the tupperware. PVC
tubing can also be joined to the outlet elbow. The filter sits on top of
the aquarium, and the filtered water returns to the aquarium by way of gravity.
The filter is not the most attractive to look at, but it provides
flexibility with the types of media that can be used, ease of replacement of
the media, and easy maintenance.
Just make sure that the powerhead that you use is not too powerful that it
blows the lid off the tupperware. I found that powerheads with capacity of
about 400 litres per hour or less are suitable for this system.
Regards,
Chen