# Product review: Magnum 350 w/biowheels



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I have used Marineland Magnum 350s for years. They are both the cheapest entry-level canister filter and the easiest replacement for the old time Diatom filters for the tasks gravel-washing and water polishing. None of the square canisters are good for gravel washing. The pleated filters clog more quickly than the Vortex bags, but are easier to clean (you soak overnight in bleach water) and they are not difficult to swap out and you can even add diatomaceous earth for water-polishing. 

Used 350s show up in the club auctions and for sale with tanks. If I see one cheap, I don't hesitate to pick it up as every replacement part is available and usually in stock from multiple online sellers. I recently got two of these with boi-wheels from a club member, one new in box, one used, but mostly complete for less than the price of 1 no-biowheel new one online. 

Now its been a long time since I put one of these together from scratch and I had not used the bio-wheel attachment before. I wouldn't have paid extra for bio-wheels. IMO they give you all the drawbacks of a HOB (evaporation, noise, ugly, needs lots of space) that I choose a canister filter to avoid. 

Nevertheless, having the bio-wheel-thingy, I decide to try it. I set up the new in box filter according to instructions. The instructions were small, but clear and easy enough to follow, no DVD player needed. 

The first thing that I notice is new are 'click clamps' to hold hoses. These are, IMO, not any better than the hardware store hose-clamp, but they are a great improvement over the dumb little rubber bands they used to come with.

There are a lot of clamps. Not only are there hose attachments to the lid of canister and to the intake and outflow hoses, there is now a Tee in the line, a second, smaller (1/2" hose), a second T to go from the small hose to the 2 bio-wheels that come with the filter. This doesn't include the 2 sets of detachable "quick connect" shutoff valves that have screw-on hose nuts instead.

Setting up all the connections takes way too long. But it all goes together on the first try and nothing leaks. Each biowheel device has 2 screws through little plastic clamps on the bottom of each for holding them in position on the tank. They eventually do the job, but there is nothing to hold the clamps on, so they repeated slip off into the tank and sink to the bottom.

The bio-wheel units surprise me. They fit in narrow space between my tank and the wall (the reason I was replacing a HOB hung on the front), have spray bars and bio-wheels comparable to the Emperor HOB. The water flow is strong, aim-able, and the wheels spin quickly. A fairly-uniform flow goes into the tank giving a spray-bar like effect of dispersed output and wide surface agitation. One wheel is kind of squashed and makes a rubbing noise as it spins until I straighten it out. The bio-wheel units are tall. You can see them from the front of the tank and they wouldn't necessarily fit between tank in a 2 tank stand. They are also very wide. Between the 2 bio-wheel units and the input and output hose, they completely take up one half of a a 55's back (24").

I expect the bio-wheel units to have the same drawbacks the emperor bio-wheels do. Higher evaporation, noise and scale buildup from minerals in the water. The advantages are a dispersed output and whatever bio-filtration the wheels do.

Conclusion. I still like the Magnum 350 as a good workhorse filter and a periodic gravel washer. They aren't as cheap as they used to be, but are still cheaper than European filters with comparable flow-rates. The quick-connects are good for leaving hoses in place behind the tank while you clean the filter.

The bio-wheel attachment doesn't suck. If you like bio-wheels, this is LOTS of bio-wheel. And they fit in places most HOBs don't. However, they take up a huge amount of rim real-estate. I wouldn't pay extra for them and I may not bother to install the other set with the second filter.


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Yea I have had the one size smaller one for like 15 or more years, and I hate that bio-wheel too. It does like no biological filtration, takes a huge amount of space on the back, evap is defiantly ridiculous, and it also makes a huge mess of water/water build up. 

Im not sure about the 350's, but for the Magnum HOT Pros systems the main unit is lacking too. Although it has worked for years with out problem, it does come with some useful accessories and options for the output. Its just lacking in space for media, and is a mess to take apart. Though thats why I have been interested in the 350s for a while.

Good information on the 350s^


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

The media container of the 350 is small compared to the square canister filters. I suspect the add-on bio-wheels are an attempt to answer competitor' claims of more biology filtration. If this is your only filter, the bio-wheels may serve as a useful bacteria reserve for when you clean the filter and replace the media. But I would rather have a big sponge filter in the tank than a 24" wide waterfall on the back. 

The HOT magnums now can come with bio-wheels also. They have exactly the same issues and they have a smaller motor making them a bit anemic for gravel-washing IMO.

I wish the 350s were easier to gravel wash with. New filters should come with an extra half quick connect and a step-down connector to a gravel washing hose. I end up sticking a small hose up the intake tube or jury-rigging something. But I haven't found anything else that will do the job as well, expect for the old vortex diatoms, which are even worse to set-up and clean than the magnums.

Having several 350s, I can start with an extra canister and swap, clean, swap down the line until are all clean. Holding back one for gravel-washing leaves me a extra body I can install clean, so none of my tanks are missing a filter for any length of time. Having a bunch of any similar filters makes maintenance easier. All the main parts are interchangeable with the old filters.


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Yea I have never used mine for gravel cleaning, but it is defiantly not my only filter, or tank for that matter. 

Thats a good idea having extra filters for parts or emergencies. I do the same thing with the Fluval 04/05 canisters and my AquaClears.


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