Bitty Water

[DoubleJ]

Rena Filstar XP2 or the XP3 if you have the cash. 1 should be enough for a 55gl tank. I personally have 2 on mine but, that's just because I had 2 laying around. Great external canister filters and, for the money, a better value than eheim IMO. They come with all of the mechanical filtration you need and for bio filtration, you can go to a general store and pick up a small bag of small grain lava rocks designed for gas barbecues or landscaping. Best bio filtration for the money availible!! I went to Home Depot (U.S.) and paid $4.99 for a 20lb bag of the stuff and I have filled 8 filters and still have 3/4 of the bag left!!!

 

[Callum]

lol ive never heard of putting lava rock in filters must be a new craze or something.

 

[DoubleJ]

I picked it up on a turtle forum years ago. It is the same as the ceramic bio spheres and such. It has tons of little holes and crevaces for the bacteria to live in. It is the perfect bio media and it's cheap. Check it out:

$17.99 for 1 liter of bio rings

or

$4.99 for 20lbs of lava rocks

I got a 20 lb bag and like I said, I have filled 6 canister filters and 2 HOB filters and still have 15lbs left. You should just rinse it well before use but, it's really not that dirty so, it's not that hard. 2 minutes in the sink gets it rinsed.