Marineland Emperor 400 Pro Series Bio-wheel Power Filter - Up to 80 gallon, Rite Size "E"

The EMPEROR SERIES are great filters! I've use the 280 & 400 before back in the 90's. They were great then, they're great now. There have have been some minor changes: No more control flow & window to see wheels turning. The rattling noise that everyone complains about is easy to fix. While the filter is running/on, lift the intake tube up and off the filter (ensure that the spray bars stay in place by holding/pushing them down in place while you lift up the intake tube. Allow the filter to empty water out of filter. You will hear bubbling and gurgling noises. Do not worry. Once the filter empties out and spray bars run out of water, carefully reinsert intake tube down into chamber, wait for filter to refill itself with water. Once filled,the filter should be back in normal operation and the noise gone (unless the shaft and or related parts to it are damaged). By doing this, it is like purging nd priming the filter. I think the filter gets foreign particles from time to time which caused the noise. Mine (I have 2 280's & 2 400's on my overstockecked planted freshwater 84 gallon long tank. Only One seems to have been unlucky to get small/micro snails inside of it). I also avoid using soil and sand in my tank which could get in filter impeller assembly when the substrate or sand is disturbed, especially if ur intake tube reaches close to the bottom. I decided to write this review for the sole purpose of informing others who have been frustrated or have read the negative reviews about the emperor power filters that the noise issues are easy to remedy. I never completely clean my emperors out which could increase more disturbance on the mechanical parts (impeller assembly and intake tube). If the impeller gets stuck, follow the same procedure as mentioned above. Use long pliers to realign impeller in assembly while intake tube is out. Once impeller is spinning again, reindeer intake tube. I just took care of a little rattling noise from one of my 400 emperor by performing the above mentioned procedure 30 minutes ago. It took me 2 minutes. I'm lazy when it comes to writing a review about anything on any forum. In fact this is probably my first review ever on anything because I can't remember any other review I've written before for the moment, but I feel like I wrote one before about something else totally not related to this subject (a very short one, probably under 20 words). This review I'm writing now about emperor filters is very important to me. I'm passionate about them. They beat canister and any other job filter. No hoses, no crawling under tank cabinet, no clogged hoses. Very user friendly. To clean spray bars, I don't dismantle it and use brush. I simply use a wire, bend it to a small 90 degree and insert it through each hole on the spray bars until the water flows freely. The most work required maintaining this filter is rinsing off the homemade screen pads (10 minutes tops, I have 4 emperors) which I have made out of green scrubbing pads cut out to the shape of the stock filter pad/tray with the stock blue floss and carbon removed. I used a box cutter blade to shave/cut the blue floss/pads off the black tray. I re use the black tray to work with my home made green scrubbing pads. I hold the two together as I slide them down into filter slots, no rubber band necessary as the green pads are sturdy and hold their shape going down into slots. My all 4 emperor filters are so quiet, the water trickling is louder than the motor. My water level reaches up to the lips of the output chutes....now that is quite. The higher water level moves/circulates water better,quieter as the surface of water travels from filter all the way to front of tank because the water doesn't drop from filter chute, but slides across onto surface of water to front of tank with less splashing. Higher water level of water also gives me more water in my tank. I am not a sales rep or anything if the sort. In just passionate about my hobbies and like to share what works. If a can convince one person to use the emperor power filters as I do...this review was worth writing. Less hassle and maintenance, more bio/chemical/particles filtration, more water movement..like a filter and water circulation pump in one also. I highly recommend the emperor filters. Once u know how to remedy the noise, it takes two minutes. Do not be frustrated. Just learn and figure out what makes noise and how it goes away. If I have to post a video on "how to", I will. I will find time out of my busy schedule. These filters are awesome!!!!

-350 PenguinI had a pair of these for my 75 gallon tank with some messy eating fish, and these kept the water clear. However after a month or so one had failed, so I returned it for a refund to get the marineland 400 instead. Overall the 350 is one of the best filters especially for the price. If your worried about noise I had these in my bedroom and I could sleep with them both on. I hear a light trickle of water returning to tank with a slight vibration hum.-400 EmperorI now have a pair of emperor 400's in my 75 gallon tank. Just as the 350's did, the water is very clear and there is definitely enough filtration. However i would like to note that the 400's are a little bit louder than the 350's, just with vibration though. And, yes i have the impeller and intake tubes as well as bio wheels properly in place. But like i said, its not too much louder than the 350. They took place of my 350's in my bedroom and i can still sleep well at night.All in all, the 350 penguin and the emperor 400 are great products. You will not be disappointed with price, performance and sound.Update (7/25/2013)I have three emperor filters, although they have good filtration they have been very loud. I made sure there wasn't any substrate or debris inside the filter causing it to be loud. I even replaced the impellers at my cost and they are still loud, i have put everything back together properly and securely. Marineland's customer service ([email protected]) is the worst. I have been trying to contact them for months with little to no response on these issues. Their customer service has driven me to update my review and no longer do any business with the company. I will update if they contact me and try to resolve this matter.Update (1/11/2014)Marineland's customer service has certainly improved over the years. As previously stated, my filters all ran extremely loud. I had taken out all substrate, and had fish less cycles going to narrow down to their customer service rep that it was not in fact sand or dirt or debris making the impeller rattle. After i had proven that all filters were in fact set up 100% correctly, I was sent replacement impellers for all 3 filters free of charge! After I replaced the impellers, 2 of the 3 filters had become quieter and within a few weeks the 2 were almost silent. I took apart the last loud filter to find that the impeller housing had become loose and was wobbling and couldn't stay stable. I contacted customer support and was sent the replacement housing free of charge. After i replaced the housing, i had to wiggle the top of the intake just right for the filter to become quiet like the rest. It seems that the replacement housing was a lot sturdier of a plastic, an improved version. Overall, i am very impressed with marinelands customer service in replacing what was necessary to fix the loud filters. I can now be in my fish room and not be frustrated with the noise, very satisfying.

I have had the same Marineland 55 gallon fresh water aquarium since May 1998. There have been all different types of fish over the years but one thing remains the same . . . the Marineland Emperor 400 Hang-On Power Filter. I have been using this filter since the beginning and have never used any other primary filter. I do use a sponge filter in my aquarium as well but it is not my primary filter. The only reason I purchased a new Marineland Emperor 400 Power Filter is because I wanted to have a backup one to my existing one of 26 years. It appears that Marineland may be replacing the 400 with the 450 and I have read many sub-par reviews of the 450 that gives me the impression that it is not the same quality as the old 400 series. I am sticking with the 400 series that I know is a reliable, dependable and durable design that works extremely well as a functioning aquarium filter for my 55 gallon aquarium. We are talking 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for over 26 years. It doesn't get any better than that for me.