Best Filtration Are Not Canisters But....

[cleekdaFish]

Trickle filters

This is the most important decision keepers make. Saving a few dollars at this stage can mean countless dollars in fish losses. Underfiltered tanks cause problems again and again and make fish keeping a headache instead of a pleasurable, exciting hobby. Trickle filters are the best choice for tanks above 30 gallons. Good mechanical and biological filtration maintains robust oxygen levels and keeps harmful fish waste and other decaying debris from polluting the water and killing fish. Trickle filters, because of their size and expanded biological surface area, perform these tasks better than any other form of filtration and should always be considered the first choice. Trickle filters are more reliable and easier to maintain. Since there are no costly cartridges to replace, trickle filters are also more cost effective to operate.


has anyone used this?

 

[dc3]

No - we've always used canisters and HOB or sponge combi's on medium sized tanks in the 55 to 120g range and any human-error or maintenance glitches notwithstanding, the water parameters have been spot on.

Any scientific evidence to back up a blanket assertion like that?

 

[cleekdaFish]

[Any scientific evidence to back up a blanket assertion like that?
[/quote]


no i read it online , I dunno if it is true or not , thats why im askin

 

[dc3]

There's a lot of good things written about trickle filters... They probably are right under specific circumstances - thing i've learned is there isn't one universal solution for filtration... My discus guy swears that an aquaclear + hydrosponge combo is the epitome of filtration (shook his head at me the day i bought a canister) and he's been at it for a couple of decades - there's truth in what he says but it doesn't make him 100% right...

 

[Tolak]

The best fish are...
The best tank is...

It all depends on your individual situation.

 

[Garbage]

Trickle filters

This is the most important decision keepers make. Saving a few dollars at this stage can mean countless dollars in fish losses. Underfiltered tanks cause problems again and again and make fish keeping a headache instead of a pleasurable, exciting hobby. Trickle filters are the best choice for tanks above 30 gallons. Good mechanical and biological filtration maintains robust oxygen levels and keeps harmful fish waste and other decaying debris from polluting the water and killing fish. Trickle filters, because of their size and expanded biological surface area, perform these tasks better than any other form of filtration and should always be considered the first choice. Trickle filters are more reliable and easier to maintain. Since there are no costly cartridges to replace, trickle filters are also more cost effective to operate.


has anyone used this?

What a load of crap. Cannisters are the best filters hands down.If you have a problem cleaning them you must be doing it wrong because it isnt hard.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Trickle filters are meant to be pretty good- a lot of people with very large tanks use trickle towers in their sump. It means you can get rid of solid waste before it decays in the filter, meaning lower nitrates. Of course, the problem with a trickle filter is the extra space required, so it may be all well and good, but it's not practical for many people.

 

[doresy]

I would not be so bold as to make that sort of statement especially as I have not used a cannister system. I have the trickle filter in the canopy (AquaOne) system in both my tanks (155ltr & 34ltr).

I have tweaked them as I don't agree with the suppliers choice of media (geared around regular and costly replacements.....obviously!). My main tank stays on perfect stats no matter what I throw at it and my new small tank is going through a fishless cycle nicely.

I would not consider changing to any other system but my choice of fish are not exactly demanding!

My personal view on trickle, for me......great

 

[jayjay]

What a load of crap. Cannisters are the best filters hands down.If you have a problem cleaning them you must be doing it wrong because it isnt hard.

Sorry but I don't see how the amazing filtration of trickle towers would be "crap". Cannister filters are fine, but I would much rather use a trickle tower + sump. The bigger media area, greater oxygen exchange and ease of just cleaning the filter floss every few weeks, would make trickle towers the hands down winners.

 

[Night_Market]

Yep! me too, I love Trickle filters - of the type Aqua One do. Very easily cleaned/changed when dirty, medicated etc.

The wet/dry effect is spot on.

 

[Teelie]

IMO, sumps are the best filters hands down. Only problem is they are impractical on anything smaller than a 55 gallon and unnecessary on anything less than 75 gallons. Of course you can do them on smaller tanks but that's where cannisters come in. The second best filter type IMO.

 

[Don Trinko]

I have had fish since the 50's and have never had a trickle or canister filter. I'm sure they both work fine but fish can be kept healthy with other filters also. In the 50's I had corner filters operated by air, then came outside filters operated by air, now we have many choices ALL of witch work better (move more water) than my old corner filter. Don T.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

the best filters you can get are sumps if you have enough room. they add more water to your system so you have greater room for error and itll be more stable, you can load them up with whatever media you want, you can put your heater and skimmer in there so itll be hidden. i dont think canisters can do this. i think the only flaws with sumps is that you are pretty much forced to get a powerhead for circulation and an overflow box if your tank doesnt have one built in.

 

[ryguy]

im always told canisters are better but i could be wrong

 

[Dorkhedeos]

for those who think canisters are superior to sumps, name things some advantages it has over sumps other than being more compact, good luck