First of, let me start out by telling you that I have used many types of filters in a number of situations. I am only 23, but have been keeping fish for almost fourteen years and have sold fish and supplies for three years now. I have my own opinions and daily hear the opinions of my customers. From this I feel safe to say that Tetra Whisper filters have many flaws:

Lack of biological filtration:

Until recently, Whisper filters have had absolutely no biological filtration. In most's opinion the biological filtration is the most important of the three types, the others being mechanical(filter pad) and chemical(activated carbon). Tetra tried to ad this to their larger Whisper filters(30 and up), with poor results. They have now included a foam pad for the water to pass through after it goes through the replacable cartridge. While porus foam is an excelent media for bacteria, it has to be correctly used. The bacteria that are needed for a healthy tank are areobic. This means that they need an ample supply of oxygen to thrive. The Whisper foam pad is fully submersed, which means that areobic bacteria will not culture on it, and even worse, harmeful anareobic bacteria can grow!. Another flaw with this design is that this foam pad has to be washed off every so often and possibly even replaced(as suggested by Tetra). This means that if there are any good bacteria on the foam pad they are going to be washed down the drain or end up in the trash!

Short life:

I know that I will get people who are going to tell me that their Whisper has lasted them for years. I think that they are the execption though. Out of the two whisper I have owned, the longet life has been two years. That might not sound all that bad, but in comparrison to my Penguin 170 that I put on my first tank and am still using today(almost fourteen years), that is not long. Besides my own experience, I see how many of these are returned to my store, wich is far greater then any other brand. The problems with them seem to be varied; from just never starting to leaking(more about that later).

Becomes brittle under light:

Ever seen what happens to plastic, such as a coke bottle, after it sits outside in the sun? It becomes cracked and brittle. This is the case for any type of transparent or semi-transparent plastic, such as that the Whisper filter is made of. I know you do not plan to put your filter outside, but strong lighting, such as that used for reef and planted tanks, can have the same effect. I am not a plastics expert, but this was all explained to me by one of my customers who is. This is a problem that most people will not experience, but if you plan to use strong lighting you might consider a filter that is not transparent.

Tank size rating system:

I never trust a filter that only tells you what size tank it is for, with no gallons per hour rating. The reason for this is that different types of fish have different filtration requirments. I will give you an example: two eighty gallon tanks, one has two medium size oscars and the other is a heavily planted tank with a school of cardinal tetras. Do they have the same filtration needs? The waste output of an oscar is far greater then that of a school of tetras. Plus, a planted tank needs minimal water flow so as not to disturb the plants and not to break the water surfach too much as not to loose too much carbion dioxide into the atmosphere. This means that the oscar tank needs MUCH stronger filtration on it then the planted tank with tetras even though they are the same size.

Filter can leak:

The outer box of the Whisper filter is not one peice as with some others. The motor unit can be twisted and pulled out for cleaning. This sounds great, but each time the motor is taken out, it fits a little looser. There is a rubber O-ring in place to form a seal, but rubber shrinks with age. I suggest a filter with a fully sealed design. It might not be as easy to clean, but it is easier then cleaning your carpet!

I do have to admit that there is one thing I like about the Whisper filter: the bio-bag replacement cartridge opens for easy filter customization. In a system where you need something like extra carbon or zeolite it can be poured into the cartridge. I do fel that this benefit deos not justify the list of problems though. If you are wondering what filter I do like, it is the marienland penguin. these filters are free from any of the problems of the Whisper line. They are going to cost more, but it is worth it!




Recommended: No