Confused on filters

[Elbo]

Ok, I know I am getting old. I just got back into the Tropical fish hobby, and back in my childhood days, all I had to deal with was the cotton corner filters. Now I see it is a whole new ballgame.

Ok now my question is...

I just bought a 45 gallon aquarium, and I need to get a filter system for it, I have been looking getting the Hot Magnum Pro System, but wanted to check and see if that was the right way to go with the tank that I have. or should I go with a cannister system that I know nothing about.

Any input would be great for this new beginner.

Thanks

Elbo

 

[Dragonslair]

ALL filters work in the same manner, from the humble cotton corner filter to the hi-tech multi-million pound latest all flashing, all dancin' ones. Their main job is to draw in solid and liquid waste and by natural bacteria action and resins if you so choose return the water back into the tank refreshed. The method by which you want this to be done is governed by the size of your wallet and by the amount of space you have for the filteration unit.
You can ask a hundred different people and you will get various answers. So to answer you question, the choice is yours.

 

[Tanked]

I will make some recomndations,
if you want an external canister filter the fluval 404, or if you want an internal the marineland Emporer 400 (i have it a and am very fond of it.) good luck in your fliter hunting

 

[Doohic722]

I just set my 55gallon up with a Magnum 350 pro kit (canister filter), I found this to be a very complete kit (even comming with vacuum attachment), carbon, filter media, all hardware, dual biowheels. I havnt had experiance with any other filters really so my opinion is somewhat scewed. Nothing hangs below the rim of the tank except for the inlet and outlet.

Take a look, its a good buy, here is where i got it.. At the time it was the cheapest place to find it.

wow... just looked.. its on sale too
Magnum 350 Pro

I also looked at the HOT magnum,,,, how much does it pump? If it pumps like 300gallons an hour I think that one is a good buy also.

HTH

 

[marineland-man]

There are several options you could do. Each filter has its own unique aspects and does things better than others. If you want versatility a canister is for you. The advantages of the magnum is that its a extremely powerfull filter for normal operation, it holds a large quantity of carbon or whatever you want to fill it with. but thats not all...it has the micron cartridge for tank polishing or when you are treating your tank, and as the other person mentioned it comes with the gravel cleaner, when you use this with the micron cartridge it works great, i use this all the time. Depending on the tank the dual bio wheels are a great compliment to the power of the canister but if you use a hex tank then you will have to do some of your own engineering =) but its possible. The price usually reflects all of these benefits versus the standard hang on the back filter but if you have the cash its very much worth it. I have a 37 gal w/ eclipse 3 and I keep a mag 350 also but all my tanks have far more filtration than they need for obvious reasons. If you want a filter that will just plain ole work well and be easy to maintain then the emperor 400 is great.

Good luck!!

 

[Elbo]

Thanks for all the advice, I have finally settled on the Magnum Pro 350 cannister unit from Big Als on sale.

Thanks again

Elbo

 

[marineland-man]

Good choice =) hope it works out well for you!

 

[wherryj]

I agree on the Fluval 404.

I have one for my 55 gal hex, and with an UGF plus powerhead has given me filtration to spare. I'm not TOTALLY thrilled with the manner of connecting the tubing to the unit (the pressure fittings seem to have at least a chance to come loose-but hasn't done so in the 5 months that I've used it).

Has anyone seen the Simplicity Plus filtration built into the Tenecor tanks? I'm considering getting a 70 gallon pentagon Tenecor tank with their Unitex stand and canopy. The built-in filter would seem to make things very easy, with NO chance of leakage-and a HIDDEN filter unit to boot. It just seems like possibly too good a deal (aside from adding about $200 to the cost of the acrylic tank, of course-not THAT much more than the appropriate Fluval, etc.).

Also, has anyone SEEN the Unitex stands in person? I like the idea of a faux granite stand, but I'm not sure if it looks shabby or chic.