Computer Prog
February 19th 04, 05:22 PM
Comparing 10-yr old Whisper J with AquaClear 150
I have been running a Whisper J power filter in a 10-gal tank for
close to 10 years. I never had a problem with the Whisper, but after
reading all the glowing reviews of the AC models I decided to try one
out. The large, customizable media bags sounded like a good idea to
me. The media in my Whisper tends to gunk up after about 2-3 weeks
with a medium sized load in the tank. My old Whisper also lacks a
filter box cover and an adjustable flow control so those new options
were attractive to me as well. I've seen my Pleco resting on the
waterfall area of my Whisper (half out of the water) a few times and
this was making me nervous. Here is my initial comparison of the
Whisper J and the AC 150.
The external physical size of the two power filters is almost
identical. The flow rating of the AC is much higher than the old
Whisper J so this is surprising. A checked a new Whisper 20 when I
bought the AC 150. The Whisper 20 is rated at 125 gph and its
physical size is much bigger than the AC 150.
The Whisper J uses the smallest BioBags and they are pretty small.
The amount of "Ultra-Activated" carbon in the packs that come with the
BioBags is very small. The sponge for the AC 150 seemed fairly big &
dense and I like the idea if reusability. The carbon pack is huge
compared to the Whisper J carbon bag! I bought an extra AC 150 sponge
and I plan to stack 2 of them below the carbon after I get comfortable
with the filter.
The intake tube length on the old Whisper J is actually a little bit
longer than the intake tube on the AC 150 (with just one strainer
attached). The difference is less than ¼", but this was surprising to
me since the AC 150 is supposed to be for up to 30 gallons while the
Whisper J is only for up to 10 gallons. The AC 150 strainer has fewer
holes than the Whisper strainer, but the holes are larger then the
Whisper holes. This might be bad for my Neons.
It is obvious that the AC 150 has more suction power at the intake
tube strainer. It is clearly pulling in more stuff than the Whisper J
did. I can see foreign matter flying towards the intake at further
distances than I saw with the Whisper J. I picked up a medium sized
ball of junk I found under a tank rock and put it near the intake tube
and it got quickly sucked right up no problem. It looks like it will
pick up more foreign matter, but I hope it does not suck up a Neon. I
put my finger on the intake tube of the AC 150 and it does not feel
like there is major suction down there so the Neons might be ok.
The AC 150 kind of drops the output water down into the tank while the
Whisper shot it across the top of the tank. With the Whisper I could
see the current breaking at the front glass at the top of the tank.
When the filter got dirty I could see this current getting weaker. I
do not get the same kind of current flow across the top with the AC
150 but it looks like the water flow coming out of the AC 150 is at
least as much as I got out of the Whisper J. The AC 150 just drops it
down and the current goes towards the bottom of the tank. This may
help to agitate dirt at the bottom. My medium guppies were already
playing in the AC150 current.
The AC 150 is noisier than my Whisper J and it is a pretty big
difference. The build quality of the Whisper is obviously better.
The Whisper uses a strong but pliable black plastic while the AC 150
uses a hard and brittle plastic. I cracked my first AC 150 when I
tried to install the intake tube (I returned the AC 150 and got
another one). The way in which the intake attaches to the AC150 is a
very poor design. It is difficult to snap the tube on and off and it
looks like it will be something that will break (again). The Whisper
intake tube just easily drops right into the filter body without any
hassles. The Whisper tube is also built with a more durable plastic.
I like the remove and clean the tube when I do my monthly maintenance
and I hope that this does not become a problem.
The water level inside the AC 150 is pretty high. Even with a brand
new media setup the height of the water inside the filter is certainly
higher than what I got in the Whisper. I can see how some people have
experienced overflow problems. When the media clogged on my Whisper
the water spilled over the front of the intake tube and went back into
the tank. The water never rose near the back of the filter. I am not
sure that this is true with the AC 150 and I am a bit worried about
this.
It looks like there is a high chance of water bypassing the media in
the AC 150. The water level in the intake tube section rises up above
the media level in the media box and it looks like it could easily
just bypass the media and drop out the waterfall area. The laws of
physics might actually prevent this from happening due to the pressure
differences between the intake box and the media box caused by the
impeller and the motion of the water around it. I am not sure about
this, but there is a clear path that would allow it to happen if the
pressures allowed it. The "re-circulation grid" also provides a path
that would allow water to flow from the intake section to the top of
the media basket, thus bypassing all filtration. I think the pressure
in the intake & filter boxes causes water to flow from the top of the
filter basket to the intake area for re-circulation and additional
filtering. Again, I am not sure about that. The filter setup on the
Whisper does not really allow media bypass until the media clog and
the water starts to flow over the font of the intake tube and back
into the tank. When the Whisper is clean there is no chance of media
bypass. This may not be the case with the AC 150.
The bottom line is I am not sure about this new filter. I will hold
final judgment until I see how well filters. I also need to make sure
it does not suck up a Neon or get close to overflowing.
I have been running a Whisper J power filter in a 10-gal tank for
close to 10 years. I never had a problem with the Whisper, but after
reading all the glowing reviews of the AC models I decided to try one
out. The large, customizable media bags sounded like a good idea to
me. The media in my Whisper tends to gunk up after about 2-3 weeks
with a medium sized load in the tank. My old Whisper also lacks a
filter box cover and an adjustable flow control so those new options
were attractive to me as well. I've seen my Pleco resting on the
waterfall area of my Whisper (half out of the water) a few times and
this was making me nervous. Here is my initial comparison of the
Whisper J and the AC 150.
The external physical size of the two power filters is almost
identical. The flow rating of the AC is much higher than the old
Whisper J so this is surprising. A checked a new Whisper 20 when I
bought the AC 150. The Whisper 20 is rated at 125 gph and its
physical size is much bigger than the AC 150.
The Whisper J uses the smallest BioBags and they are pretty small.
The amount of "Ultra-Activated" carbon in the packs that come with the
BioBags is very small. The sponge for the AC 150 seemed fairly big &
dense and I like the idea if reusability. The carbon pack is huge
compared to the Whisper J carbon bag! I bought an extra AC 150 sponge
and I plan to stack 2 of them below the carbon after I get comfortable
with the filter.
The intake tube length on the old Whisper J is actually a little bit
longer than the intake tube on the AC 150 (with just one strainer
attached). The difference is less than ¼", but this was surprising to
me since the AC 150 is supposed to be for up to 30 gallons while the
Whisper J is only for up to 10 gallons. The AC 150 strainer has fewer
holes than the Whisper strainer, but the holes are larger then the
Whisper holes. This might be bad for my Neons.
It is obvious that the AC 150 has more suction power at the intake
tube strainer. It is clearly pulling in more stuff than the Whisper J
did. I can see foreign matter flying towards the intake at further
distances than I saw with the Whisper J. I picked up a medium sized
ball of junk I found under a tank rock and put it near the intake tube
and it got quickly sucked right up no problem. It looks like it will
pick up more foreign matter, but I hope it does not suck up a Neon. I
put my finger on the intake tube of the AC 150 and it does not feel
like there is major suction down there so the Neons might be ok.
The AC 150 kind of drops the output water down into the tank while the
Whisper shot it across the top of the tank. With the Whisper I could
see the current breaking at the front glass at the top of the tank.
When the filter got dirty I could see this current getting weaker. I
do not get the same kind of current flow across the top with the AC
150 but it looks like the water flow coming out of the AC 150 is at
least as much as I got out of the Whisper J. The AC 150 just drops it
down and the current goes towards the bottom of the tank. This may
help to agitate dirt at the bottom. My medium guppies were already
playing in the AC150 current.
The AC 150 is noisier than my Whisper J and it is a pretty big
difference. The build quality of the Whisper is obviously better.
The Whisper uses a strong but pliable black plastic while the AC 150
uses a hard and brittle plastic. I cracked my first AC 150 when I
tried to install the intake tube (I returned the AC 150 and got
another one). The way in which the intake attaches to the AC150 is a
very poor design. It is difficult to snap the tube on and off and it
looks like it will be something that will break (again). The Whisper
intake tube just easily drops right into the filter body without any
hassles. The Whisper tube is also built with a more durable plastic.
I like the remove and clean the tube when I do my monthly maintenance
and I hope that this does not become a problem.
The water level inside the AC 150 is pretty high. Even with a brand
new media setup the height of the water inside the filter is certainly
higher than what I got in the Whisper. I can see how some people have
experienced overflow problems. When the media clogged on my Whisper
the water spilled over the front of the intake tube and went back into
the tank. The water never rose near the back of the filter. I am not
sure that this is true with the AC 150 and I am a bit worried about
this.
It looks like there is a high chance of water bypassing the media in
the AC 150. The water level in the intake tube section rises up above
the media level in the media box and it looks like it could easily
just bypass the media and drop out the waterfall area. The laws of
physics might actually prevent this from happening due to the pressure
differences between the intake box and the media box caused by the
impeller and the motion of the water around it. I am not sure about
this, but there is a clear path that would allow it to happen if the
pressures allowed it. The "re-circulation grid" also provides a path
that would allow water to flow from the intake section to the top of
the media basket, thus bypassing all filtration. I think the pressure
in the intake & filter boxes causes water to flow from the top of the
filter basket to the intake area for re-circulation and additional
filtering. Again, I am not sure about that. The filter setup on the
Whisper does not really allow media bypass until the media clog and
the water starts to flow over the font of the intake tube and back
into the tank. When the Whisper is clean there is no chance of media
bypass. This may not be the case with the AC 150.
The bottom line is I am not sure about this new filter. I will hold
final judgment until I see how well filters. I also need to make sure
it does not suck up a Neon or get close to overflowing.