Advantages And Disadvantages Of An External Filter Over An Internal

[Peter C]

I have an internal

Seen externals and people talking about them, plus my dad had a huge one for his fish tank years ago

So

Advantages and disadvantages of the external

Go..........

 

[Noahs ark6]

Advantages over an internal-

-Ability to hold a larger amount of filter media
-Ability to hold a larger variety of filter media
-Out of sight
-Doesn't take up space in the tank
-WIll keep the water very clean

Disadvantages over an internal-

-More expensive

 

[Noahs ark6]

 

[Teacher Martyn]

I've just gone from internal to external and wouldn't go back (although at the moment I have both running. I won't go into why).

Leaves more room in the tank.
Increases the tank capacity slightly as the filter holds a few litres.
Larger surface area for bacteria so better filtration.
Hidden away (if it fits into under-tank cabinet. Mine doesn't. 1cm too tall.)
They're much easier to maintain since you can clean them and make changes to media without going into the tank.

 

[Noahs ark6]

I've just gone from external to internal and wouldn't go back (although at the moment I have both running. I won't go into why).

Leaves more room in the tank.
Increases the tank capacity slightly as the filter holds a few litres.
Larger surface area for bacteria so better filtration.
Hidden away (if it fits into under-tank cabinet. Mine doesn't. 1cm too tall.)
They're much easier to maintain since you can clean them and make changes to media without going into the tank.

I think you've got internal and external on the first line mixed up

 

[tomtomtom1230]

External pros

More space for media/sponges
Easier to maintain (generally)
Higher flow rates are available
No clutter in the tank
Able to choose what order your water is filtered in

External cons

Usually pretty big
Much more expensive
Media/sponges usually cost more

Internal Pros

Smaller, ideal for smaller tanks
Cheaper running costs
Some are pretty easy to maintain
Cheaper to buy brand new

Internal Cons

Lots of clutter in the tank
Sometimes, unable to change part of the media and can only do full changes, causing a new cycle (EG: the Interpet's PF range of internal filters)
Can be a bit fiddly when maintaining (shouldn't be an issue with more modern filters though)


There's probably LOAADS but I'm pretty tired these are what I can think of off the top of my head though. In my experience, I'd ALWAYS use an external.

 

[Teacher Martyn]

I've just gone from external to internal and wouldn't go back (although at the moment I have both running. I won't go into why).

Leaves more room in the tank.
Increases the tank capacity slightly as the filter holds a few litres.
Larger surface area for bacteria so better filtration.
Hidden away (if it fits into under-tank cabinet. Mine doesn't. 1cm too tall.)
They're much easier to maintain since you can clean them and make changes to media without going into the tank.

I think you've got internal and external on the first line mixed up

Whoops. Need to go to bed.

 

[Peter C]

Nice 1 people

Bought a fluval 106 for my main tank 90 uk litres but I'm getting a second tank off my sister (about 20 litres approx) when I get back off my Hols so il use my internal for that