Tetra Whisper Bio-Bag Medium Filter Cartridges for Aquariums, 6 Count

We have two Tetra Whisper fish filters. These assemble-yourself filter cartridges or "bags" are, after assembly, the same as the ones you can buy ready to use but much, much cheaper. It is extremely easy to assemble them and everything you need is included, very nice and I think a "no brainer". NOTE: I recommend not following their assembly instructions in one respect. ("Assembly" means turning off the filter unit, removing the old, dirty cartridge to work on it, changing out the filter bag and charcoal [ditch the old, put in the new], and re-installing.) The instructions say to put the re-useable frame inside the bag first, then pour in the charcoal. I find that no matter how careful I am, some of the little charcoal particles spill out of the narrow opening or bounce off the frame as you pour and they wind up, (a.) not in the filter so less service life, and, (b.) on the floor or counter to be cleaned up. Instead, I recommend pouring the charcoal into the bag first with the bag "mouth" wide open and unobstructed, much easier and less mess and waste, then insert the frame into the bag. The only caveat is that with the charcoal in a pile at the bottom of the bag, the frame may not go down in all the way, so have to shake or flick the bag a bit then settle the frame in deeper once or twice, much as you might flick a single-serve paper bag of sugar to move sugar out of the way before tearing off the top. I haven't "autopsied" a factory-assembled bag vs one of these to confirm that they aren't cheating by putting in less charcoal, the price difference is so great that it's surprising, but they seem to work for as long as the factor-assembled ones. The box says "Made in U.S.A." so I hope we're not putting someone out of work by taking away their factory assembly job, but I'm sure the factory-assemble versions remain a major part of the market. We keep a few factory-assembled ones around for when we are away and the pet sitter may have to change cartridges, not they couldn't use these (not rocket science!) but we try to make it easier for them. For us, we use only these unassembled ones. The Whisper filters seem effective and are quiet. They do build up some crud over time and should be rinsed out once in a while, including taking off the bottom section (intake screen and pump), but other than that they seem good. Of course, the local pet store fish experts, who do seem to know their stuff, say that sometimes cleaning is good and eliminates crud that otherwise makes the water cloudy and the fish prone to infection, while other times cleaning removes "good" slime and organic material that are necessary to support or are part of the "good" bacteria that should be present in an aquarium to digest and remove ammonia and nitrates (i.e., piss-eating bacteria), since not having them results in impurity build-up in the water than can irritate, hurt, or ultimately kills the fish. But no one has been able to tell me how to tell good slime or crud from bad slime and crud beyond saying that if the tank water looks clear, don't sweat the slime, but if cloudy, that's bad. They also say to add "biological" treatments or additives when appropriate to establish or restore lost good bacteria, but then add that the "good" bacteria under some conditions can also make water cloudy and bad. Confused yet? So am I. At this point, I should say that I like hamsters and cats and dogs myself, but we have the fish for the kids (sigh) and we do the best we can. So if you have fish and this type of water filter, I would recommend these unassembled ones, they are sooo much less expensive than factory assembled, easy and very little trouble to assemble yourself, so you can save money and/or change filters cartridges more often. It's all good.

Tetra always seems to make the best budget and just overall filters. I bought a bunch of the cheap usb pumps with filters elsewhere and I kept having algae spikes. Then I bought the tetra whisper and changed the filter out once and my fish tank has been clean ever since. Paired with the whisper, the filter is silent as a mouse. The filtration is excellent as mentioned. The filter doesn’t restrict the suction of the pump at all. It is functionally perfect and the assembly was nonexistent - put it in the pump assembly and away it goes! Will purchase again.

Good as always. They’re cheaper than usual due to not wrapping them in plastic anymore. Don’t order anything with them. If all is put in the same box you get charcoal residue on everything. I miss the plastic wrapping inside the filter box. They work just as well. Just a little messier

These definitely don't hold up as well as the premade ones, but for the price I'm willing to change the filter out more often.

This fish tank filter has been a solid addition to my aquarium setup. It keeps the water clear and clean, and I’ve noticed a big improvement in overall water quality since using it. It runs consistently without much maintenance and helps maintain a healthy environment for the fish. It’s easy to set up and doesn’t require anything complicated to get started. The flow is steady and helps with circulation without being too strong for the tank. Cleaning it is simple as well, which makes routine maintenance much easier. Overall, it’s a reliable, effective filter that does its job well and helps keep the tank balanced and healthy with minimal effort.

These are the DIY filter cartridges. They come with the plastic frame, white filter floss pouches, and little bags of activated charcoal. You just dump the charcoal in the white pouch, then slip the frame into its and there’s a clip that clips on the top to hold it all together. Easy as pie! Good quality product, good materials.

Works great always keeps my tank clean. This product is as described. I’ve tried an off brand in the past and it didn’t work as good as the Tetra brand.

Love it. Good price

Excelente artículo llego en buen estado, justo lo que necesitaba mi acuario.

Serve perfeitamente na bomba para aquaterrarium que tenho. Qualidade do filtro é excelente.

Item as described.

Buena marca para todo lo relacionado a un acuario, el producto llegó en perfectas condiciones

Fits my pump My pump's quite old and it still works great