overall score:

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Product Review

Models Used for this review-> 1, C, J

Tetra is one of the pioneers in aquarium supplies.  They have been part of the marketplace for a very long time and produce a wide range of products.  This month, we review their filter series, the Whisper Power Filters.  This line of power filters has been closely copied and is also sold as Top Fin power filters from such places as PetSmart.  While they typically get the job done, they are not one of the better choices for filters.

Maintenance (5)

The typical maintenance of this filter, that is removing and replacing the filter pads is about on par with most other power filters.  However, the bags used, must be manually filled.  This is in stark contrast to most filter pads which come ready to rinse and plug directly into the filter. 

The bigger problem of maintenance comes with cleaning aquariums and daily usage of the filter.  The impellor often will freeze up.  In all models I've run of this filter, within 1 year, the filter impellor will seize at every water changing.  They will also seize periodically while the filter is running, making a daily checking of the filter a good suggestion to ensure that it doesn't overheat.  While this type of problem is common to all power filters to some degree, it seems to plague the whisper series more than any other series of filter.

The filter does require very little priming in order to start it up.  It may be at the head of its class in this aspect.

Noise (8)

The filters are typically not noisy.  However, when the impellor starts seizing, it will cause large amounts of noise as it is not running smoothly.  A quick, though pricey resolution is to replace the impellor.  Since we rate the filter base on its long-term ability, it was dinged in this category.  When the impellor is working properly, it is a very quiet filter.

Durability (4)

As mentioned before, these filters do not do well over the long-term.  The impellors seize and require replacing.  This is the only series of filter I've ever tested where I had an impellor come apart.  The plastic detached from the magnet, forcing a replacement of the piece.  Compared to other power filters on the market, the only real replaceable pieces, the impellor and motor, need to be replaced more often.  This filter is not recommended to someone who wants to use the filter over the long term.

Quality (6)

This filter does what any mechanical filter is supposed to do.  It does not do well with biological filtration.  Tetra has tried to compete with the Bio-Wheel series of filter by retro-fitting these filters with a wet/dry apparatus and renaming the filter the "Triad." (adding biological to the chemical and mechanical filtration already in place)  However, this retro-fitting is quickly being abandoned by Tetra, and appears to have been not as useful as they hoped.  The filter pads on the filter do not distribute Carbon at all and are the worst available for chemical filtration due to this point.

Overall (6)

This filter is passable as a filter, but the low quality of the filtration and the lack of biological filtration make it a filter I would tend to pass over.   There are many other filters out there that won't cost much more than the price of this one and will give you a much better output for your money.