External Filter

I'm thinking of switching to a mini external filter on my 90L. I've only ever used internals and HOBs so want some advice/tips. I'm on a budget which limits my options.. I don't think I need to over-filter this tank since its heavily planted.


I've found a few different ones and wanted to know if anyone has had any experience using any of these?

Another few questions. How many times should the filter be cleaned? Should I add any of my own media/sponge? Glass or plastic pipes?
How durable is hosing?











TIA

I've got the all-pond solution filter for my tank, the one you're looking at. I think its really good, its compact and has been running for a year for me which is great. It can be quite noisy so I had to shove a sock between the pipe and the main body to stop it from rattling. It worked well for me cleaning was annoying though because you have to open the top up and that can get messy I ended up cleaning the filter in a bucket to stop the floor getting too wet. but for the money I cant say I've had too many issues I think its great value

ember04 said:

I've got the all-pond solution filter for my tank, the one you're looking at. I think its really good, its compact and has been running for a year for me which is great. It can be quite noisy so I had to shove a sock between the pipe and the main body to stop it from rattling. It worked well for me cleaning was annoying though because you have to open the top up and that can get messy I ended up cleaning the filter in a bucket to stop the floor getting too wet. but for the money I cant say I've had too many issues I think its great value

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I ordered the EF 150 last night. Managed to get for £33 incl delivery. Thanks for the advice on the noise Ill use some spare sponge to sort that out. I had been thinking that cleaning may be an issue so using a bucket seems like a no-brainer. Did you just keep the filter media it came with or use something different? I was just going to use the sponges and ditch the bio balls and pad.

MattW said:

I ordered the EF 150 last night. Managed to get for £33 incl delivery. Thanks for the advice on the noise Ill use some spare sponge to sort that out. I had been thinking that cleaning may be an issue so using a bucket seems like a no-brainer. Did you just keep the filter media it came with or use something different? I was just going to use the sponges and ditch the bio balls and pad.

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I ditched the pad because after a week it had basically disintegrated and was just a lump in the filter, I liked the bio balls because they just fitted under the sponge holder quite well but that's up to you. I also found that there is a gap at the top of of the filter which I put a mesh bag of activated carbon in to because I like that in my filters. I found the sponge were really good I think they worked well

MattW said:

I ordered the EF 150 last night. Managed to get for £33 incl delivery. Thanks for the advice on the noise Ill use some spare sponge to sort that out. I had been thinking that cleaning may be an issue so using a bucket seems like a no-brainer. Did you just keep the filter media it came with or use something different? I was just going to use the sponges and ditch the bio balls and pad.

Click to expand...

Good call, sponge is all you need, and it won't get blocked like a pad. There is a reasonable amount of evidence now that all these ceramic media are actually no more effective than 20-30ppm sponge, in filters. The manufacturers will, of course, claim they are, but independent comparisons almost always seem to say otherwise.