Customer Reviews

Emperor 400 Pro Series Bio-wheel Power Filter - Up to 90 gallon, Rite Size "E"

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I've used a pair of Emperor 400 filters on a 75 gallon tank continuously for the past five years or so. So far, neither has needed attention other than filter changes and recently, new impellers. After five years, the constantly spinning impellers had worn their shafts and bushings to the point where they made a rattley noise, although they still moved water effectively. Replacing the impellers was an easy repair, and restored the unit to almost total silence. The filter may actually now be quieter than when it was new, as there appeared to be a slight design change in the new impellers when compared to the old ones. The loudest sound is that of water returning into the tank, which varies from almost inaudible to a gentle splashing sound, depending on whether the water level is above the level of the return chutes or below them. The tank is located in the living room where I watch television, and I'm never distracted by the sounds of the filters.

For almost anyone, a single Emperor would provide adequate filtration, however at the time I purchased them, I had seven huge goldfish in the tank, who produced vast quantities of waste matter. Eventually the goldfish grew too large for the tank and were relocated to a pond in the backyard, and the tank was restocked with a variety of colorful tropical fish.

The big selling feature for the Emperor 400 is the dual biowheels, which provide a highly oxygenated living space for beneficial bacteria to colonize. These bacteria help remove some of the waste products which the fish produce, resulting in healthier fish, and extending the time interval between water changes, and thus reducing maintainence of the aquarium. Other filters have alternative methods of providing biological filtration, but the biowheel is so effective that it can keep nitrates at an undetectable level. The Emperor filters, both the 400 and the 280, have an adjustable spraybar above the biowheels. Water falling onto the wheels from the spraybar helps insure that the biowheels never stop turning, and allows the user to adjust the speed at which they turn. The standard Penguin filters have biowheels, but no spraybars, and so the biowheels only turn by the action of water flowing beneath them, with no adjustment for speed. I'm still using the original biowheels which came with my filters, with no end in sight. I've never even cleaned them or seen any need to do so.

These filters are made of a black, slightly flexible plastic which seems to be less brittle than the transparant material used on some other filters. I used to use the original Marineland brand replacement cartridges, but have since found that some aftermarket filter pads for the Emperor are made with a reuseable frame which snaps together on either side of the filter pad. This allows the user to purchase filter floss in a bulk roll. When the filter pad becomes clogged, I simply cut new floss pads to fit the frame, making the cost of renewing filter pads extremely low.

As others have mentioned, each filter has four slots for filter cartridges. And the Emperor 400 comes with two refillable media containers which can occupy two of those slots, if you choose to use them. They can hold extra carbon, zeolite, or other material. I have mine filled with porous ceramic noodles.

The Emperor 400 has a control for water volume, so you can turn it down when feeding your fish, preventing all the food from being sucked into the filter. After the fish have finished eating, the volume can be set back to "high", however I have left it in the second slowest postion for weeks at a time, and the fish seemed to be content. I have found that if the volume control is not moved for a long time, it tends to accumulate mineral deposits and become stiff. So, I turn it down every day when feeding, then turn it back up a couple of hours later. Also, if the power is interrupted while water volume is turned down, the filter takes longer to prime itself and begin pumping properly. If power fails when volume is turned up, the filter restarts with no problem when power is restored.

The Emperor 400 comes with a cleaning brush for the spray bars and an extension for the water intake to be used if you have a very deep tank. My own tank is fairly deep, and the extension would bring the intake nearer the bottom, however I don't use the extension, and filtration seem fine.

When setting up an aquarium, it should be born in mind that the closer to a natural habitat you can get, the healthier your fish will be and the less maintainence will be required. My own tank is set up as follows:

Two inches of "Eco-Complete planted aquarium substrate" soil purchased in sealed bags at the local store AquariumConnection. The soil is intended for use in aquariums with live plants, which feed on some of the wastes. In the soil, there are approximately 20 Anubis plants scattered around the tank. The fish love to swim between and around the leaves, or hide behind them. From time to time, eggs are laid on the leaves of the plants. The bright green leaves stand out in vivid contrast against the nearly black soil. Two 15 watt fluorescent lights provide illumination to stimulate photsynthesis in the plants.

I strongly recommend that you do NOT use any type of gravel, colored or otherwise, as food falls down into the gravel where fish cannot reach it, and where it rots and fouls the water. If you choose to use gravel, you MUST vacuum the gravel on a weekly basis, and your water still will not be as clean. Gravel equals more work and dirtier water. Sand is better than gravel as food cannot fall down into the sand, but sand still doesn't provide nutrition for live plants. Use Eco-Complete soil or something comparable, both you and your fish will be happier.

I also recommend that you do NOT use any type of undergravel filter, as these will also require frequent vacuuming, and eventual dismantling of the tank to clean beneath the filter plate. With the Emperor, you won't need additional filters. And again, undergravel filters equal more work and lower water quality. I NEVER vacuum the soil, and perform a 20% water change every week or so. Filter cartridges tend to last several months.

The fish themselves consist of a number of cory catfish, who snuffle around through the soil and pick up whatever falls from above. There are as well golden tetras, cardinal tetras, redline tetras, silver dollars, danios, flying clouds, and mollies, and one otocinclus catfish. Some of the cory catfish are grandfathers several times over, and have grown to a large size in the five years or so they have lived in this tank.

I feed them once each day, around 6:00 pm. Supper consists of several spirulina wafers, plus a pinch of flake food about the size of a nickle, which I crush between my fingers to produce many very fine particles.

To sum up, the Emperor 400 is an efficient and durable filter which will help provide good water quality and healthy fish.

I've used a pair of Emperor 400 filters on a 75 gallon tank continuously for the past five years or so. So far, neither has needed attention other than filter changes and recently, new impellers. After five years, the constantly spinning impellers had worn their shafts and bushings to the point where they made a rattley noise, although they still moved water effectively. Replacing the impellers was an easy repair, and restored the unit to almost total silence. The filter may actually now be quieter than when it was new, as there appeared to be a slight design change in the new impellers when compared to the old ones. The loudest sound is that of water returning into the tank, which varies from almost inaudible to a gentle splashing sound, depending on whether the water level is above the level of the return chutes or below them. The tank is located in the living room where I watch television, and I'm never distracted by the sounds of the filters.

For almost anyone, a single Emperor would provide adequate filtration, however at the time I purchased them, I had seven huge goldfish in the tank, who produced vast quantities of waste matter. Eventually the goldfish grew too large for the tank and were relocated to a pond in the backyard, and the tank was restocked with a variety of colorful tropical fish.

The big selling feature for the Emperor 400 is the dual biowheels, which provide a highly oxygenated living space for beneficial bacteria to colonize. These bacteria help remove some of the waste products which the fish produce, resulting in healthier fish, and extending the time interval between water changes, and thus reducing maintainence of the aquarium. Other filters have alternative methods of providing biological filtration, but the biowheel is so effective that it can keep nitrates at an undetectable level. The Emperor filters, both the 400 and the 280, have an adjustable spraybar above the biowheels. Water falling onto the wheels from the spraybar helps insure that the biowheels never stop turning, and allows the user to adjust the speed at which they turn. The standard Penguin filters have biowheels, but no spraybars, and so the biowheels only turn by the action of water flowing beneath them, with no adjustment for speed. I'm still using the original biowheels which came with my filters, with no end in sight. I've never even cleaned them or seen any need to do so.

These filters are made of a black, slightly flexible plastic which seems to be less brittle than the transparant material used on some other filters. I used to use the original Marineland brand replacement cartridges, but have since found that some aftermarket filter pads for the Emperor are made with a reuseable frame which snaps together on either side of the filter pad. This allows the user to purchase filter floss in a bulk roll. When the filter pad becomes clogged, I simply cut new floss pads to fit the frame, making the cost of renewing filter pads extremely low.

As others have mentioned, each filter has four slots for filter cartridges. And the Emperor 400 comes with two refillable media containers which can occupy two of those slots, if you choose to use them. They can hold extra carbon, zeolite, or other material. I have mine filled with porous ceramic noodles.

The Emperor 400 has a control for water volume, so you can turn it down when feeding your fish, preventing all the food from being sucked into the filter. After the fish have finished eating, the volume can be set back to "high", however I have left it in the second slowest postion for weeks at a time, and the fish seemed to be content. I have found that if the volume control is not moved for a long time, it tends to accumulate mineral deposits and become stiff. So, I turn it down every day when feeding, then turn it back up a couple of hours later. Also, if the power is interrupted while water volume is turned down, the filter takes longer to prime itself and begin pumping properly. If power fails when volume is turned up, the filter restarts with no problem when power is restored.

The Emperor 400 comes with a cleaning brush for the spray bars and an extension for the water intake to be used if you have a very deep tank. My own tank is fairly deep, and the extension would bring the intake nearer the bottom, however I don't use the extension, and filtration seem fine.

When setting up an aquarium, it should be born in mind that the closer to a natural habitat you can get, the healthier your fish will be and the less maintainence will be required. My own tank is set up as follows:

Two inches of "Eco-Complete planted aquarium substrate" soil purchased in sealed bags at the local store AquariumConnection. The soil is intended for use in aquariums with live plants, which feed on some of the wastes. In the soil, there are approximately 20 Anubis plants scattered around the tank. The fish love to swim between and around the leaves, or hide behind them. From time to time, eggs are laid on the leaves of the plants. The bright green leaves stand out in vivid contrast against the nearly black soil. Two 15 watt fluorescent lights provide illumination to stimulate photsynthesis in the plants.

I strongly recommend that you do NOT use any type of gravel, colored or otherwise, as food falls down into the gravel where fish cannot reach it, and where it rots and fouls the water. If you choose to use gravel, you MUST vacuum the gravel on a weekly basis, and your water still will not be as clean. Gravel equals more work and dirtier water. Sand is better than gravel as food cannot fall down into the sand, but sand still doesn't provide nutrition for live plants. Use Eco-Complete soil or something comparable, both you and your fish will be happier.

I also recommend that you do NOT use any type of undergravel filter, as these will also require frequent vacuuming, and eventual dismantling of the tank to clean beneath the filter plate. With the Emperor, you won't need additional filters. And again, undergravel filters equal more work and lower water quality. I NEVER vacuum the soil, and perform a 20% water change every week or so. Filter cartridges tend to last several months.

The fish themselves consist of a number of cory catfish, who snuffle around through the soil and pick up whatever falls from above. There are as well golden tetras, cardinal tetras, redline tetras, silver dollars, danios, flying clouds, and mollies, and one otocinclus catfish. Some of the cory catfish are grandfathers several times over, and have grown to a large size in the five years or so they have lived in this tank.

I feed them once each day, around 6:00 pm. Supper consists of several spirulina wafers, plus a pinch of flake food about the size of a nickle, which I crush between my fingers to produce many very fine particles.

To sum up, the Emperor 400 is an efficient and durable filter which will help provide good water quality and healthy fish.

I own 2 Emperor 400's that are about 8 years old. The are solid and don't make any noise. They also have adjustable outputs. The new model came with a warped top and the filter is noisy. I've tried adjusting the intake tube and impellor assembly but it's still rattling. And why did they remove the adjustable flow feature? That is great if you want to slowly filter water over special filter media or if you're feeding and you don't want all the food sucked up right away. Why can't companies leave good products alone?

I purchased the Marineland Emperor Power Filter 400 to replace a five year old Tetra Whisper filter. I chose the Emperor 400 because I have another 5 year old Marineland filter that uses the same size replacement filter. The problem with this system is, how, do you reduce the water flow during feeding since there is no switch to reduce the water flow?

I called Marineland tech support about this issue thinking I overlooked the switch. I was told by tech support that they do not know why Marineland decided not to have a water flow switch to reduce the water flow during feeding. The tech support person stated I could un-plug the power to filter system during feeding and re-plug the power back in after feeding. I am thinking, returning it will be less trouble than un-plugging and re-plugging it every day.

I have three other power filters, one by Marineland and two by Tetra that have water flow switches. Since, I want to standardize my replacement filters maybe I will purchase another Tetra Whisper instead of a Marineland. I am not sure why Marineland decided not to have a water flow switch in the new version of the 400.

These are the best power filters you can get, trust me on this one. They have extra large filter cartridges, extra large media containers for media of your choice and a biowheel for outstanding biological filtration. These filters are powerfull and durable. You will not find a better power filter

I have read before that this is a loud filter. I now own it and it is the quietest filter. The waterfall spout is closer to the water creating less of a trickle noise. You can hear a clock tick while this filter is cleaning your tank. pet solutions is the place to get it. ENJOY THE EMPEROR!!

I've been using mine in a 55 gallon aquarium for the last 10 years and it's still going strong!

I purchased this to replace a Penguin 330 for my 55 gallon tank. This filter does a great job of filtering the water in great quantities but get used to the idea that you cannot reduce the flow. For me this is not a problem, for your application it may be.

Now for what makes this product a failure. Quality control is lacking, the unit shipped missing "O" rings that prevent the "Bio Wheel" spray bar from leaking. I notice this immediately when I unboxed the unit and called Marineland Customer service. Marineland sent me a complete set of "O"rings that arrived in about a week. With the parts in hand I finished assembly of the filter and installed it. Everybody noticed that this filter was very loud, sounding more like a several year old unit with a worn out, rattling impeller. I took the filter off the tank, disassembled and reassembled it and the noise was just as bad. I did this several more times, draining, disassembling, reassembling, priming and still listening to what sounds like an old worn out filter. Finally I gave up and called Marineland again. Customer Service said it was either the impeller or a part called the "Flow Manifold". Marineland shipped me 2 impellers and said they would also ship the "Flow Manifold". After spending most of my weekend trying to find a quiet combination, on Monday I called Marineland again about the noise. Marineland now says it is definitely the Flow Manifold and the part is on back order. As it took these 2 additional Impellers to find something "almost" tolerable, I would be surprised if this Flow Manifold will take care of the noise issues IF it ever arrives. In the interim I have what sounds like an idling 2 stroke boat motor in my family room.

In all I have been dealing with this noise issue for just over a month. The issue is not resolved and probably never will be. I cannot recommend this filter to anyone - My next filter will be something else, maybe something that does not on the back. If you have doubts about this review, please do an internet search on "Emperor 400 Noise" you will be glad you did. I did this but unfortunately too late.

This is an awesome filter. I got it to use with other filters on my heavily overstocked 90 gallon African cichlid (mbuna) tank. AWESOME filtration. I don't use the extra media baskets, I just use extra filter cartridges. I have no need for chemical filtration on my tank.
At first, I was going to just get a powerhead to help circulate the water in my tank, but this filter, at under forty dollars, was less than most water circulation units! And NOT one for that price could move 400 gallons per hour like this filter, SO, I got water circulation AND great extra filtration all in one.

This filter is silent. The only thing you hear is the gentle cascade of water as it returns to the tank. Since my tank is filled to the tippy top, this noise from the water is minimal.
I love it, had it up and running less than five minutes out of the box. It has simple quick step instructions, but to those who have used similar products it is pretty basic.

I have THREE other tanks, I need three more of these hint hint hint ;)

UPDATE Oct 31, 2008
NOTE: I purchased through Amazon.com but through THAT FISH PLACE THAT PET PLACE. MUCH BETTER PRICING THAN PETCO!!!
I think I only paid around 40 dollars for this filter. Almost 70 dollars is WAY TOO MUCH

Just received and hooked up the filter. It sounds like a motorboat far-off (but not that far-off) in the distance. There is no way you could put this unit in a location that required any kind of quite (i.e. in the same room as a TV or a bedroom). I have it in my office - but not for much longer - it's going back to Amazon.

I called Marineland customer support, and they eventually acknowledged that this is just how they are. How is it possible that this design made it out of Marineland ?

I also would like to note (as some others have) that this unit is very cheaply made. I don't know if they changed manufacturing recently, but it now looks like a cheap made-in-China toy. Drop it once, and it's toast.

The only good thing is that it apperas to move a lot of water, and I like the positionable streams for the bio-wheel.

I have a Penguin 380 running in another tank that is dead quit.

UPDATE: 40 days after operation, the impellor quit. Reseated it, six times..., still will not quiet down or move any quanity of water. There's a reason these things are on sale - they are junk. The design of how the implellor sits in the water tube is awful - cheap - and is probably deisgned to fail. Shame on you Marineland. I won't be purchasing ANY other of your products.

Update (again) IF I COULD GIVE THIS PRODUCT MINUS STARS - I WOULD !!!!