# 3 Magnum 350s



## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

So I bought a Marineland Magnum 350 at a Petsmart in November. I got a bit of sand in it, and the impeller and magnet got all shredded up. So I asked Marineland to send me a new one. It took such a long time to get a new impeller, and in the time that it took to get it, the magnet was wobbling so badly in the filter, that the canister cracked. Fortunately, I had purchased another one, and the day the filter cracked, the new filter arrived in the mail. 

Now I had a replacement filter for the broken one, but I still wanted my broken one working. I contacted Marineland again, and told them the story. This time, they asked me to send the part back, with a copy of the receipt. The filter is pretty big, and would be expensive to ship, and I don't have a box to fit it. I took a picture of the crack in the filter, and a picture of the receipt and emailed it to them. They told me they were going to send it, and that I should expect it in 5-7 days. Today (the 8th day) the new one arrived, and to my surprise, they sent me an entirely new filter, not just the canister. So now I have 3 Magnum 350s. 2 are running on the tank, and 1 has a cracked canister. 

I am considering buying the $38 canister to fix the broken one. Then I will have 3 Magnum 350s. I'm not sure if I will install the 3rd one on the tank, as that would be 1050 GPH of water flow, which is a lot. I might just use it as a water polisher, but then again, I never let my tanks get cloudy. What do you think? Should I have 1050 GPH of water flow in my 100g discus tank, or should I save the filter for something else?


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## grogan (Jan 23, 2011)

Put it on the tank! That way when you get your next tank you already have cycled filter...oh come on you know there is going to be another tank lol.


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## Kimberly (Jan 22, 2012)

I say this is a PERFECT reason to get another tank! ;-)


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

As I end up saying all the time, there is no such thing as too much filtration. What determines too much flow on the other hand is what your fish like, but since its coming from multiple filters rather than just jetting out of 1 I dont think its going to be a big deal, just watch your fish and see what happens.


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## snyderguy (Feb 9, 2010)

grogan said:


> Put it on the tank! That way when you get your next tank you already have cycled filter...oh come on you know there is going to be another tank lol.


Exactly what I was going to say


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Get the canister and use if gravel-washing, water polishing or water changes or just to hold in reserve. 350s are about the closest modern substitute for the old Diatom XLs. You can put in the micron filter, toss in a little diatomaceous earth and run it for 2 days on a tank and get all the algae and crap out of the water. It may even catch water-borne parasites like ich. Having an extra canister also allows for faster swap-outs when cleaning the filter. Put the new one on, clean the filthy one later, not super hurry-up because the tank is under-filtered. 

I have been impressed by Marineland's customer service lately. They send me a new impeller when my new Emperor was noisy out of the box. But I would rather have had it work right to begin with. 

IMO, the 350 are at a disadvantage when it comes to sand. Sand falls into the impeller well and stays there, ruining the impeller and plastic canister. The filters with impellers in the lid don't have this issue.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

emc7 - This is probably what I am going to do. I forgot that I could get a gravel attachment for it, although, I don't use gravel  I might just through the micron filter on it every 2 months or so, and let it run to do some water polishing. It might help with algae, who knows. 

I was not impressed by Marineland's warranty. Their registration page on their website doesn't work, and they took forever to respond to emails. They wanted me to pay to return the previous item. Instead, I sent them a picture of the crack, and said that if they wanted the old item back, they can send a shipping label inside the box.

The slow response in the emails was the biggest issue. When I first had the problem with the magnet getting sand on it, I only had the one filter on the tank. I had to run the broken filter the way it was, which caused it to break even more. I got lucky that my other filter arrived when it did, or I would be stuck either buying a third filter, or going without a filter for a few days (not an option). If Marineland (actually United Pet Group) had been faster about processing my request and sending my parts, they would not had to send me a replacement canister. Also, notice that the filter broke in December, and its almost February before I got the parts I needed to make it work again. UGH!

Anyway, I am happy they sent me an entirely new filter. I like the way these filters are designed, even if they are prone to being damaged by sand. The external motor in them is a cool design, that allows me to remove the canister, without unplugging it. Its also a cool solid state motor design, so there are no moving parts in the motor itself, just the impeller and magnet move. That means it is less likely to have motor failure. The fact that I can replace the filter media with a micron filter is cool too, and there is a lot of space in the container to hold a lot of chemical filtration or bio beads (although I don't have anything in it). The GPH is also rated pretty high, being close to their C-360 model, and the Fluval 404 (canister not found)

The "Pro" model of this confused me. Why would I want the Bio-Wheel thing hanging on the back of the tank? Isn't part of the point of a canister, is that you have less hanging on the tank? :?: 

Anyway, its overall a good filter, and they did honor their warranty, so I shouldn't be too mad about it. It just took a long time, but now I have 3 of them!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I agree with you about the bio-wheels on the canister output. It way ups both the noise and evaporation. Really not worth it, IMO. If you need more bio-filter, put a sponge filter in the tank. 

I have several magnums 350 and I like them. IMO they are the best canister deal. The most filtration/flow for the money. Prices are up lately but the other brands and types are up even more. 

I generally use the micron filter as directed by Marineland when gravel-washing and bleach it, as directed, after. Using it with diatoms is not on the directions, and will make cleaning up more of a pain, but it will catch even finer stuff and is a way to deal with cloudy or green water.


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