You Know Who Wears The Trousers In This One!

[The chilly dipper]

right then just had a discussion with the missus about my new tank and she seems to think a penguin 350 would look ugly "hanging out of the tank like that".

can anybody post a picture or tell me just how much the penguin will rise above the tank?

any help is appreciated.

help me win at least 1 argument please

:stupid:

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The 350 sits as high as the 200 above the tank. To give some perspective, the top of the 200 sits just above (maybe a quarter inch, up to a half inch at the most) the height of the top of the light fixture. My wife is a stickler for aesthetics too. I had to convince her that the tank could go in the dining room and wouldn't be an eye sore. Therefore, I have to keep it looking neat and clean. The 200 is completely unnoticeable when viewed from the front. The top of the filter also has a very nice clean look to it. There are two separate lids on the filter: one for where the biowheel sits, and one where the cartridges sit.


If you go a different direction, you'd have to have pipes/tubes going over the top of the tank and then have an external stored elsewhere. If you ask me, the Penguin is very compact in design and doesn't create an eye sore.


But, that's just one man's opinion.

 

[The chilly dipper]

The 350 sits as high as the 200 above the tank. To give some perspective, the top of the 200 sits just above (maybe a quarter inch, up to a half inch at the most) the height of the top of the light fixture. My wife is a stickler for aesthetics too. I had to convince her that the tank could go in the dining room and wouldn't be an eye sore. Therefore, I have to keep it looking neat and clean. The 200 is completely unnoticeable when viewed from the front. The top of the filter also has a very nice clean look to it. There are two separate lids on the filter: one for where the biowheel sits, and one where the cartridges sit.


If you go a different direction, you'd have to have pipes/tubes going over the top of the tank and then have an external stored elsewhere. If you ask me, the Penguin is very compact in design and doesn't create an eye sore.


But, that's just one man's opinion.

thank you mate nice one
i will make sure the missus hears your opinion

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I always like to discuss things with my wife in such a way that I was already considering her point when I made my decision. Something like this: "Yeah, I know that it needs to look nice and we don't want to have a bunch of random tubes and pipes running all over the place. That's why I thought this (Penguin 350) was the best choice. All the parts are contained in a single box. It fits right on the back of the tank, so we don't need extra storage space dedicated to it. This allows us to store all the other fish stuff in the cabinet. And the box is at the same height basically as the light fixture. It has a lid and is well engineered to fit together tightly." Then I'd show her a picture of the filter in place on a tank, and a similarly set-up external. Obviously, the pictures I choose would be carefully selected to make my choice look the best, while the other option doesn't look neat and tidy. She usually sees things my way when I do that. (Of course, she's probably just humoring me, and sees through my little scheme. She's so much more perceptive than I am! )

 

[The chilly dipper]

YOU SIR ARE A GENIUS!!!!!!!!

i will try that method actually,she loves the idea of keeping nice fish but more at war with the nasty side of things lol.
i think its a womens perogative to want nice without the nasty lol.

she says if the penguin is ugly i have to find a new home for it lol.
wish i had a garage now lol

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I know what you mean. My wife likes the look of male guppies, but hates the look of algae and some other fish. That has gone into every layer of the plan.

Another exchange:
My wife saw a broken down turtle tank that was covered in algae and said, "Our tank better not ever look like that."


"Yeah, I know Sweetie. I know. That's why I have spent so much time researching everything. I don't want it to look like that either. That's also why I thought a bigger tank would be better than a smaller tank. It's easier to keep the water parameters in line. If I see a little algae starting, I can deal with it quickly before it gets out of hand. 56 gallons of water is easier to keep in balance than 10."

 

[Kaybear11]

I like the look of the penguins too, I have 2 200s on my 75 right now and will be upgrading to 350s soon. I am a female, an OCD female at that and I really like the look of them. I used to have UGFs and sponge filters, all the tubing and bulky sponges drove me insane but had to do it for the babies. These are very clean looking and the intake tubes blend in with my black background. And as Eagle said the light strip hides most of the filter from the front. Just tell her an OCD female fish keeper gives it two thumbs up compared to most other things lol

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You can't get a better recommendation for aesthetics than from an OCD female!

 

[Kaybear11]

My point exactly lol. If she doesn't go for that then I don't know what to tell you. Good luck!

 

[Tizer]

My wife gets no say, i just do whats necessary You guys must be doing something wrong.

 

[The chilly dipper]

My wife gets no say, i just do whats necessary You guys must be doing something wrong.

ive never been the best person to win these sorts of things lol.
problem is that if ever i went against her wishes,she would sulk untill the issue was resolved lol and i just cannot be doing with that lol.

mr tizer you must get at least a little trouble of the missus lol.

thank you kaybear i will now proceed to themissus in a calm fashion and say

........ahem
TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!!!!

indeed a OCD female is a great reference for this filter.
im glad you think it looks better than in water filters.
my argument is which would you rather have babe,a great big black thing stuck to side or would you rather have nothing in the tank at all ,and have a lovely penguin trickling the water out in a calming manner.


she dont see the appeal of a hang on back filter but also fails to realise it will look way better than a filter box or a normal in water filter.

thank you guys victory must surely be mine wuhahahahahahahaha.

or will it.....

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You mean that the alternative is an INTERNAL filter?! WOW! I thought she preferred an external (which is far more expensive). There is no contest, in that case. The Penguin is a far superior product for that size than an internal, and will allow you to create a far more "natural" appearance inside the tank than an internal. I don't think it is possible to "hide" an internal at all. I think it is just there for all the world to see. Meanwhile, I think a HOB, even with its long intake tube is far more "natural" looking in a tank. Just add some tall bogwood in front of it, and put some moss on it. The water splashing into the tank, I have always found to be a soothing sound and rather calming. Maybe some people don't prefer that, but I do. If you keep the water level higher, the water comes back in with nary a sound.

 

[Kaybear11]

http/m1081.photobucket.com/albums/j346/Kaybear1987/Mobile%20Uploads/?action=view&current=IMG_0011.jpg

http/m1081.photobucket.com/albums/j346/Kaybear1987/Mobile%20Uploads/?action=view&current=IMG_9441.jpg

I finally figured out how to post the links to photobucket from my iPhone. Its still cycling so I haven't bothered putting any decor in there yet, my mopani wood is still soaking anyway.

Excuse my testing equipment lol

 

[Kaybear11]

Also the 350s are the same size as the 200s, just longer. I already have the 350s, I havent put them on there yet though. I actually think the 350s will look better because they will be longer and go with the light strip more rather than having two little bumps as you can see in my pic. But I'm a weirdo lol

 

[The chilly dipper]

Also the 350s are the same size as the 200s, just longer. I already have the 350s, I havent put them on there yet though. I actually think the 350s will look better because they will be longer and go with the light strip more rather than having two little bumps as you can see in my pic. But I'm a weirdo lol

hehe lol test equpiment excused lol.
would you look at that not a filter in sight hehe
although the tank of mineis a rio 125

im hoping the backflap will fold on top of the filter,
as too hide it even more.